The Navy F4U Corsair saw service in both World War II and the Korean War as a carrier-flown fighter plane, most notably in the Marianas and at Okinawa. It was one of the most famous planes to be developed during the war, and production lasted until 1952.

Prototypes of the plane were built in 1938 and 1939, and the production contract was awarded to Vought in June of 1941. The first carrier trials began on the USS Sangamon in late 1942. The design of the plane presented many challenges due to its high speed and the availability of new technology. Because of these problems, and because the simpler F6F Hellcat had already begun production, Corsairs did not find their way aboard U.S. aircraft carriers until 1944.

The F4U Corsair was designed to be the fastest fighter plane ever built. Using the largest engine available, the 2,000 horsepower 18-cylnder Pratt & Whitney engine helped the Navy F4U Corsair become the first U.S. fighter plane to fly faster than 400 miles per hour.

The F4U was a single-engine fighter plane with a range of 1,000 miles. It featured a relatively large three-blade propeller measuring over 13 feet in diameter, and was the first U.S. Navy plane to feature fully retractable landing gear. Measuring 33 feet 4 inches long and with a wingspan of 41 feet, the Navy F4U Corsair weighed 14,000 pounds when loaded. The Corsair’s most unique feature was its “bent” wing, the result of a powerful engine and large propeller. The wing design lowered the overall height of the plane, gave the pilot improved visibility, and reduced drag.
The production F4U Corsair featured 6 wing-mounted .50 cal Browning heavy machine guns. Despite its new technology, the Corsair was also the last American fighter plane to use fabric skin on the top and bottom of each wing as well as for the ailerons, elevators, and rudder.

Despite its impressive performance, early Navy pilots to use the Corsair often termed it the “hog,” “hosenose”, or “bent wing widow-maker” due to the poor visibility over its long nose. However, opinions turned favorable after kamikaze attacks prompted more Corsairs to be moved to aircraft carriers. Known as one of the most formidable American fighter planes of its era, the U.S. Navy racked up an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair. The F4U compared especially favorably to most Japanese aircraft, with a 12:1 kill ratio against Japanese planes. The Corsair dropped over 15,000 tons of bombs during the war, or 70 percent of the total bombs dropped by fighters. Although designated as a carrier fighter, more Corsairs were flown from land-based runways. By the end of the war, Corsairs could be found on Okinawa, in the Philippines, and elsewhere.

During the Korean War, the Navy F4U Corsair began to be replaced by the AU-1 Corsair and other models. Over 12,500 F4U Corsairs were manufactured by Vought overall, in 16 different variants. Over two dozen U.S. Navy F4U Corsairs are believed to be still airworthy, and restored planes can be found in museums and other locations, mainly in the United States.

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