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F9F-8

2022-03-31T05:11:23Z

U2939745: /* Details */ added mph second row to Limits and Optimal velocities tables.

{{About
| about = American naval jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = F9F (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=f9f-8
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_f9f-8.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American naval jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


The F9F Cougar is a further improvement of the F9F series with the main changes that are changed wings, now being swept and a new more powerful engine, the Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8A. It increased the level speed to 1041 km/h and when the plane carries four AIM-9B missiles it is 991 km/h at sea level, which is still slower than a MiG-15 or F-86. Its speed limit is also higher: 1127 km/h IAS. The level acceleration is almost the same compared to previous versions, but since it is faster it gets better above 850 km/h.
The other aspect that has been slightly improved over the F9F-5 is climb rate, now can reach 29 m/s at sea level with full fuel tanks and increases to ~38 m/s with 20 minutes of fuel, it will not be able to out climb most of jet fighters from other nations at similar battle rating.
Flying at full power is limited to 30 minutes of operation until the engine overheats and can fly at 95% of power indefinitely.

The Cougar wings' shape was changed a lot, the wing area was also increased. Due to lowered wing loading its low and medium speed turn rate was improved with the exception of stall speed which is higher, 217 km/h IAS with landing flaps.
The swept wings also increased the manoeuvrability at high speed, but the Cougar can lock up badly near transonic speeds, although it can use the airbrake to slow down to the speed where it retains the best turn rate, which is between 600 and 800 km/h IAS. The flaps cannot be used to improve dogfight capabilities, only one position for landing is available which use is limited to 410 km/h IAS.
Its roll rate up to 600 km/h IAS is almost the same, can reach up to ~100 degrees per second, but above its new wings allow the Cougar to improve it to ~150 degrees per second at 900 km/h.
One thing that did not change are very low G limits, they can be easily exceeded after reaching 9-10G above 600 km/h IAS.

With full real controls the plane can break its wings even easier than with enabled instructor, it is recommended to not install the New Boosters module.
Overall the plane has very good flight characteristics, especially at higher speed where it has good turning energy retention, even during pulling 5-6G.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 610 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,019 || 988 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 33.7 || 34.3 || 22.1 || 20.6 || rowspan="2" | 500
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,056 || 1,041 || 30.5 || 32.0 || 37.1 || 29.1
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || 410 || ~9 || ~5
|-
|700 mph
|254 mph
|N/A
|N/A
|254
|~9
|~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 950 || < 790 || < 510 || N/A
|-
|< 590 mph
|< 490 mph
|< 316 mph
|N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="6" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Pratt & Whitney J48-P-8A || 1
| colspan="3" | 6,001 kg || colspan="3" | 289 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="5" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 17m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 58m fuel
|-
| 600 kg || colspan="2" | Centrifugal-flow turbojet
| 6,906 kg || 7,027 kg || 7,541 kg || 8,311 kg || 9,019 kg || 9,636 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="6" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 17m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 58m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 3,182 kgf || N/A
| 0.46 || 0.45 || 0.42 || 0.38 || 0.35 || 0.33
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 3,182 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.46 || 0.45 || 0.42 || 0.38 || 0.35 || 0.33
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 9.5 mm steel - in front of cockpit
* 8.5 mm steel - behind pilot
* 60 mm steel - armoured windscreen

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|M3 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 4 x 20 mm M3 cannons, nose-mounted (190 rpg = 760 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|AN-M64A1 (500 lb)|LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)|AIM-9B Sidewinder}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 4 x AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles

== Usage in battles ==


First of your objective when you purchase this plane is to research as fast as you can the 20 mm cannons modifications. The F9F-8 default cannons get jammed in a quick burst.

This said don't expect to dogfight very well against any pure fighter jet as the turn time is quite stock but when you spade it out turning does get a better but the F9F-8 performs great defensive manoeuvres and can keep up in turns with the MiGs (beware that doesn't have the great acceleration that MiGs have).

This is not an air superiority aircraft, its main purpose is to support ground vehicles and planes.

The best tactics if you are new to this plane is to fly it like a F9F-2 or F9F-5 so stay near some allies and give them support.

* Never roll too hard over 750 km\h (466 mph) or the wings will explode
* Never execute manoeuvres over –2 G or the wings will explode

===Radars===

The F9F-8 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft.
It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="4" | AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar
|-
! {{Annotation|Maximum Tracking Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}}
! {{Annotation|Minimum Tracking Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}}
! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}}
! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}}
|-
| 2,750 m || 300 m || ±9° || ±9°
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good payload options for bombs
* Four 20 mm cannons can shred enemy aircraft and light ground targets
* Slightly better top speed than on the F9F Panther
* Can equip with AIM-9 Sidewinder guided missiles
* Good roll rate over 800 km/h (500 mph)

'''Cons:'''

* Bad aerial performance in turn time, G-limits, acceleration, and energy retention
* Around 800 km/h (500 mph) and above the plane starts to compress quite badly
* Guns tend to jam quickly without "New 20 mm cannons" modification
* Can't equip rockets
* When equipped the AIM-9 Sidewinder guided missiles the performance drops dramatically
* Not a good dogfighter among its peers
* Difficult stock grind due to aforementioned poor aerial and firepower performance
* Can be uptiered to encounter jets such as MiG-17s/Shenyang F-5s

== History ==


It was Grumman's engineers who first thought of developing their successful F9F Panther fighter into a swept-wing variant. The resulting ''Cougar'' was a very new design in many ways bucking post-war design trends. The fuselage, fin and rudder remained the same, however, the wings were completely new with a 35-degree sweep and lacking the distinctive wingtip tanks of the Panther. The engine was also an upgrade, a Pratt and Whitney J48 with an extra 1,000 kg of thrust over the previous J42. First flight was 20 September 1951, with operational trials starting three months later. Squadron deliveries began in November 1952. 706 F9F-6s with the original engine were produced, and 168 of the F9F-7 which used the Allison J33 turbojet instead.

The F9F-8 was the final version. Its prototype's first flight was December 1953. In this model, the fuselage was lengthened 30 cm to increase the space for fuel tanks. It had the J48-P-8 engines installed that gave it a total of 3,447kg of Thrust, the wings were also modified slightly to add an in-air refuelling probe plus the capability of mounting four Aim-9 sidewinders and a nose radar was fitted. In total, 601 F9F-8s were built.

The F9F-8 was too late to see combat in Korea, however, there were four trainer versions of the F9F-8 (F9F-8T) deployed to Vietnam and was used in airstrike directing for incoming allied aircraft.

The Argentine Navy was the only other nation to operate the F9F-8 and was the first jet aircraft that they ever had capable of breaking the sound barrier (In a dive).

It is also worth noting that the F9F-8 was redesignated, as part of the United States Tri-Service Designation System, to the F-9J in 1962.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=jet_fighter&vehicle=f9f-8 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
{{Skin-gallery|market|ugcitem_1000237|F9F-8 Lynx.png|Camo "Lynx"}}

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
F9F-8 left-hand banking turn (In-Game).jpg
F9F-8 Sidewinder.jpg
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|pEC-vTUmio4|'''This Plane Used To Be Terrible''' - ''Spit_flyer''|WdnBY3NcWiE|'''Why you should grind to F9F Cougar (Jet Gameplay)''' - ''PhlyDaily''|iQ97c_m8G0I|'''The Shooting Range #16''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:05 discusses the F9F-8.}}

== See also ==


* [[F9F-2]]
* [[F9F-5]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4239-development-f9f-8-cougar-a-perfect-predator-en/|[Devblog] F9F-8 Cougar - A Perfect Predator]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/330721-f9f-8/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer Grumman}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

F9F (Family)

2022-03-21T19:16:10Z

U2939745: /* Design and Development */ Removal of a typo. Extra "from"

{{DISPLAYTITLE:F9F Panther/Cougar (Family)}}

==Rank V - Aircraft==

* [[F9F-2|F9F-2 ''Panther'']]
* [[F9F-5|F9F-5 ''Panther'']]

==Rank VI - Aircraft==

* [[F9F-8|F9F-8 ''Cougar'']]

== F9F/F-9 Panther ==

=== Development and Design ===
At Grumman, studies for the development of a jet-powered fighter aircraft began towards the end of World War 2. On 3 April 1946, the Douglas F3D Skyknight was selected over the Grumman G-75 in a competition for a jet-powered night fighter for the US Navy. Despite losing the competition, the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) still contracted Grumman for two prototypes of the G-75 on 11 April 1946. The BuAer designation for the G-75 was XF9F-1, and it was developed as a backup to the F3D Skyknight (in case the F3D project was unsuccessful).

Grumman soon realized that the G-75 was not going to be a successful design, and the project was ended in favor of the G-79 project. BuAer decided not to cancel the G-75 project as they normally would have, but instead changed the contract to two prototypes of the G-79. The G-79 was designated as the XF9F-2 by the Navy. The XF9F-2 prototype first flew on 21 November 1947, and it was powered by the Pratt & Whitney J42; the J42 was a license-built Rolls-Royce RB.41 Nene engine, which was chosen over the Allison J33 and Westinghouse J34. There was no space in the wings of the aircraft for fuel tanks, so the fuel tanks were built on the wingtips of the plane. The wingtip fuel tanks increased the rate of roll of the aircraft, a pleasant side effect.

In September of 1949, the XF9F-2 Panther was cleared for carrier operations, but before production began Grumman decided to change the engine to a Pratt & Whitney J48-P-2 (license-built Rolls-Royce RB.44 Tay). During the development, the Allison J33-A-16 was also tested. The aircraft was armed with four 20 mm cannons, which was the standard caliber used by the Navy; the Air Force was still using 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. Hardpoints were added that allowed for rocket pods or 2,000 pounds of bombs to be carried.

The Australian Government considered the F9F Panther in 1949 as a replacement for the Mustang Mk 23 and de Havilland Vampire which were used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the time. They also considered the CAC CA-23 - an Australian design, and the Hawker P.1081. It was seen in the mid 1950's that the RAAF Mustangs were vulnerable to the North Korean MiG-15 jet fighters, so a stop-gap design was chosen - the Gloster Meteor F.8. The Meteor F.8 began operations with the RAAF in 1951, but it was also unsatisfactory in the Korean War against MiG-15 fighters; the Meteor F.8 was replaced by the CAC Sabre in 1954, which was an improved model of the F-86 Sabre with a more powerful engine.

=== Service ===

==== US Navy ====
The Panther was the main US Navy and Marine Corps fighter aircraft during the Korean War; it flew a total of 78,000 sorties during the war. Panthers of the -2, -3, and -5 versions were able to carry out ground attack missions, even despite heavy anti-aircraft fire. In comparison to earlier propeller-driven planes, pilots saw the air conditioned cockpit as a huge improvement, which were often hot and humid during flight.

Lieutenant, Jr. Grade Leonard H. Plog of VF-51 was the first US Navy pilot to score an air-to-air victory during the Korean War. He shot down a Soviet-built Yak-9 propeller-driven fighter in his F9F-3 Panther on 3 July 1950. In comparison to the MiG-15, the F9F Panther was relatively slow. Despite this, the F9F was able to achieve seven MiG-15 kills during the war, while only losing 2 Panthers. During a UN attack on the Sinuiju bridges (near the mouth of the Yalu River) on 9 November 1950, an F9F-2B Panther flown by Lieutenant Commander William Amen of VF-111 achieved the first MiG-15 kill by a Panther. On 18 November 1950, two more MiG-15 fighters were shot down. During a series of strikes on the port of Hoeryong,North Korea, Lt Royce Williams of VF-781 shot down four MiG-15 jet fighters on 18 November 1952 while flying an F9F Panther. At the time VF-781 was operating off of the ''USS'' Oriskany. The MiG-15s were intercepted because of intelligence from the US National Security Agency (NSA). The encounter lasted only 35 minutes, as Williams had lost track of his wingman and ended up in a dogfight with six enemy MiGs. He shot down four of them - all four of which were piloted by Soviet Naval Aviation pilots - and then returned to the ''USS'' Oriskany. Once Williams landed it was found that his Panther had been hit by 263 cannon rounds and was unable to be repaired.
[[File:80-G-633277.jpeg|thumb|F9F-5 Panthers of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team over Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, 9 January 1954.]]
Neil Armstrong, who would later become the first man to walk on the Moon, flew an F9F Panther during the Korean War. In 1951, Neil Armstrong's Panther struck a wire that had been strung across a valley by the North Korean military, and he had to eject from the aircraft. Red Sox player Ted Williams flew an F9F during the Korean War as well, and so did John Glenn - a future astronaut who would become the first American to orbit the Earth.

In 1956, the F9F was removed from front-line service, and it was only used as a training aircraft until 1958 in the US Naval Air Reserves and US Marine Air Reserve units. Starting in 1951, the F9F Panther became the main aircraft of the US Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team; the Blue Angels used the Panther/Cougar for four years, and it was the first jet to be used by the Blue Angels. A small number of F9F Panthers were used into the early 1960's, and after the Tri-Service aircraft designation system of 1962 any remaining F9F aircraft were redesignated as the F-9 Panther.

'''Note:''' The specifics of the F9F Panther and Cougar in Blue Angels service will be covered in the F9F Cougar section of this page.

[[Category:Family pages]]

==== Argentine Naval Aviation ====
The only nation to purchase the F9F Panther was Argentina. The Argentine Naval Aviation purchased 28 ex-USN F9F-2B aircraft in 1957, with 22 entering service and the remaining 6 used as spares. The Argentine F9F Panther first flew in December 1958, and the last Panther entered service in January 1961. Initially, the Panthers operated only from land, as the ARA ''Independencia'' (the only Argentine aircraft carrier) did not have strong enough catapults to launch them. The first landing of an F9F Panther on the ARA ''Independencia'' was in July of 1963.

The Argentine Panthers saw combat during the 1963 Argentine Navy Revolt, notably strafing and bombing the Army 8th Tank Regiment while it was moving towards the Punta Indio Naval Air Base (along with AT-6 Texans and F4U Corsairs). The attack left a number of M4 Sherman tanks destroyed, 9 dead and 22 wounded; only 1 F9F was destroyed, with two other attacking planes destroyed as well. The Argentine Panthers were also mobilized during the border clash with Chile in 1965, but no armed conflict occurred. The F9F Panthers were removed from service in 1969 because of a lack of spare parts; they were replaced by A-4Q Skyhawks. The Argentine Navy also operated the later F9F Cougar.

=== Variants ===
'''XF9F-1:''' The proposed model for the night-fighter competition, with four wing-mounted jet engines. The Grumman designation was G-75; none built.

'''XF9F-2:''' The prototype for the F9F-2 Panther. It featured a Pratt & Whitney J42 turbojet engine, and the Grumman designation was G-79; two built.

'''F9F-2:''' The first production model of the F9F Panther, based on the XF9F-2; 567 built.

'''F9F-2B:''' An upgrade of the existing F9F-2 Panthers, equipped with underwing hardpoints for bombs and rockets. All F9F-2 aircraft were upgraded to this standard, and the B designation was dropped afterwards; 567 converted.

'''F9F-2P:''' Photo-reconnaissance variant, with the four 20 mm cannons removed and replaced with photographic equipment; 36 built.

'''XF9F-3:''' Prototype fitted with the Allison J33 engine; one built.

'''F9F-3 (F-9B):''' Production model equipped with the J33 engine; 54 built. All F9F-3 were later fitted with the standard J42 engine.

'''XF9F-4:''' Prototype with a lengthened fuselage and increased fuel capacity, and powered by the J33 engine; two built.

'''F9F-4 (F-9C):''' Production model of the XF9F-4, retaining the lengthened fuselage, increased fuel capacity, and J33 engine. They had blown-air slot flaps in order to reduce the stall speed; 109 ordered, all completed as F9F-5.

'''F9F-5 (F-9D):''' F9F-4 aircraft refitted with the Pratt & Whitney J48 engine; 616 built.

'''F9F-5P (RF-9D):''' Photo-reconnaissance variant, with the four 20 mm cannons removed and replaced with photographic equipment in an elongated nose; 36 built.

'''F9F-5K (QF-9D):''' F9F-5s converted to unmanned target drone aircraft after being withdrawn from operational service.

'''F9F-5KD (DF-9E):''' F9F-5Ks converted to drone control aircraft.

=== Operators ===

* '''Argentina'''
** Argentine Navy
*** Argentine Naval Aviation
* '''United States'''
** United States Navy (USN)
** United States Marine Corps (USMC)

== F9F/F-9 Cougar ==

=== Design and Development ===
The Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighter jet was first seen at air shows in 1949, and it was the first swept-wing fighter jet of the Soviet Union. The US Navy did not focus on the designing of swept-wing fighters at the time, because the focus was on interceptors - which would intercept enemy bombers and would escort friendly bombers. This changed in 1951 - mainly because of the superiority of the MiG-15 in the Korean War, and a contract for a swept wing fighter was awarded to Grumman.

The prototypes for the new swept-wing fighter were created from F9F Panthers, and they were designated as the XF9F-6. The new aircraft - which would be named the Cougar, was still not capable of supersonic speeds, but it had a much greater performance than the earlier F9F Panther. Notably, the Cougar used spoilers instead of ailerons for roll control. The spoilers extended from the wing fences to the wing tips. Also, the rudder pedals only controlled the part of the rudder below the horizontal tail surface, while the upper rudder was controlled by a yaw damper; this allowed the F9F Cougar to fly relatively well if the upper portion of the tail was shot off, or lost by some other means.

=== Service ===

==== US Navy ====
At the end of 1952, the first F9F-6 Cougars were assigned to VF-32, but the Cougar was first deployed with VF-24 from the ''USS'' Yorktown in August 1953; the Cougar arrived too late to see combat in the Korean War. The Cougar was retired from front-line service between 1958 and 1959, but it served with the Naval Reserves into the 1960's. The Cougar was replaced mostly by the F11F Tiger and F8U Crusader. Despite their continued usage with the Naval Reserves, the standard combat, single-seat Cougars did not participate in the Vietnam War.

The TF-9J (renamed from F9F-8T in 1962) trainer version of the Cougar, on the other hand, did see service during the Vietnam War. Four Cougars at a time served at Da Nang with US Marines Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 11 (H&MS-11) and Chu Lai with H&MS-13. They were used in the airborne command and forward air control roles, directing air strikes against enemy positions between 1966 and 1968. The TF-9J two-seat trainer variant was used until February 1974, when Training Squadron 4 (VT-4) was re-equipped with the TA-4F Skyhawk trainer variant - the plane that replaced the Cougar in the training role.

'''Transcontinental Speed Record'''

On 1 April 1954, the F9F Cougar set the transcontinental speed record. Three F9F-6 Cougars of VF-21 flew 2,438 miles across the continental United States in under four hours. The fastest time was achieved by LCDR F.X. Brady setting the fastest time, coming in at 3 hours, 45 minutes, and 30 seconds. That flight was the first to cross the US in under four hours. While flying over Kansas the three planes completed an aerial refueling from an AJ Savage, using a new and experimental refueling probe mounted on the nose.

'''Blue Angels'''

The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team flew four different versions of the F9F from 1951 to 1957. They first used the F9F-2 Panther, but it was replaced by the F9F-5 Panther, which was used from until 1953, when it was replaced by the F9F-6 Cougar. The F9F-6 Cougars were soon called to service with the fleet before they had even been used at an air show, and the F9F-5 Panther was used once again. In 1954, the F9F-5 Panthers were replaced with the F9F-8 Cougar, which was used until 1957. In 1957 the F9F-8 Cougar was phased out in favor of the F11F-1 Tiger, but one F9F-8T two-seat training aircraft was used for VIP and press flights.

==== Argentine Naval Aviation ====
The only nation other than the United States to use the F9F Cougar was Argentina, which had also operated the earlier F9F Panther. In 1962, two F9F-8T training aircraft were purchased, and they served until 1971. In Argentina, the F9F Cougar was the first aircraft to break the sound barrier and reach the speed of sound. One of the two aircraft is on display at the Naval Aviation Museum at Bahía Blanca, while the other was sold to a United States citizen but was destroyed in an accident in 1991.

=== Variants ===
'''XF9F-6:''' Prototypes based on the F9F-5 with a swept wing design; 3 built.

'''F9F-6 (F-9F):''' Production version of the XF9F-6, retaining the swept wing design; 646 built.

'''F9F-6P (RF-9J):''' Photo-reconnaissance variant, with the four 20 mm cannons removed and replaced with photographic equipment; 60 built.

'''F9F-6D (DF-9F):''' Conversion of F9F-6 Cougars to drone director aircraft.

'''F9F-6K (QF-9F):''' Conversion of F9F-6 aircraft to unmanned drone targets for training purposes.

'''F9F-6K2 (QF-9G):''' Improved version of the F9F-6K target drone.

'''F9F-6PD (DF-9F):''' Conversion of F9F-6P aircraft to drone director aircraft.

'''F9F-7 (F-9H):''' Improved version with an Allison J33 engine; 168 built; most later upgraded with the Pratt & Whitney J48 engine.

'''F9F-8 (F-9J):''' Improved version with an elongated fuselage, redesigned wing, strengthened cockpit canopy, in-air refueling probe, increased fuel capacity, and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile (AAM) capability; 601 built.

'''YF9F-8B (YAF-9J):''' Prototype attack-aircraft version, converted from F9F-8; one converted.

'''F9F-8B (AF-9J):''' Conversion of F9F-8B aircraft to ground attack fighters.

'''F9F-8P (RF-9F):''' Photo-reconnaissance variant, with the four 20 mm cannons removed and replaced with photographic equipment; 110 built.

'''YF9F-8T (YTF-9J):''' Prototype two-seat training aircraft; one built.

'''F9F-8T (TF-9J):''' Production version of the YF9F-8 two-seat training aircraft, retaining the armament of four 20 mm cannons; 377 built.

'''NTF-9J:''' TF-9J airframes used for testing purposes; two built.

'''YF9F-9:''' Designation of the F11F-1 Tiger aircraft prototypes,which first flew on 30 July 1954, and was redesignated in April 1955.

=== Operators ===

* '''Argentina'''
** Argentine Navy
*** Argentine Naval Aviation
* '''United States'''
** United States Navy (USN)
** United States Marine Corps (USMC)