The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter of the Second World War. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the dominant fighter of the United States Navy during the second half of the Pacific War. In winning the role, it beat out its faster competitor, the Vought F4U Corsair, which initially had problems with visibility and landing on the carrier. Equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine with a capacity of 2000 hp. (1,500 kW) , the same powerplant used in both the Corsair and the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters of the United States Air Force (USAAF), the F6F had an entirely new design. , but still resembled Wildcat in many ways. Some military observers have called the Hellcat the Wildcat's "big brother." The F6F made its combat debut in September 1943. It eventually established itself as a tough, well-engineered carrier-based fighter that was able to outperform the A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific TWD. A total of 12,275 were built in just two years. Hellcats are believed to have destroyed a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the US Navy, US Marine Corps and Royal Navy Air Force (FAA). This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft. After the war, the Hellcats were withdrawn from front-line service in the US, but the radar-equipped F6F-5N remained in service until 1954 as a night fighter
