Banjo |
Mc Donnel F2H-2 Banshee June 1952 The McDonnell F2H Banshee was a military carrier-based jet fighter aircraft, used by the United States Navy from 1948 to 1959 and by the Royal Canadian Navy from 1955 until 1962. The Banshee had unswept wings, a single seat, and two engines. Together with the F9F Panther, the Banshee was one of the USN's primary single-seat fighters during the Korean War. The Banshee was a development of the FH Phantom, although it was being planned before the Phantom went into production. The basic design was for an enlarged and more powerful Phantom, with a pair of Westinghouse turbojets raising power from 1,600 to 3,000 lbf (7 kN to 13 kN) each, an increased fuel load, a move away from the WW II standard 0.5 in (12.7 mm) guns to 20 mm cannon, and additional capability to carry bombs, rockets or missiles as well. A mock-up of the new fighter, designated XF2D-1, was completed in April 1945. The project survived the end of the war, but development work was slowed and the first of three prototypes was not built until late 1946. The aircraft made its maiden flight on the 11 January 1947 from Lambert Field, St. Louis; test pilot was Woodward Burke. The Navy redesignated the aircraft as the XF2H-1 as the manufacturer's designator "D" was already assigned to the Douglas Aircraft Company. After some problems with the tailplane were resolved, an order for 56 craft was placed in May 1947. The F2H-1 was first delivered in August 1948 for service evaluation by Navy pilots. Relative to the XF2D-1, the fuselage was extended 14 in (0.36 m) forward of the wing to provide the capacity for an additional 351 US gallons (1,330 L) of fuel. The F2H-1 was retrofitted with 3,150 lbf (14 kN) thrust engines as they became available. Despite the Navy's accepting the F2H-1, it was the more capable F2H-2 that was most widely used; 306 of this type were built. With newer 3,250 lbf (14.5 kN) thrust engines, it had improved performance. The wing was also modified to add provisions for weapons pylons and 200 US gallon (757 L) wing-tip fuel tanks. Unlike the contemporary F9F Panther, the Banshee's wing-tip tanks were detachable, although most historical photographs show the aircraft flying with the tanks in place. The F2H-2 was the foundation for three minor variants of the Banshee. The F2H-2B had strengthened wings to allow it to carry a small nuclear weapon, a mission it was thankfully never asked to carry out. 35 were produced. The F2H-2N was a night fighter variant outfitted with a 2 ft 10 in (0.86 m) longer nose to accommodate internal radar equipment; 14 were produced. The F2H-2P was a photo-reconnaissane version with 6 cameras housed in a 2 ft 5 in (0.74 m) longer nose; it was the first jet-powered reconnaissance aircraft used by the USN. 81 were built. The F2H-3 was the last significant alteration. The fuselage was extended by 8 feet (2.4 m) to increase internal fuel load from 877 US gallons (3,320 L) to 1,102 US gallons (4,172 L), allowing the aircraft to complete many missions without the wing-tip tanks seen in most photographs of earlier variants. The horizontal stabilizer was moved from the vertical tail down to the fuselage and incorporated significant dihedral. The Banshee was also fitted with Westinghouse radar equipment, enabling the fighter to be used for all-weather missions, and the cannons were moved downwards and rearwards away from the nose to accommodate the radar. These changes resulted in an airplane that looked significantly different from its predecessors. 250 F2H-3s were built. The last variant was the F2H-4. It had Hughes radar in place of the earlier Westinghouse radar, and also had slightly more powerful 3,600 lbf (16.0 kN) thrust engines. The F2H-4 was externally identical to the F2H-3. 150 were built. A proposed F2H-3P photo-reconnaissance variant was canceled before reaching production. Unlike most other early jet fighters, no two-seat version was ever produced. Production ended in September 1953 after a total of 895 aircraft were delivered. The F2H-3 and F2H-4 were given the new designations F-2C and F-2D respectively under the 1962 unified designation system. The designations F-2A and F-2B presumably referred to the F2H-1 and F2H-2, but these variants had already been withdrawn from service. No Banshees ever flew under the new designations; the last ones in USNR service were placed in storage before the new designations went into effect. Crew: 1 Length: 48 ft 2 in (14.68 m) Wingspan: 41 ft 8.8 in (12.72 m) Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.24 m) Wing area: 294 ft² (27.31 m²) Empty weight: 13,183 lb (5,980 kg) Max takeoff weight: 28,500 lb (12,930 kg) Powerplant: 2× Westinghouse J34-WE-34 turbojets, 3,250 lbf (14.5 kN) each Maximum speed: 527 mph (458 knots, 848 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,100 m) Range: 1,716 mi (1,491 nm, 2,672 km) Service ceiling: 46,500 ft (14,173 m) Rate of climb: 5,900 ft/min (30 m/s) from sea level Guns: 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 16 cannon, 150 rounds/gun Rockets: 8× 60 lb High Explosive rockets or 6× 500 lb bombs and 2× 60 lb H.E. rockets Missiles: 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles USN 90 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time approx: 27 hrs. |