Battles & Wars › World War II › Arsenal of Democracy: US war production
Grumman and the F6F Hellcat
Hellcat first flew June 26, 1942; ~12,000 built· Arms maker, factory or program· Arms makers & war industry
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Long Island planemaker Grumman and its F6F Hellcat, the US Navy's main carrier fighter in the later Pacific war.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Founded by Leroy Grumman in 1929 and based at Bethpage, New York, the firm earned the nickname 'Grumman Iron Works' for rugged planes. Its F4F Wildcat held the line in 1942; the bigger F6F Hellcat, with a 2,000-horsepower engine, armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, first flew on June 26, 1942. Over 12,000 were built in about three years, and Navy and Marine pilots credited it with over 5,000 enemy aircraft. Grumman also designed the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber.
Why it matters
It gave US carriers command of the air from 1943 on; Grumman later built the F-14 Tomcat and the Apollo lunar module.
How we know
Navy production and combat records, Grumman company archives, pilots' accounts, and surviving aircraft at museums such as the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.
Still debated
Wartime kill claims were often inflated on both sides. Grumman's Bethpage plants also left groundwater pollution still being cleaned up decades later.
Connections (3)
▸Grumman and the F6F Hellcat outfought the Zero fighters of Mitsubishi: the Zero fighter and battleship MusashiMostly agreed
The connection
Mitsubishi's A6M Zero was nimble and long-ranged but light, with little armor. The Hellcat was faster in a dive, better protected and heavily armed. With better-trained pilots and tactics, Hellcats overwhelmed Zeros by 1944, notably in the 'Great Marianas Turkey Shoot' of June 1944.
When and how
Pacific theater, 1943–1945; peak at the Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 19–20, 1944, where Japan lost hundreds of aircraft.
How sure are we?
US and Japanese loss records; US kill claims are known to be inflated, but Japanese losses were confirmed as very heavy.
Debates and open questions
A popular story says the Hellcat was designed from a captured 'Akutan Zero,' but its design was largely set before that plane was studied.
▸Grumman and the F6F Hellcat designed the Hellcats and Avengers that fought at Battle of Leyte GulfWell documented
The connection
At Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, Hellcat fighters protected US fleets while Avenger torpedo bombers helped sink the giant battleship Musashi. Off Samar, Avengers and Wildcats, many built by General Motors under license, flew from small escort carriers against a far stronger Japanese battleship force.
When and how
Philippines, October 23–26, 1944; aircraft from US Third and Seventh Fleet carriers, including Taffy 3's escort carriers off Samar.
How we know
US Navy action reports and Japanese records, including the sinking of Musashi in the Sibuyan Sea on October 24, 1944.
Debates and open questions
Why Admiral Takeo Kurita turned back off Samar when victory seemed within reach is still debated; relentless air attacks were one factor.
▸Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) and the B-2 merged in 1994 with Grumman and the F6F HellcatWell documented
The connection
In 1994 Northrop, maker of the B-2 stealth bomber, bought Grumman for about $2.1 billion after a bidding war with Martin Marietta, forming Northrop Grumman. The deal was part of a wave of post-Cold War defense mergers encouraged by the Pentagon as budgets shrank.
When and how
Los Angeles and Bethpage, New York, 1994; executives of Northrop, Grumman and Martin Marietta.
How we know
Company filings, merger records and extensive press coverage.
Debates and open questions
Whether the 1990s mergers, urged at a 1993 Pentagon dinner later nicknamed the 'Last Supper,' reduced competition and raised costs is debated.