The Grumman F-11 Tiger, a supersonic carrier-based fighter of the 1950s, evolved from a privately funded upgrade to the F9F Cougar, incorporating the innovative area rule “coke-bottle” fuselage for reduced drag. Introduced in 1956 with the Wright J65 engine, it served briefly in US Navy squadrons and with the Blue Angels until 1969, but was quickly overshadowed by superiors like the F-8 Crusader despite its advanced design.
In 1956, the United States Navy received the first mission-ready example of a new, carrier-capable, supersonic fighter. Produced by Grumman, the new design, referred to as the F-11 Tiger, was intended to serve as a fighter, trainer, and reconnaissance platform.
In practice, 199 would be built over the span of 5 years, and despite good expectations for the platform, by 1961, the aircraft had been retired from carrier operations.
Today, the Tiger is almost completely forgotten, remembered mainly for the odd incident in which an aircraft shot itself down. But the Tiger was important; it would be the second US Navy fighter to reach supersonic speeds, and, according to one assessment, a proposed upgrade program could have made it perhaps the best navy fighter of its time.
Today, we will take a look back at Grumman’s F-11 Tiger, an aircraft that has unfortunately been almost completely lost to history.
ORIGINS OF THE F-11 Tiger
Like many obscure designs, Grumman privately funded a research program that led to the development of the Tiger. In 1952, Grumman assembled a team to conceptualise a potential replacement for the F9F Cougar.
The Cougar itself was a carrier-capable fighter that had only just entered service in December of that year. An impressive design, it was rushed into research and development in 1949, before taking its maiden flight in 1951, thanks largely to strong military backing. As the name suggests, it was itself a modernized replacement for the Panther, with the crucial addition of a swept-wing design.
Despite arriving slightly too late to see action in Korea, the Cougar was nevertheless keenly accepted into service by both the US Navy and Marines. The aircraft was good, but clearly not a long-term solution to the growing gap between the latest Air Force fighters under development and the US Navy’s fleet of subsonic fighters. Thus, the potential for a newer, more revised design was presented in the form of a supersonic carrier-based fighter.
The groundwork had already been set. The previous year, in 1951, former German aerodynamicist Adolf Busemann had held a seminar at NACA, during which he discussed his own studies of transsonic airflow that he had conducted in Germany. He noted how airflow, at supersonic speeds, acted profoundly differently from what one would expect, and that the classic approach of simulating airflow as a fluid over a body was insufficient, as was the current method of achieving supersonic flight —simply strapping a huge engine onto a small plane.
After several days, one of the engineers present, Richard Whitcomb, was recorded as having had an Eureka moment, a more holistic view of the aircraft when considering air effects in three-dimensional space, especially upon the wings, tail, and wing root. This was the Whitcomb Area Rule. While a similar rule had been secretly discovered by German engineers during World War II, it would be Whitcomb’s own personal revelation that would lead to serious breakthroughs in the US.
Kept under tight wraps by the military, Whitcomb’s approach was nonetheless conveyed to two manufacturers simultaneously. The first was Convair, which was already in the process of developing the F-102 Delta Dagger. The second was Grumman.
F-11 FIRST FLIGHT
Throughout the first half of 1954, the first prototype was prepared for flight. Then on June 5th, the first production version of the Douglas F4D-1 Skyray (a delta wing interceptor that had been in development from the late 1940s) had taken its maiden flight, during which the pilot brought the aircraft up to supersonic speed during a level stretch of the flight, becoming the first Navy design to achieve such a feat.
The Tiger’s maiden flight followed just weeks later, on July 30th. While engineers continued developing the afterburning variant of the J65, they installed a standard model instead. The test pilot took the aircraft to its maximum military power and almost reached Mach 1.
Soon after, the second prototype would arrive, this time equipped with the afterburning engine. On this second flight, the sound barrier would be broken, thus marking the Tiger as the second US Navy fighter to achieve supersonic flight.
Armed with this new approach to airframe design, Grumman’s researchers drew up new concepts, departing almost completely from the original plan of simply improving the Cougar. What was being developed would be, hopefully, a small fighter, featuring large leading-edge slats, an all-moving tailplane, trailing-edge flaps, and spoilers, powered by the new afterburning Wright J65. These changes would have a huge visual impact; the concept appeared extremely modern for its time, with the unique Coke bottle shape resulting from the application of the area rule—a massive leap forward from the Cougar, and indeed, most other aircraft in service. Within a matter of months, the design caught the eye of the Navy, and by early 1953, the project would become a priority of the US Bureau of Aeronautics, which noted its potential. Two prototypes were ordered, both strangely designated XF9F9, despite being a complete departure from the Cougar program. Regardless, things were now in motion.
Throughout the first half of 1954, the first prototype was prepared for flight. Then on June 5th, the first production version of the Douglas F4D Skyray (a delta wing interceptor that had been in development from the late 1940s) had taken its maiden flight, during which the pilot brought the aircraft up to supersonic speed during a level stretch of the flight, becoming the first Navy design to achieve such a feat. The Tiger’s maiden flight followed just weeks later, on July 30th. While engineers continued developing the after-burning variant of the J65, they installed a standard model instead. The test pilot took the aircraft to its maximum military power and almost reached Mach 1. Soon after, the second prototype would arrive, this time equipped with the after-burning engine. On this second flight, the sound barrier would be broken, thus marking the Tiger as the second US Navy fighter to achieve supersonic flight.
F-11 Tiger ENTERING SERVICE
With several proposals on the table, including an eventual recon and tandem seat training variant, hopes remained relatively high for the aircraft, now designated F11F-1.
Orders were placed for a total of 199 aircraft for the US Navy, with additional orders placed for the specialty reconnaissance and trainer variants.
After entering limited service in 1956, the aircraft served seven squadrons, operated off several carriers, and flew alongside other aircraft, including the new F-8 Crusader. The manufacturer began delivering proper production aircraft in March of the following year.
In the air, it was somewhat of a heavy lifter for its time, with four 20mm cannons and the goal of being outfitted with up to four AIM-9 Sidewinders. It was also, as noted, small, and by proxy of its weight and aerodynamics, a decently agile fighter. It had an empty weight of 13,800 lb and a gross weight of 21,000 lb. To put this into perspective: a Strike Eagle carries 13,000 pounds of fuel internally. With conformal tanks and drop tanks, it can carry over 21,000 pounds of fuel.
It would be during the pre-production phase, on September 21, 1956, that the infamous shootdown incident would occur. Put simply, after firing the cannons during a descent from altitude, an F-11 was inadvertently flown into the falling shells, resulting in aircraft loss and some serious pilot injuries.
While the F-11 was a good design, several shortcomings became increasingly apparent to the Navy, especially as new designs emerged from the conceptual phase, such as the F-4 Phantom.
Two major issues were noted with the F-11. When loaded for combat, the aircraft proved somewhat cumbersome, especially in terms of acceleration and speed. The J65 was reported to be somewhat faulty at times, which hindered its performance. Even at optimal performance, it could not sustain supersonic flight for long
The aircraft’s range was also noted as being somewhat limited, especially when pushing the engine to its upper limits.
Nevertheless, even with these shortcomings, in retrospect, it is worth noting that it would still have been one of the fastest fighters around, with a decent service ceiling of 49,000 feet.
In a relatively short span of time, the Tiger would be phased out. Noting shortcomings, as well as the availability of the faster but far more risky F-8 Crusader, the Navy cancelled its future orders, and in 1959, the last of the 199 units were delivered.
These rollbacks continued, and in 1961, the Navy permanently withdrew the Tiger from carrier service.
F-11F-1F SUPER TIGER
Throughout this period, plans had been put forth for an upgrade, which, despite being overlooked, seemed to have potential.
Referred to as the F11F-1F Super Tiger, it would notably drop the J65 in favor of the more reliable and powerful General ElectricGeneral Electric (GE) Aerospace: A foundational American industrial corporation that pioneered the development of jet propulsion in the United States.... More J79. Beyond this, much of the airframe would undergo modifications, significantly improving its aerodynamics.
Two prototypes would actually be built, with the first taking flight on May 25th, 1956. In a surprising development, even to Grumman itself, the Super Tiger performed exceptionally well during these initial flights. Shortly after its maiden flight, it would reach Mach 1.44. Further modifications were made, including uprating the J79, which resulted in even better performance. In March 1979, flying in this new configuration, the aircraft achieved Mach 2.04—the first Navy aircraft to surpass Mach 2. This once again was beyond expectation, with Grumman engineers expecting the flight to reach just beyond Mach 1.4.
Then, on April 18th, 1958, another impressive feat. During an altitude test, the aircraft managed to reach 76,939 feet, setting a world altitude record.
Throughout this period, Grumman pushed for the adoption of the platform, but the Navy never accepted it. The reasons remain unclear, despite the aircraft likely surpassing the F-8 Crusader and offering a stronger transition between older Navy fighters and the new F-4 Phantom under development.
Without US military support, alongside bribery scandals from competing manufacturers, Grumman’s foreign sales campaign also fell flat.
Nonetheless, the review of the aircraft noted that it was a promising design. In one notable example, the Swiss Air Force reviewed the aircraft alongside the Draken, Mirage III, Fiat G.91, and F-104. While budgetary constraints resulted in the procurement of the Mirage, the Swiss team reportedly assessed that the Grumman design would have been the most capable fighter by far.
If this is anything to go by, then the Super Tiger – supposedly outperforming less constrained Air Force fighters – would have been perhaps the best Navy fighter for its time— at least until the Phantom arrived.
FINAL TASKING FOR THE F-11
Thus, the Super Tiger would be mothballed, and the F-11A Tiger would leave operational service as a fighter, with no future development tree directly stemming from it.
The aircraft would remain in service in a limited sense for over a decade. Most notably, the Navy Blue Angels would fly it during displays through til 1969, when it would be replaced by the Phantom.
Likewise, between 1961 and 1967, the aircraft would be stationed at Naval Air Station Chase Field and Kingsville. Here, they served an interesting but very limited role; students who had completed their advanced training course on the F9 Cougar were given the chance to fly the F-11, providing them with a taste of supersonic flight before being sent off for further training. In other words, it filled an advanced trainer role, although it could likely have been better described as a joyride aircraft— not the worst legacy to leave for students.
