Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger

Grumman · United States · first flew 1956 · fighter

The Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger was a substantially uprated development of the F11F Tiger, fitted with the powerful General Electric J79 engine to achieve Mach 2 performance, though it lost the carrier fighter competition to the F-8 Crusader.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsLow-mounted, swept
E — Engines1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselagelengthened Tiger fuselage
T — TailConventional

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Longer and leaner than the standard Tiger, with a more pronounced area-rule waist; the J79 exhaust nozzle is larger and more prominent than the Tiger's J65 installation.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Grumman stretched the F11F Tiger airframe and replaced its Wright J65 with the General Electric J79 — the same engine that powered the F-104 Starfighter and B-58 Hustler — creating a dramatically more capable aircraft. Two prototypes flew in 1956 and demonstrated Mach 2 capability, but the US Navy selected the Vought F-8 Crusader instead.

Variants

Only two prototypes were completed; the type never entered production.

Where you'll see it

Used solely for flight development and evaluation; no squadron service. One prototype survives at the US Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.

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