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Grumman TBF-1 Avenger
| Crew | 3 |
| Dimensions | 54'2" by 40' by 16'5" 16.51m by 12.19m by 5.00m |
| Wing area | 490 square feet 45.5 square meters |
| Weight | 10,100-15,905 lbs 4580-7214 kg |
| Maximum speed | 271 mph (436 km/h) at 11,200 feet (3400 meters) 251 mph (404 km/h) at sea level |
| Cruise speed | 145 mph 233 km/h |
| Landing speed | 76 mph 122 km/h |
| Climb rate | 24 feet per second 7.3 meters per second |
| Service ceiling | 22,400 feet 7830 meters |
| Power plant | 1 1700 hp (1268 kW) Wright R-2600-8 Cyclone 14-cylinder two-row radial engine driving a three bladed propeller. |
| Armament | 1 0.30
machine gun (nose) 1 0.50 machine gun (rear cockpit turret) 1 0.30 machine gun (ventral tunnel) |
| Bomb load |
1 torpedo or 4 500 lb
(227 kg) bombs or 1 1500 lb (880 kg)
Mark 12 mine |
| Range | 1215 miles (1955 km) at 153 mph (246 km/h) with full weapons
load 1450 miles (2330 km) as scout |
| Fuel | 335 gallons 1268 liters |
| Production | 8852 from 3/25/42 to 9/45 at Grumman Aircraft
Engineering Corporation, Bethpage, NY and at Eastern Aircraft: 1525 TBF-1 764 TBF-1C 550 TBM-1 2332 TBM-1C 4664 TBM-3 |
| Variants | -1C had 2 0.50 machine guns (wings) and racks for eight
66 lb (30 kg) rockets. It also
increased the fuel capacity to 726 gallons (2748 liters). -3 had radar and a R-2800-20 engine. -3P was a photoreconnaissance version with the cameras mounted in the bomb bay |
The TBF Avenger got its nickname from the
Battle of Midway,
where the first six TBFs saw
combat. Only one returned, shot to pieces, with the gunner
dead and the
radioman wounded. Most missions flown by the TBF were much
more successful,
with this type proving the most flexible carrier
bomber of the war. It could
deliver torpedoes or be
used for horizontal bombing, and it was discovered to be a surprisingly
effective dive bomber if the
landing gear were lowered to act as dive
brakes. Like all Grumman aircraft, it was very rugged. Unlike its
predecessor, the TBD Devastator, it
had an internal torpedo bay that greatly reduced drag.
The first production order, of 286 aircraft, was placed
even before the first prototype flew on 7 August 1941. The major
modification required was the addition of a dorsal fin for stability.
After building the first 2290 aircraft, Grumman turned production over
to General Motors in order to focus on the F6F Hellcat, and General Motors
produced another 7546 Avengers as the TBM.
In March 1943, Avengers began flying minelaying missions in
the central Solomons.
Avengers would eventually be extensively employed to lay mines in Japanese ports
throughout the Pacific. In some cases, ports were quietly mined
just prior to a more general air or surface attack, in order to destroy
shipping fleeing the harbor.
Beginning in late 1943, the U.S. Navy began night combat air patrols consisting of a radar-equipped Avenger acccompanied by a pair of conventional Hellcats, with the Avenger acting as an airborne controller to direct its fighters onto the enemy. This required rather careful coordination. Later in the war, radar was developed that was small and simple enough to be operated from single-seat fighters, releasing the Avengers to scout for enemy warships.
By the end
of
the war, the
composition of a typical American carrier air group was 75% fighters
and 25%
Avengers, with the dive bomber role being filled when needed by either
the
fighters or the Avengers. Virtually the entire production of the
Avenger went to the
Pacific.
The British
received 402 and New Zealand
63 as Lend-Lease. The aircraft continued in post-war service, with the
Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm continuing to employ 100 Avengers as antisubmarine aircraft as late as
1953.
References
Rickard (2010; accessed 2011-4-30)
Sharpe
et al. (1999)
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