Editing Vought F4U Corsair

{{short description|1940 fighter aircraft family by Chance Vought}}
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{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= F4U/FG/F3A Corsair
 |image= File:Vought F4U Corsair (USMC).jpg
 |image_caption= A restored F4U-4 Corsair in Korean War-era U.S. Marine Corps markings
 | aircraft_type              = [[Carrier-based aircraft|Carrier-based]] [[fighter-bomber]]
 | national_origin   = United States
 | manufacturer      = [[Vought|Chance Vought]]
 | builder           = [[Goodyear Aerospace|Goodyear]] <br /> [[Brewster Aeronautical Corporation|Brewster]]
 | designer          = 
 | first_flight      = 29 May 1940
 | introduction      = 28 December 1942
 | retired           = {{plainlist|
* 1953 (United States)
* 1979 (Honduras)}}
 | primary_user      = [[United States Navy]]
 | more_users        = {{plainlist|
* [[United States Marine Corps]]
* [[Royal Navy]]
* [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]]}}
 | produced          = 1942–1953<ref name="Les Corsair français"/>
 | number_built      = More than 12,571<ref name="Shettle p. 107"/>
 |variants = [[Goodyear F2G Corsair]]
}}

The '''Vought F4U Corsair''' is an American [[fighter aircraft]] that saw service primarily in [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]]. Designed and initially manufactured by [[Vought|Chance Vought]], the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to [[Goodyear Aerospace|Goodyear]], whose Corsairs were designated '''FG''', and [[Brewster Aeronautical Corporation|Brewster]], designated '''F3A'''.

The Corsair was designed and principally operated as a [[carrier-based aircraft]], and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy and Marines in World War II. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based [[fighter-bombers]] of the war.<ref>Green 1975, p. 137.</ref> Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter and U.S. naval aviators achieved an 11:1 [[kill ratio]].<ref>Jablonski 1979, p. 171.</ref><ref>Donald 1995, p. 246.</ref> Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]], powered by the same [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp|Double Wasp]] engine first flown on the Corsair's initial prototype in 1940.<ref name="f4ucorsair.com">{{Cite web|title=Chance Vought F4U Corsair – XF4U-1 – Genesis|url=http://www.f4ucorsair.com/history.html|first=Emmanuel|last=Gustin|website=F4UCorsair.com|access-date=9 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713093920/http://www.f4ucorsair.com/history.html |archive-date=13 July 2013}}</ref> The Corsair's early deployment was to land-based squadrons of the [[U.S. Marine Corps]] and U.S. Navy.

The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in [[First Indochina War|Indochina]] and [[Algerian War|Algeria]].<ref>''Pilot's Manual'' 1979, Prologue.</ref> In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]], [[French Naval Aviation]], and other air forces until the 1960s.

From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured<ref name="Shettle p. 107">Shettle 2001, p. 107.</ref> in 16 separate models. Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter.<ref>O'Leary 1980, p. 116.</ref><ref name="mjwqqv">Donald 1995, p. 244.</ref><ref name="Wilson">Wilson 1996.</ref>

==Development==
In February 1938, the U.S. Navy [[Bureau of Aeronautics]] published two [[Request for proposal|requests for proposal]] for twin-engined and single-engined fighters. For the single-engined fighter, the Navy requested the maximum obtainable speed, and a minimum stalling speed not higher than {{nowrap|{{convert|70|mph|km/h}}}}. A range of {{convert|1000|mi|km}} was specified.<ref>Russell 1984, p. 25.</ref> The fighter had to carry four guns, or three with increased ammunition. Provision had to be made for antiaircraft bombs to be carried in the wing. These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations.
[[Image:XF4U-1 NACA 1940.jpeg|thumb|The XF4U-1 prototype in 1940/41, showing its more forward cockpit location]]

In June 1938, the U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype bearing the factory designation '''V-166B''',<ref name="f4ucorsair.com"/> the XF4U-1, BuNo 1443. The Corsair design team was led by [[Rex Beisel]]. After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 prototype of the [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp]] twin-row, 18-cylinder [[radial engine]], rated at {{convert|1805|hp|kW|abbr=on}} went ahead quickly, as the first airframe ever designed from the start to have a Double Wasp engine fitted for flight.<ref name="f4ucorsair.com"/> When the prototype was completed, it had the biggest and most powerful engine, largest propeller, and probably the largest wing on any naval fighter to date.<ref>Gunston 1980, p. 42.</ref> The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940, with Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The maiden flight proceeded normally until a hurried landing was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter.<ref>Johnsen 1993, p. 5.</ref><ref>Tillman 1979, p. 5.</ref>

On 1 October 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engined U.S. fighter to fly faster than {{convert|400|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} by flying at an average ground speed of {{convert|405|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} from [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]] to [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviationshoppe.com/f4u-corsair-p-259.html |title=F4U Corsair: The Marine's most famous fighting aircraft in World War II |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=aviationshoppe.com |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=31 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131221316/http://aviationshoppe.com/f4u-corsair-p-259.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref> The [[USAAC]]'s twin engine [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] had flown over 400&nbsp;mph in January–February 1939.<ref name = "demesa">Veronico et al. 1994, p. 11.</ref> The XF4U-1 also had an excellent rate of climb, although testing revealed some requirements would have to be rewritten. In full-power dive tests, speeds up to {{convert|550|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} were achieved, but not without damage to the control surfaces and access panels, and in one case, an engine failure.<ref>Guyton 1996, pp. 100–104.</ref> The spin recovery standards also had to be relaxed, as recovery from the required two-turn spin proved impossible without resorting to an antispin chute.<ref name = "demesa"/> The problems clearly meant delays in getting the design into production.

Reports coming back from the war in Europe indicated an armament of two {{cvt|.30|in|mm|2}} [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] engine cowling-mount machine guns, and two {{cvt|.50|in|mm|1}} machine guns (one in each outer wing panel) was insufficient. The [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]'s November 1940 production proposals specified heavier armament.<ref>O'Leary 1980, pp. 101–102.</ref> The increased armament comprised three .50 caliber machine guns mounted in each wing panel. This improvement greatly increased the ability of the Corsair to shoot down enemy aircraft.

Formal U.S. Navy acceptance trials for the XF4U-1 began in February 1941. The Navy entered into a letter of intent on 3 March 1941, received Vought's production proposal on 2 April, and awarded Vought a contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters, which were given the name "Corsair" – inherited from the firm's late-1920s [[Vought O2U]] naval biplane scout, which first bore the name – on 30 June of the same year. The first production F4U-1 performed its initial flight a year later, on 24 June 1942.<ref>Musciano 1979, pp. 40–41 (dates).</ref><ref>Tillman 1996, p. 17 (number of aircraft in first order).</ref> It was a remarkable achievement for Vought; compared to land-based counterparts, [[aircraft carrier|carrier aircraft]] are "overbuilt" and heavier, to withstand the extreme stress of deck landings.

==Design==
[[Image:Corsair FG-1 PW R-2800-8 engine.jpg|thumb|{{cvt|2000|hp}} Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 in a Goodyear FG-1 Corsair]]

===Engine considerations===
The F4U incorporated the largest engine available at the time, the {{cvt|2000|hp}} 18-cylinder [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800]] Double Wasp [[radial engine|radial]]. To extract as much power as possible, a relatively large [[Hamilton Standard]] Hydromatic three-blade [[Propeller (aircraft)|propeller]] of {{convert|13|ft|4|in}} was used.

===Landing gear and wings===
[[File:F4U-Corsair OE-EAS OTT 2013 04 main landing gear.jpg|thumb|upright|Landing gear on an F4U-4 Corsair.]]
To accommodate a folding wing, the designers considered retracting the main landing gear rearward, but for the [[Chord (aircraft)|chord of wing]] that was chosen, making the landing gear struts long enough to provide ground clearance for the large propeller was difficult. Their solution was an [[gull wing|inverted gull wing]], which considerably shortened the required length of the struts.<ref name="Green p. 188">Green 1973, p. 188.</ref> The [[Dihedral (aircraft)|anhedral]] of the wing's inboard section also permitted the wing and fuselage to meet at the optimum angle for minimizing [[Parasitic drag|drag]], without using wing-root fairings.<ref name="Green p. 188"/> The bent wing was heavier and more difficult to construct, however, offsetting these benefits.

The Corsair's aerodynamics were an advance over those of contemporary naval fighters. The F4U was the first U.S. Navy aircraft to feature landing gear that retracted into a fully enclosed wheel well. The landing gear [[oleo strut]]s—each with its own strut door enclosing it when retracted—rotated through 90° during retraction, with the wheel atop the lower end of the strut when retracted. A pair of rectangular doors enclosed each wheel well, leaving a streamlined wing.<ref name="Swinhert">{{Cite web|title=Vought F4U Corsair|url=http://www.aviation-history.com/vought/f4u.html|first=Earl|last=Swinhert|access-date=12 June 2023|website=The Aviation History Online Museum}}</ref> This swiveling, aft-retracting landing gear design was common to the [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk|Curtiss P-40]] (and its predecessor, the [[Curtiss P-36 Hawk|P-36]]), as adopted for the F4U Corsair's main gear and its Pacific War counterpart, the [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]]. The oil coolers were mounted in the heavily anhedraled inboard section of the wings, alongside the [[supercharger]] air intakes, and used openings in the leading edges of the wings, rather than protruding scoops. The large fuselage panels were made of [[aluminum]]<ref>Kinzey, Bert. ''F4U Corsair In Detail And Scale, Part 1''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1998. {{ISBN|1-888974-08-7}}.</ref> and were attached to the frames with the newly developed technique of [[spot welding]], thus mostly eliminating the use of rivets. While employing this new technology, the Corsair was also the last American-produced [[fighter aircraft]] to feature fabric as the skinning for the top and bottom of each outer wing, aft of the main [[Spar (aviation)|spar]] and armament bays, and for the [[aileron]]s, [[Elevator (aircraft)|elevators]], and [[rudder]]. The elevators were also constructed from plywood.<ref>Russell 1984, p. 26.</ref> The Corsair, even with its streamlining and high-speed abilities, could fly slowly enough for carrier landings with full [[flap (aircraft)|flap]] deployment of 50°.

===Technical issues===
In part because of its advances in technology and a top speed greater than existing Navy aircraft, numerous technical problems had to be solved before the Corsair entered service. Carrier suitability was a major development issue, prompting changes to the main landing gear, tail wheel, and [[tailhook]]. Early F4U-1s had difficulty recovering from developed spins, since the inverted gull wing's shape interfered with elevator authority. It was also found that the Corsair's left wing could [[Stall (flight)|stall]] and drop rapidly and without warning during slow carrier landings.<ref>''Air Ministry'' 1944, pp. 24–25.</ref> In addition, if the throttle were suddenly advanced (for example, during an [[Go-around|aborted landing]]) the left wing could stall and drop so quickly that the fighter could flip over with the rapid increase in power.<ref>Brown 1980, pp. 86–87.</ref> These potentially lethal characteristics were later solved through the addition of a small, {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}-long [[stall strip]] to the leading edge of the outer right wing, just outboard of the gun ports. This allowed the right wing to stall at the same time as the left.<ref name="O'Leary 1980, pp.106-107.">O'Leary 1980, pp. 106–107.</ref>

[[Image:F4U-1 NACA 1943.jpeg|thumb|An early F4U-1 showing the "birdcage" canopy with rearwards production cockpit location.]]
Other problems were encountered during early carrier trials. Visibility problems caused by the Corsair's combination of an aft-mounted cockpit and long nose made landings hazardous for newly trained pilots. During landing approaches, it was found that oil from the opened hydraulically powered [[Aircraft engine controls#Cowl|cowl flaps]] could spatter onto the windscreen, severely reducing visibility, and the undercarriage [[oleo strut]]s had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce down the carrier deck.<ref name="O'Leary 1980, pp.106-107."/> The first problem was solved by locking the top cowl flaps in front of the windscreen down permanently, then replacing them with a fixed panel. The undercarriage bounce took more time to solve, but eventually a "bleed valve" incorporated in the legs allowed the hydraulic pressure to be released gradually as the aircraft landed. The Corsair was not considered fit for carrier use until the wing stall problems and the deck bounce could be solved.

Meanwhile, the more docile and simpler-to-build F6F Hellcat had begun entering service in its intended carrier-based use. The Navy wanted to standardize on one type of carrier fighter, and the Hellcat, while slower than the Corsair, was considered simpler to land on a carrier by an inexperienced pilot and proved to be successful almost immediately after introduction. The Navy's decision to choose the Hellcat meant that the Corsair was released to the U.S. Marine Corps. With no initial requirement for carrier landings, the Marine Corps deployed the Corsair to devastating effect from land bases. Corsair deployment aboard U.S. carriers was delayed until late 1944, by which time the last of the carrier landing problems, relating to the Corsair's long nose, had been tackled by the British.{{#tag:ref|A landing technique using a curving approach that kept the LSO (landing signal officer) in view while coming aboard was developed by the [[Royal Navy]] and was adopted by the U.S. Navy.<ref>O'Leary 1980, p. 111.</ref>|group=N}}

===Design modifications===
[[File:Vought F4U-1 Corsair 3-view.svg|thumb|right|300px|3-view line drawing of the F4U-1 variant]]
Production F4U-1s featured several major modifications from the XF4U-1. A change of armament to six wing-mounted {{cvt|.50|in|mm|1}} [[M2 Browning machine gun]]s (three in each outer wing panel) and their ammunition (400 rounds for the inner pair, 375 rounds for the outer)<ref>O'Leary 1980, p. 102.</ref> meant the location of the wing fuel tanks had to be changed. In order to keep the fuel tank close to the [[center of gravity]], the only available position was in the forward fuselage, ahead of the cockpit. Accordingly, as a {{cvt|237|USgal|L|0}} [[self-sealing fuel tank]] replaced the fuselage mounted armament, the cockpit had to be moved back by {{convert|32|in|mm|abbr=on}} and the fuselage lengthened.<ref name="Green p. 188"/> Later on, different variants of the F4U were given different armaments. While most Corsair variants had the standard armament of six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, some models (like the F4U-1C) were equipped with four 20 millimeter M2 cannons for its main weapon. While these cannons were more powerful than the standard machine guns, they were not favored over the standard loadout. Only 200 models of this particular Corsair model were produced, out of the total of 12,571. Other variants were capable of carrying mission specific weapons such as rockets and bombs. The F4U was able to carry up to a total of eight rockets, or four under each wing. It was able to carry up to four thousand pounds of explosive ordnance. This helped the Corsair take on a fighter bomber role, giving it a more versatile role as a ground support aircraft as well as a fighter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plane-encyclopedia.com/ww2/chance-vought-f4u-corsair/|title=Vought F4U Corsair|first=Mario H.|last=Zorro|date=15 September 2016}}</ref> In addition, {{cvt|150|lb|kg}} of armor plate was installed, along with a {{convert|1.5|in|mm|adj=on|abbr=on}} bullet-proof windscreen which was set internally, behind the curved [[Plexiglas]] windscreen. The canopy could be jettisoned in an emergency, and half-elliptical planform transparent panels, much like those of certain models of the [[Curtiss P-40]], were inset into the sides of the fuselage's turtledeck structure behind the pilot's headrest, providing the pilot with a limited rear view over his shoulders. A rectangular Plexiglas panel was inset into the lower center section to allow the pilot to see directly beneath the aircraft and assist with deck landings.{{#tag:ref| F2A Buffalos and F4F Wildcats used similar glazed panels. Prior to the F4U-4, Corsair cockpits did not have a complete floor.|group=N}} The engine used was the more powerful R-2800-8 (B series) Double Wasp which produced {{cvt|2,000|hp|kW}}. On the wings the flaps were changed to a [[NACA cowling|NACA]] slotted type and the ailerons were increased in span to increase the roll rate, with a consequent reduction in flap span. [[Identification friend or foe|IFF]] transponder equipment was fitted in the rear fuselage. These changes increased the Corsair's weight by several hundred pounds.<ref name="Russell 1984, p. 27.">Russell 1984, p. 27.</ref>

===Performance===
The performance of the Corsair was superior to most of its contemporaries. The F4U-1 was considerably faster than the Grumman F6F Hellcat and only {{convert|13|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} slower than the [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]]. All three were powered by the R-2800. But whereas the P-47 achieved its highest speed at {{convert|30020|ft|m}} with the help of an [[intercooler|intercooled]] [[turbosupercharger|turbocharger]],<ref>Dean 1997, p. 281.</ref> the F4U-1 reached its maximum speed at {{convert|19900|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref>Tillman 1979, p. 196.</ref> using a mechanically supercharged engine.<ref>Dean 1997, p. 509.</ref>

==Operational history==

===World War II===

====U.S. service====
=====Navy testing and release to the U.S. Marine Corps=====

The U.S. Navy received its first production F4U-1 on 31 July 1942, though getting it into service proved difficult. The framed "birdcage" style canopy provided inadequate visibility for deck taxiing, and the long "hose nose" and nose-up attitude of the Corsair made it difficult to see straight ahead. The enormous torque of the Double Wasp engine also made it a handful for inexperienced pilots if they were forced to [[Bolter (aeronautics)|bolter]]. Early Navy pilots called the F4U the "hog", "hosenose", or "bent-wing widow maker".<ref name="Proceedings">O'Rourke, G.G, Capt. USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads". ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'', July 1968.</ref>

Carrier qualification trials on the training carrier [[USS Wolverine (IX-64)|USS ''Wolverine'']] and escort carriers [[USS Core|USS ''Core'']] and [[USS Charger (CVE-30)|USS ''Charger'']] in 1942 found that, despite visibility issues and control sensitivity, the Corsair was "...an excellent carrier type and very easy to land aboard. It is no different than any other airplane."<ref>{{cite book |last=Bell|first=Dana|date=2014|title=Aircraft Pictorial #7, F4U-1 Corsair Vol. 1|location=Tucson|publisher=Classic Warships Publishing|page=2|isbn=9780985714970}}</ref> Two Navy units, [[VF-12]] (October 1942) and later [[VF-61|VF-17]] (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U. By April 1943, VF-12 had successfully completed deck landing qualification.<ref>Tillman 1979, p. 13.</ref>

At the time, the U.S. Navy also had the Grumman F6F Hellcat, which did not have the performance of the F4U, but was a better deck landing aircraft. The Corsair was declared "ready for combat" at the end of 1942, though qualified to operate only from land bases until the last of the carrier qualification issues were worked out.<ref>O'Leary 1980, p. 107.</ref> VF-17 went aboard the {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|6}} in late 1943, and the Chief of Naval Operations wanted to equip four air groups with Corsairs by the end of 1943. The Commander, Air Forces, Pacific had a different opinion, stating that "In order to simplify spares problems and also to insure flexibility in carrier operations present practice in the Pacific is to assign all Corsairs to Marines and to equip FightRons [fighter squadrons] on medium and light carriers with Hellcats."<ref>Bell, p.2</ref> VF-12 soon abandoned its aircraft to the Marines. VF-17 kept its Corsairs, but was removed from its carrier, USS ''Bunker Hill'', due to perceived difficulties in supplying parts at sea.<ref>Blackburn 1989, p. 83.</ref>

The Marines needed a better fighter than the F4F Wildcat. For them, it was not as important that the F4U could be recovered aboard a carrier, as they usually flew from land bases. Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter.

=====Marine Corps combat=====

[[File:Boyingtons Corsair.jpg|thumb|Vought F4U-1A Corsair, BuNo 17883, of [[Pappy Boyington|Gregory "Pappy" Boyington]], the commander of [[VMA-214#World War II|VMF-214]], [[Vella Lavella]] end of 1943]]

[[Image:Vought F4U-1 Corsairs of VF-17 in flight, 1943.jpg|thumb|Early F4U-1s of VF-17]]

From February 1943 onward, the F4U operated from [[Guadalcanal]] and ultimately other bases in the [[Solomon Islands]]. A dozen USMC F4U-1s of VMF-124, commanded by [[Major (rank)|Major]] William E. Gise, arrived at [[Honiara International Airport|Henderson Field]] (code name "Cactus") on 12 February. The first recorded combat engagement was on 14 February 1943, when Corsairs of VMF-124 under Major Gise assisted P-40s and P-38s in escorting a formation of [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]]s on a raid against a Japanese aerodrome at [[Kahili Airfield|Kahili]]. Japanese fighters contested the raid and the Americans got the worst of it, with four P-38s, two P-40s, two Corsairs, and two Liberators lost. No more than four Japanese Zeros were destroyed. A Corsair was responsible for one of the kills, albeit due to a midair collision. The fiasco was referred to as the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre".<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 6–9.</ref><ref>Sherrod 1952, pp. 134–135.</ref> Despite the debut, the Marines quickly learned how to make better use of the aircraft and started demonstrating its superiority over Japanese fighters. By May, the Corsair units were getting the upper hand, and VMF-124 had produced the first Corsair ace, [[Second Lieutenant]] [[Kenneth A. Walsh]], who would rack up a total of 21 kills during the war.<ref>Sherrod 1952, p. 431.</ref> He remembered:
{{Blockquote|I learned quickly that altitude was paramount. Whoever had altitude dictated the terms of the battle, and there was nothing a Zero pilot could do to change that — we had him. The F4U could outperform a Zero in every aspect except slow speed manoeuvrability and slow speed rate of climb. Therefore you avoided getting slow when combating a Zero. It took time but eventually we developed tactics and deployed them very effectively... There were times, however, that I tangled with a Zero at slow speed, one on one. In these instances I considered myself fortunate to survive a battle. Of my 21 victories, 17 were against Zeros, and I lost five aircraft in combat. I was shot down three times and I crashed one that ploughed into the line back at base and wiped out another F4U.<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 9–10.</ref>}}

VMF-113 was activated on 1 January 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro as part of Marine Base Defense Air Group 41. They were soon given their full complement of 24 F4U Corsairs. On 26 March 1944, while escorting four B-25 bombers on a raid over Ponape, they recorded their first enemy kills, downing eight Japanese aircraft. In April of that year, VMF-113 was tasked with providing air support for the landings at [[Ujelang Atoll|Ujelang]]. Since the assault was unopposed, the squadron quickly returned to striking Japanese targets in the [[Marshall Islands]] for the remainder of 1944.

Corsairs were flown by the "Black Sheep" Squadron ([[VMA-214|VMF-214]], led by Marine Major [[Pappy Boyington|Gregory "Pappy" Boyington]]) in an area of the Solomon Islands called "[[New Georgia Sound|The Slot]]". Boyington was credited with 22 kills in F4Us (of 28 total, including six in an [[American Volunteer Group|AVG]] [[Curtiss P-40|P-40]], although his score with the AVG has been disputed).<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 31, 50, 87, 93.</ref> Other noted Corsair pilots of the period included VMF-124's [[Kenneth A. Walsh|Kenneth Walsh]], [[James E. Swett]], [[Archie Donahue]], and Bill "Casey" Case; [[VMF-215]]'s [[Robert M. Hanson]] and [[Donald N. Aldrich|Donald Aldrich]]; and VF-17's [[John T. "Tommy" Blackburn|Tommy Blackburn]], Roger Hedrick, and [[Ira C. Kepford|Ira Kepford]]. Nightfighter versions equipped Navy and Marine units afloat and ashore.

One particularly unusual kill was scored by Marine Lieutenant R. R. Klingman of VMF-312 (the "Checkerboards") over Okinawa. Klingman was in pursuit of a Japanese twin-engine aircraft at high altitude when his guns jammed due to the gun lubrication thickening from the extreme cold. He flew into and chopped off the enemy's tail with the large propeller of the Corsair. Despite smashing {{convert|5|in|mm|spell=in}} off the end of his propeller blades, he managed to land safely after this [[aerial ramming]] attack. He was awarded the [[Navy Cross]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/584583/story-of-bob-drummer-pilot-legend/|title=Story of Bob; drummer, pilot, legend|website=United States Marine Corps Flagship|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref>

At war's end, Corsairs were ashore on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], combating the ''kamikaze'', and also were flying from fleet and escort carriers. [[VMFA-312|VMF-312]], [[VMFA-323|VMF-323]], and VMF-224 and some other Marine units met with success in the [[Battle of Okinawa]].<ref>Sherrod 1952, pp. 75–129.</ref>

=====Field modifications for land-based Corsairs=====

Since Corsairs were being operated from shore bases, while still awaiting approval for U.S. carrier operations, 965 FG-1As were built as "land planes" without their hydraulic wing folding mechanisms, hoping to improve performance by reducing aircraft weight, with the added benefit of minimizing complexity.<ref name="D’Angina 2014, p.22">D’Angina 2014, p.22.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bell|first=Dana|date=2015|title=Aircraft Pictorial #8, F4U-1 Corsair Vol. 2|location=Tucson|publisher=Classic Warships Publishing|page=3|isbn=978-0-9857149-9-4}}</ref> (These Corsairs’ wings could still be manually folded.<ref name="Dorr 1991, p.66">Dorr 1991, p.66.</ref>)

A second option was to remove the folding mechanism in the field using a kit, which could be done for Vought and Brewster Corsairs as well. On 6&nbsp;December 1943, the Bureau of Aeronautics issued guidance on weight-reduction measures for the F4U-1, FG-1, and F3A. Corsair squadrons operating from land bases were authorized to remove catapult hooks, arresting hooks, and associated equipment, which eliminated 48 pounds of unnecessary weight.<ref name="D’Angina 2014, p.22"/> While there are no data to indicate to what extent these modifications were incorporated, there are numerous photos in evidence of Corsairs, of various manufacturers and models, on islands in the Pacific without tailhooks installed.<ref>Sullivan 2010, p.16-21</ref>
The RNZAF Corsairs were all land based and all had the tailhooks removed.

[[Image:Ww2 157.jpg|upright|thumb|A Corsair fires its rockets at a Japanese stronghold on Okinawa]]

=====Fighter-bomber=====

Corsairs also served well as fighter-bombers in the Central Pacific and the Philippines. By early 1944, Marine pilots were beginning to exploit the type's considerable capabilities in the close-support role in amphibious landings. [[Charles Lindbergh]] flew Corsairs with the Marines as a civilian technical advisor for [[United Aircraft and Transport Corporation|United Aircraft Corporation]] in order to determine how best to increase the Corsair's payload and range in the attack role and to help evaluate future viability of single- versus twin-engine fighter design for Vought.<ref name = "sgyjgp">[http://www.charleslindbergh.com/wwii/ "Charles Lindbergh and the 475th Fighter Group" (from the book ''Lightning Strikes'')]. ''charleslindbergh.com.'' Retrieved: 5 August 2010.</ref> Lindbergh managed to get the F4U into the air with {{convert|4000|lb|kg}} of bombs, with a {{convert|2000|lb|kg}} bomb on the centerline and a {{convert|1000|lb|kg}} bomb under each wing.<ref>Jablonski 1979</ref> In the course of such experiments, he performed strikes on Japanese positions during the battle for the Marshall Islands.<ref name = "sgyjgp"/>

By the beginning of 1945, the Corsair was a full-blown "mudfighter", performing strikes with high-explosive bombs, [[napalm]] tanks, and [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket|HVAR]]s. It proved versatile, able to operate everything from [[Bat (guided bomb)|Bat]] [[glide bomb]]s to {{convert|11.75|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[Tiny Tim (rocket)|Tiny Tim]] rockets.<ref>Veronico et al., pp. 59, 61.</ref> The aircraft was a prominent participant in the fighting for the [[Battle of Peleliu|Palaus]], [[Battle of Iwo Jima|Iwo Jima]] and Okinawa.

=====Navy service=====

In November 1943, while operating as a shore-based unit in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 reinstalled the tail hooks so its F4Us could land and refuel while providing top cover over the task force participating in the [[Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)|carrier raid on Rabaul]]. The squadron's pilots landed, refueled, and took off from their former home, ''Bunker Hill'' and {{USS|Essex|CV-9|6}} on 11 November 1943.<ref>Bowman 2002, p. 39.</ref>

Twelve USMC F4U-1s arrived at Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) on 12 February 1943. The U.S. Navy did not get into combat with the type until September 1943. The work done by the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Fleet Air Arm|FAA]] meant those models qualified the type for U.S. carrier operations first. The U.S. Navy finally accepted the F4U for shipboard operations in April 1944, after the longer oleo strut was fitted, which eliminated the tendency to bounce.<ref>Tillman 1979, pp. 15–17.</ref> The first US Corsair unit to be based effectively on a carrier was the pioneer USMC squadron [[VMA-124|VMF-124]], which joined ''Essex'' in December 1944. They were accompanied by [[VMF-213]]. The increasing need for fighter protection against ''[[kamikaze]]'' attacks resulted in more Corsair units being moved to carriers.<ref>Condon 1998, pp. 4–5.</ref>

=====Sortie, kill and loss figures=====

U.S. figures compiled at the end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks.<ref name="Barber1">Barber 1946, Table 1.</ref> F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1.<ref name="Barber2">Barber 1946, Table 2</ref> While this gave the Corsair the lowest loss rate of any fighter of the Pacific War, this was due in part to operational circumstances; it primarily faced air-to-air combat in the Solomon Islands and Rabaul campaigns (as well as at Leyte and for kamikaze interception), but as operations shifted north and its mission shifted to ground attack the aircraft saw less exposure to enemy aircraft, while other fighter types were exposed to more air combat.<ref>[https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/whistling-death-the-chance-vought-f4u-corsair/ Whistling Death: The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625034438/https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/whistling-death-the-chance-vought-f4u-corsair/ |date=25 June 2019 }}. ''Warfare History Network''. 16 December 2018.</ref> Against the best Japanese opponents, the aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against the [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] and 6:1 against the [[Nakajima Ki-84]], [[Kawanishi N1K]]-J, and [[Mitsubishi J2M]] combined during the last year of the war.<ref name="Barber28">Barber 1946, Table 28.</ref> The Corsair bore the brunt of U.S. fighter-bomber missions, delivering {{convert|15,621|ST|MT|abbr=off}} of bombs during the war (70% of total bombs dropped by U.S. fighters during the war).<ref name="Barber2"/>

Corsair losses in World War II were as follows:
* Aerial combat: 189
* Enemy ground and shipboard anti-aircraft fire: 349
* Operational losses during combat missions: 230
* Operational losses during non-combat flights: 692
* Destroyed aboard ships or on the ground: 164<ref name="Barber2"/>

====Royal Navy====

=====Enhancement for carrier suitability=====
[[File:Corsair Mk1 Quonset Point 1943.jpg|thumb|[[Fleet Air Arm|FAA]] Corsair Is at [[Naval Air Station Quonset Point|NAS Quonset Point]], 1943.]]

In the early days of World War II, Royal Navy fighter requirements had been based on cumbersome two-seat designs, such as the fighter/dive-bomber [[Blackburn Skua]] (and its turreted derivative the [[Blackburn Roc]]) and the fighter/reconnaissance [[Fairey Fulmar]], since it was expected that they would encounter only long-range bombers or flying boats and that navigation over featureless seas required the assistance of a radio operator/navigator.<ref group="N">There were also some [[Gloster Gladiator|Sea Gladiator]] biplane fighters in use</ref> The Royal Navy hurriedly adopted higher-performance single-seat aircraft such as the [[Hawker Hurricane variants#Sea Hurricanes|Hawker Sea Hurricane]] and the less robust [[Supermarine Seafire]] alongside, but neither aircraft had sufficient range to operate at a distance from a carrier task force. The Corsair was welcomed as a more robust and versatile alternative.<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 67–68.</ref>

In November 1943, the Royal Navy received its first batch of 95 Vought F4U-1s, which were given [[British military aircraft designation systems|the designation]] "Corsair [Mark] I". The first squadrons were assembled and trained on the U.S. East Coast and then shipped across the Atlantic. The Royal Navy put the Corsair into carrier operations immediately. They found its landing characteristics dangerous, suffering a number of fatal crashes, but considered the Corsair to be the best option they had.

In Royal Navy service, because of the limited [[hangar]] deck height in several classes of British carrier, many Corsairs had their outer wings "clipped" by {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on}} to clear the deckhead.<ref name="Styling 1995, p.68.">Styling 1995, p. 68.</ref> The change in span brought about the added benefit of improving the [[sink rate]], reducing the F4U's propensity to "float" in the final stages of landing.<ref name="Styling 1995, p.68."/>

The Royal Navy developed a number of modifications to the Corsair that made carrier landings more practical. Among these were a bulged canopy (similar to the [[Malcolm Hood]]), raising the pilot's seat {{convert|7|in|mm|abbr=on}},<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vought F4U Corsair|url=http://www.airvectors.net/avf4u.html#m2|access-date=2023-02-20|first=Greg|last=Goebel|website=www.airvectors.net}}</ref> and wiring shut the cowl flaps across the top of the engine compartment, diverting oil and hydraulic fluid spray around the sides of the fuselage.<ref name="Swinhert"/> The curved approach used with the Seafire was also adopted for landing Corsairs, ensuring the flight deck was kept in sight as long as possible.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/spoiler-alert-1-180977803 |title=How the Navy Tamed the Killer Corsair: A little piece of aluminum solved the WW2 fighter's vicious behavior problem. |last=Graff |first=Cory |date=2021-06-01 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |publisher=Smithsonian |access-date=2023-07-15 |quote=But it was the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm who came up with the concept that brought Corsairs to sea duty for good. The pilots developed a long, curving landing approach to keep the carrier's deck in sight until the last moments before touchdown.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/heres-how-the-royal-navy-fixed-the-f4u-shortcomings-for-which-the-us-navy-deemed-the-corsair-unsuitable-for-aircraft-carrier-operations |title=Here's how the Royal Navy fixed the F4U shortcomings for which the US Navy deemed the Corsair unsuitable for aircraft carrier operations |last=Leone |first=Dario |date=2020-08-20 |website=theaviationgeekclub.com |publisher=The Aviation Geek Club |access-date=2023-07-15 |quote=We made the Corsair available to the Royal Navy who had been flying Seafires (another long nosed aircraft) and simply adapted the Seafire landing pattern to the Corsair. Problem solved.}}</ref>

=====Deployment=====

The Royal Navy initially received 95 "birdcage" F4U-1s from Vought which were designated Corsair Mk I in Fleet Air Arm service.<ref name="March 1998, p.237">March 1998, p.237.</ref> Next from Vought came 510 "blown-canopy" F4U-1A/-1Ds, which were designated Corsair Mk II (the final 150 equivalent to the F4U-1D, but not separately designated in British use).<ref name="March 1998, p.237-238">March 1998, p.237-238.</ref> 430 Brewster Corsairs (334 F3A-1 and 96 F3A-1D), more than half of Brewster's total production, were delivered to Britain as the Corsair Mk III.<ref name="March 1998, p.239">March 1998, p.239.</ref> 857 Goodyear Corsairs (400 FG-1/-1A and 457 FG-1D) were delivered and designated Corsair Mk IV.<ref name="March 1998, p. 239">March 1998, p. 239.</ref> The Mk IIs and Mk IVs were the only versions to be used in combat.<ref>Styling 1995, p. 73.</ref>

The Royal Navy cleared the F4U for carrier operations well before the U.S. Navy and showed that the Corsair Mk II could be operated with reasonable success even from [[escort carrier]]s. It was not without problems; one was excessive wear of the arrester wires, due both to the weight of the Corsair and the understandable tendency of the pilots to stay well above the stalling speed. A total of 2,012 Corsairs were supplied to the United Kingdom.<ref name="Swanboroughp404">Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 404.</ref>

[[Fleet Air Arm]] (FAA) units were created and equipped in the United States, at [[Quonset Point]] or [[Naval Air Station Brunswick|Brunswick]] and then shipped to war theaters aboard escort carriers. The first FAA Corsair unit was [[1830 Naval Air Squadron|1830 NAS]], created on the first of June 1943, and soon operating from {{HMS|Illustrious|87|6}}. At the end of the war, 18 FAA squadrons were operating the Corsair. British Corsairs served both in Europe and in the Pacific. The first, and also most important, European operations were the series of attacks ([[Operation Tungsten]]) in April, July, and August 1944 on the {{Ship|German battleship|Tirpitz}}, for which Corsairs from {{HMS|Victorious|R38|6}} and {{HMS|Formidable|67|6}} provided fighter cover.<ref>Thetford 1978, p. 73.</ref> It appears the Corsairs did not encounter aerial opposition on these raids.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

From April 1944, Corsairs from the [[British Pacific Fleet]] took part in several [[Bombing of South East Asia, 1944–1945|major air raids in South East Asia]] beginning with [[Operation Cockpit]], an attack on Japanese targets at [[Sabang, Indonesia|Sabang]] island, in the [[Dutch East Indies]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=J |first=Cox, Leonard |date=1998-09-18 |title=Attack on Sabang, Northern Sumatra, 1944 |url=https://navyhistory.org.au/attack-on-sabang-northern-sumatra-1944/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Naval Historical Society of Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>

In July and August 1945, Corsair naval squadrons 1834, 1836, 1841, and 1842 took part in a series of strikes on the Japanese mainland, near Tokyo. These squadrons operated from ''Victorious'' and ''Formidable.''<ref>Thetford 1978, p. 74.</ref> On 9 August 1945, days before the end of the war, Corsairs from ''Formidable'' attacked [[Shiogama]] harbor on the northeast coast of Japan. [[Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve]] pilot, Lieutenant [[Robert Hampton Gray]], of 1841 Squadron was hit by flak but pressed home his attack on the Japanese destroyer escort ''[[Japanese escort ship Amakusa|Amakusa]]'', sinking it with a {{convert|1000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bomb but crashing into the sea. He was posthumously awarded Canada's last [[Victoria Cross]], becoming the second fighter pilot of the war to earn a Victoria Cross as well as the final Canadian casualty of World War II.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/citations/gray |title=Lt. Robert Hampton Gray |publisher=Veterans Affairs Canada |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-date=29 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029030416/http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history%2Fsecondwar%2Fcitations%2Fgray |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{#tag:ref|Although P/O [[Andrew Mynarski]]'s Victoria Cross was actually awarded in 1946, it commemorated an action in 1944.|group=N}}

[[File:Corsair being pushed on elevator HMS Glory (R62) 1945.jpg|thumb|left|1831 NAS Corsair aboard {{HMS|Glory|R62|6}}, off [[Rabaul]], 1945, with added "bars" based on their 28 June 1943 adoption by the U.S. Navy]]
FAA Corsairs originally fought in a camouflage scheme with a Dark Slate Grey/Extra Dark Sea Grey disruptive pattern on top and Sky undersides, but were later painted overall dark blue.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} As it had become imperative for all [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] aircraft in the Pacific Theater of World War II to abandon all use of any "red devices" in their national insignia — to prevent any chance of misidentification with Japanese military aircraft, all of which bore the circular, all-red ''[[Hinomaru]]'' insignia (nicknamed a "meatball" by Allied aircrew{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}) that is [[Japan Air Self-Defense Force|still in use to this day]], the United States removed all areas of red color (specifically removing the red center to the roundel) and removed any sort of [[Fin flash|national fin/rudder markings]], which at that time had [[Flag Acts (United States)#Flag Act of 1818|seven horizontal red stripes]], from the American national aircraft insignia scheme by 6 May 1942. The British did likewise, starting with a simple paintover with white paint, of their "Type C" roundel's red center, at about the time the U.S. Navy removed the red-center from their roundel. Later, a shade of [[slate gray]] center color replaced the white color on the earlier roundel. When the Americans starting using the added white bars to either side of their blue/white star roundel on 28 June 1943; SEAC British Corsairs, most all of which still used the earlier blue/white Type C roundel with the red center removed, added similar white bars to either side of their blue-white roundels to emulate the Americans.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

In all, out of 18 carrier-based squadrons, eight saw combat, flying intensive ground attack/interdiction operations and claiming 47.5 aircraft shot down.<ref>Styling 1995, pp. 69, 73.</ref>

At the end of World War II, under the terms of the Lend-Lease agreement, the aircraft had to be paid for or to be returned to the U.S. As the UK did not have the means to pay for them, the Royal Navy Corsairs were pushed overboard into the sea in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tony Nye's Recollections of the Archerfield Quarry|url=https://www.ozatwar.com/nye.htm|access-date=2023-02-20|website=www.ozatwar.com}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=One person's recollection. Also needs clarifying was this every FAA Corsair or one ship's? |date=April 2015}}

====Royal New Zealand Air Force====
Equipped with obsolescent [[Curtiss P-40]]s, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) squadrons in the [[Pacific War|South Pacific]] performed impressively, in particular in the air-to-air role. The American government accordingly decided to give New Zealand early access to the Corsair, especially as it was not initially being used from carriers. In addition as the war moved up the island chain the RNZAF moved from the US Army Aircorps zone to the US Navy zone reporting into Chester Nimitz and needed to use the US Navy supply lines making the P40 unworkable. Some 424 Corsairs equipped 13 RNZAF squadrons, including [[No. 14 Squadron RNZAF]] and [[No. 15 Squadron RNZAF]], replacing [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]]es as well as P-40s.<ref name="Russell 1984 p. 28.">Russell 1984, p. 28.</ref> Most of the F4U-1s{{#tag:ref|Although these are often call '''F4U-1A'''s, apparently this was not an official wartime designation but was one applied postwar to indicate that there were production line modifications. The same comment applies to the '''-1B'''.<ref name="Russell 1984, p. 27."/>|group=N}} were assembled by Unit 60 with a further batch assembled and flown at [[RNZAF Station Hobsonville]]. In total there were 336 F4U-1s and 41 F4U-1Ds used by the RNZAF during the Second World War. Sixty FG-1Ds arrived late in the war.<ref name="Russell 1984, pp. 48-87.">Russell 1984, pp. 48–87.</ref>

[[File:RAAF Boomerang with RNZAF Corsairs on Bougainville 1945.jpg|thumb|RNZAF Corsairs with a [[Royal Australian Air Force]] [[CAC Boomerang]] on [[Battle of Bougainville|Bougainville]], 1945.]]
The first deliveries of lend-lease Corsairs began in March 1944 with the arrival of 30 F4U-1s at the RNZAF Base Depot Workshops (Unit 60) on the island of [[Espiritu Santo]] in the [[New Hebrides]]. From April, these workshops became responsible for assembling all Corsairs for the RNZAF units operating the aircraft in the South West Pacific; and a Test and Despatch flight was set up to test the aircraft after assembly. By June 1944, 100 Corsairs had been assembled and test flown.<ref name="Russell 1984 p. 28."/> The first squadrons to use the Corsair were 20 and 21 Squadrons on Espiritu Santo, operational in May 1944. The organization of the RNZAF in the Pacific and New Zealand meant that only the pilots and a small staff belonged to each squadron (the maximum strength on a squadron was 27 pilots): squadrons were assigned to several Servicing Units (SUs, composed of 5–6 officers, 57 NCOs, 212 airmen) which carried out aircraft maintenance and operated from fixed locations:<ref>Russell 1984, pp. 32–33.</ref> hence F4U-1 ''NZ5313'' was first used by 20 Squadron/1 SU on Guadalcanal in May 1944; 20 Squadron was then relocated to 2 SU on [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]] in November.<ref>Russell 1984, p. 49.</ref> In all there were ten front line SUs plus another three based in New Zealand. Because each of the SUs painted its aircraft with distinctive markings<ref>Russell 1984, pp. 40–45.</ref> and the aircraft themselves could be repainted in several different color schemes, the RNZAF Corsairs were far less uniform in appearance than their American and FAA contemporaries.<ref>Russell 1984, pp. 90–104.</ref> By late 1944, the F4U had equipped all ten Pacific-based fighter squadrons of the RNZAF.<ref name="Russell 1984, pp. 48-87."/>

By the time the Corsairs arrived, there were very few Japanese aircraft left in New Zealand's allocated sectors of the Southern Pacific, and despite the RNZAF squadrons extending their operations to more northern islands, they were primarily used for close support of American, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers fighting the Japanese. At the end of 1945, all Corsair squadrons but one (No. 14) were disbanded. That last squadron was based in Japan, until the Corsair was retired from service in 1947.<ref>Tillman 1979, pp. 103–105.</ref>

No. 14 Squadron was given new FG-1Ds and in March 1946 transferred to [[Iwakuni]], Japan as part of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force]].<ref name="Tillman p. 192">Tillman 1979, p. 192.</ref> Only one airworthy example of the 437 aircraft procured survives: FG-1D ''NZ5648''/''ZK-COR'', owned by the Old Stick and Rudder Company at [[Masterton]], New Zealand.<ref>[http://www.ofmc.co.uk/aircraft/corsair_hist.htm "Chance Vought FG-1D Corsair."]''The Old Flying Machine Company''. Retrieved: 21 October 2013. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207064819/http://www.ofmc.co.uk/aircraft/corsair_hist.htm |date=7 February 2007 }}</ref>

====Captured Corsairs====
On 18 July 1944, a British Corsair ([[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|serial]] ''JT404'') of [[1841 Naval Air Squadron]], was involved in anti-submarine patrol from HMS ''Formidable'' as it returned to [[Scapa Flow]] after the [[Operation Mascot]] attack on the German battleship ''Tirpitz''. It flew in company with a [[Fairey Barracuda]]. Due to technical problems the Corsair made an emergency landing in a field in [[Hamarøy Municipality]] north of [[Bodø (town)|Bodø]], Norway. The pilot, Lt Mattholie, was taken prisoner and the aircraft was captured undamaged. Luftwaffe interrogators{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} failed to get the pilot to explain how to fold the wings so as to transport the aircraft to [[Narvik]]. The Corsair was ferried by boat for further investigation. Later the Corsair was taken to Germany and listed as one of the captured enemy aircraft (''Beuteflugzeug'') based at ''[[Rechlin-Lärz Airfield|Erprobungsstelle Rechlin]]'', the central German military aviation test facility and the equivalent of the [[Royal Aircraft Establishment]] for 1944 under repair. This was probably the only Corsair captured by the Germans.<ref>{{cite web |title=Captured Fleet Air Arm Aircraft |url=http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/FAACapturedAircraftHomepage.html |website=fleetairarmarchive.net |access-date=1 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819085241/http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/aircraft/faacapturedaircrafthomepage.html |archive-date=19 August 2010 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

In 1945, U.S. forces captured an F4U Corsair near the Kasumigaura flight school. The Japanese had repaired it by covering damaged parts on the wing with fabric and using spare parts from crashed F4Us. It seems Japan captured two force-landed Corsairs fairly late in the war and may have tested one in flight.<ref group=N>A photograph exists of an F4U-1 being examined on the ground by Japanese airmen.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Prados |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aAhnAAAAMAAJ |title=Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II |date=1995 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-679-43701-7 |pages=429 |language=en}}</ref>

===Korean War===
[[File:F4U Corsair.jpg|thumb|A [[United States Navy]] F4U-5NL Corsair equipped with the air intercept radar (right wing) and a 154-gallon drop tank in the Geneseo Airshow, on 9 July 2006]]

During the Korean War, the Corsair was used mostly in the close-support role. The '''AU-1''' Corsair was developed from the F4U-5 and was a ground-attack version which normally operated at low altitudes: as a consequence the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-83W engine used a single-stage, manually controlled supercharger, rather than the two-stage automatic supercharger of the -5.<ref>Kinzey 1998, p. 65.</ref> The versions of the Corsair used in Korea from 1950 to 1953 were the AU-1, F4U-4B, -4P, and -5N and -5NL.<ref name="Thompsonp118">Thompson 2004, p. 118.</ref> There were dogfights between F4Us and Soviet-built [[Yakovlev Yak-9]] fighters early in the war, but when the enemy introduced the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]], the Corsair was outmatched. On 10 September 1952, a MiG-15 made the mistake of getting into a turning contest with a Corsair piloted by Marine Captain Jesse G. Folmar, with Folmar shooting the MiG down with his four 20&nbsp;mm cannon. In turn, four MiG-15s shot down Folmar minutes later; Folmar bailed out and was quickly rescued with little injury.<ref>Thompson 2009, pp. 62–64, 74, 94.</ref>

F4U-5N and -5NL Corsair night fighters were used to attack enemy supply lines, including truck convoys and trains, as well as interdicting night attack aircraft such as the [[Polikarpov Po-2]] "Bedcheck Charlies", which were used to harass United Nations forces at night. The F4Us often operated with the help of [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47]] 'flare ships' which dropped hundreds of 1,000,000 [[candlepower]] magnesium flares to illuminate the targets.<ref>Thompson 2009, pp. 77–80.</ref> For many operations detachments of U.S. Navy F4U-5Ns were posted to shore bases. The leader of one such unit, Lieutenant [[Guy Bordelon]] of VC-3 Det D (Detachment D), off {{USS|Princeton|CV-37|6}}, became the Navy's only ace in the war, in addition to being the only American ace in Korea that used a piston engined aircraft.<ref>Tillman 1979, pp. 174–175.</ref> Bordelon, nicknamed "Lucky Pierre", was credited with three [[Lavochkin La-9]]s or [[Lavochkin La-11|La-11s]] and two [[Yakovlev Yak-18]]s between 29 June and 16/17 July 1952.<ref>Thompson 2009, pp. 66, 85–86, 90.</ref> Navy and Marine Corsairs were credited with a total of 12 enemy aircraft.

More generally, Corsairs performed attacks with cannons, napalm tanks, various iron bombs, and unguided rockets. The [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket|5 inch HVAR]] was a reliable standby; sturdy Soviet-built armor proved resistant to the HVAR's punch, which led to a new {{convert|6.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} [[shaped charge]] antitank warhead being developed. The result was called the [[Ram (rocket)|"Anti-Tank Aircraft Rocket (ATAR)."]] The {{convert|11|inch|cm|abbr=on}} [[Tiny Tim (rocket)|"Tiny Tim"]] was also used in combat, with two under the belly.<ref>Kinzey 1998, p. 12.</ref>

[[Lieutenant]] [[Thomas J. Hudner, Jr.]], flying an F4U-4 of VF-32 off {{USS|Leyte|CV-32|6}}, was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for crash landing his Corsair in an attempt to rescue his squadron mate, Ensign [[Jesse L. Brown]], whose aircraft had been forced down by antiaircraft fire near [[Changjin]]. Brown, who did not survive the incident, was the U.S. Navy's first African American naval aviator.<ref>Thompson 2009, pp. 28, 67, 90.</ref><ref>Sherman, Tana. [http://www.andover.edu/publications/alumni_profiles/hudner_t_fal_01.htm "Thomas J. Hudner Jr.: Building blocks for gallantry, intrepidity"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202100121/http://www.andover.edu/publications/alumni_profiles/hudner_t_fal_01.htm |date=2 February 2007 }} ''Andover Bulletin'', Volume 95, issue 1, Fall 2001, Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center. Retrieved: 30 September 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-b/j-brown.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990503155252/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-b/j-brown.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 May 1999 |title=Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown, USN, (1926–1950) |publisher=Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center |access-date=12 June 2023}}</ref>

===Aéronavale===
[[File:F4U-7 NAN3-53.jpg|thumb|Early F4U-7 Corsair in flight in black and white with the former flashes of the [[French Naval Aviation]] ]]
{{main|Aéronavale}}

After the war, the French Navy had an urgent requirement for a powerful carrier-borne close-air support aircraft to operate from the French Navy's four aircraft carriers that it acquired in the late 1940s (Two former U.S. Navy and two Royal Navy carriers were transferred). Secondhand US Navy Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers of Flotille 3F and 4F were used to attack enemy targets and support ground forces in the [[First Indochina War]]. Former US Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats and Curtiss SB2C Helldivers were also used for close air support. A new and more capable aircraft was needed.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

====First Indochina War====
The last production Corsair was the '''F4U-7'', which was built specifically for the French naval air arm, the Aéronavale. The XF4U-7 prototype did its test flight on 2 July 1952 with a total of 94 F4U-7s built for the [[French Navy]]'s ''Aéronavale'' (79 in 1952, 15 in 1953), with the last of the batch, the final Corsair built, rolled out on 31 January 1953.<ref name="Les Corsair français">{{Cite web|title=Les Corsair français|url=http://www.netmarine.net/aero/aeronefs/corsair/francais.htm |language=fr |last1=Rochotte |first1=Léon C. |first2=Ramon |last2=Josa |first3=Alexandre |last3=Gannier|date=1999 |access-date=12 June 2023 |website=www.netmarine.net}}</ref> The F4U-7s were actually purchased by the U.S. Navy and passed on to the Aéronavale through the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act|U.S. Military Assistance Program]] (MAP). The French Navy used its F4U-7s during the second half of the First Indochina War in the 1950s (12.F, 14.F, 15.F Flotillas),<ref name="Les Corsair français"/> where they were supplemented by at least 25 ex-USMC AU-1s passed on to the French in 1954, after the end of the Korean War.<ref>Tillman 1979, pp. 179–182.</ref>

On 15 January 1953, Flotille 14F, based at Karouba Air Base near Bizerte in Tunisia, became the first Aéronavale unit to receive the F4U-7 Corsair. Flotille 14F pilots arrived at [[Da Nang]], [[Vietnam]] on 17 April 1954, but without their aircraft. The next day, the carrier USS ''Saipan'' delivered 25 war-weary ground attack ex-USMC AU-1 Corsairs<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4QwDwAAQBAJ&q=Flottille+14F%2C+corsair&pg=PT170|title=Dien Bien Phu|last=Tucker-Jones|first=Anthony|date=2017-08-30|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=978-1-5267-0800-7|language=en}}</ref> (flown by VMA-212 at the end of the Korean War) to [[Danang Air Base|Tourane Air Base]]. During three months operating over Vietnam (including in support of the [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu]]), the Corsairs flew 959 combat sorties totaling 1,335 flight hours. They dropped some 700 tons of bombs and fired more than 300 rockets and 70,000 20 mm rounds. Six aircraft were damaged and two shot down by [[Viet Minh]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}

In September 1954, F4U-7 Corsairs were loaded aboard {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Dixmude||2}} and brought back to France in November. The surviving Ex-USMC AU-1s were taken to the Philippines and returned to the U.S. Navy. In 1956, Flotille 15F returned to [[South Vietnam]], equipped with F4U-7 Corsairs.<ref name="ffaa.net"/>

====Suez Crisis====
The 14.F and 15.F Flotillas also took part in the Anglo-French-Israeli seizure of the [[Suez Canal]] in October 1956, code-named [[Operation Musketeer (1956)|Operation Musketeer]]. The Corsairs were painted with yellow and black recognition stripes for this operation. They were tasked with destroying Egyptian Navy ships at Alexandria but the presence of U.S. Navy ships prevented the successful completion of the mission. On 3 November 16 F4U-7s attacked airfields in the Delta, with one Corsair shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Two more Corsairs were damaged when landing back on the carriers. The Corsairs engaged in Operation Musketeer dropped a total of 25 tons of bombs, and fired more than 500 rockets and 16,000 20mm rounds.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-10-03|title=Issue 12 - F4U Corsair - Aviation Classics|url=https://www.aviationclassics.co.uk/issue-12-f4u-corsair/|access-date=2022-02-23|language=en-GB}}</ref>

====Algerian War====
As soon as they disembarked from the carriers that took part in Operation Musketeer, at the end of 1956, all three Corsair Flotillas moved to Telergma and Oran airfields in Algeria from where they provided CAS and helicopter escort. They were joined by the new "[[Flottille 17F]]", established at Hyères in April 1958.<ref name="ffaa.net">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ffaa.net/aircraft/corsair/corsair.htm|title=Vought (Chance) F4U-7/ AU-1 Corsair |website=www.ffaa.net|access-date=2019-10-11}}</ref>

French F4U-7 Corsairs (with some borrowed AU-1s) of the 12F, 14F, 15F, and 17F Flotillas conducted missions during the [[Algerian War]] between 1955 and 1962. Between February and March 1958, several strikes and CAS missions were launched from {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Bois Belleau||2}}, the only carrier involved in the Algeria War.<ref name="Les Corsair français"/>
[[File:F4U-Corsair.JPG|thumb|Former Argentine F4U-5NL in Aeronavale 14.F flotilla colors in 2006]]

====Tunisia====
France recognized [[Tunisian independence]] and sovereignty in 1956 but continued to station military forces at Bizerte and planned to extend the airbase. In 1961, Tunisia asked France to evacuate the base. Tunisia imposed a blockade on the base on 17 July, hoping to force its evacuation. This resulted in a battle between militiamen and the French military which lasted three days. French paratroopers, escorted by Corsairs of the 12F and 17F Flotillas, were dropped to reinforce the base and the Aéronavale launched air strikes on Tunisian troops and vehicles between 19–21 July, carrying out more than 150 sorties. Three Corsairs were damaged by ground fire.<ref name="ffaa.net"/>

====French experiments====
In early 1959, the ''Aéronavale'' experimented with the [[Vietnam War]]-era [[Nord SS.11|SS.11]] [[Wire-guided missile|wire-guided]] [[anti-tank missile]] on F4U-7 Corsairs.<ref name="Algeria"/> The 12.F pilots trained for this experimental program were required to manually pilot the missile at approximatively two kilometers from the target on low altitude with a joystick using the right hand while keeping track of a flare on its tail, and piloting the aircraft using the left hand;<ref name="Algeria"/> an exercise that could be very tricky in a single-seat aircraft under combat conditions. Despite reportedly effective results during the tests, this armament was not used with Corsairs during the ongoing Algerian War.<ref name="Algeria"/>

The ''Aéronavale'' used 163 Corsairs (94 F4U-7s and 69 AU-1s), the last of them used by the [[Cuers]]-based 14.F Flotilla were out of service by September 1964,<ref name="Les Corsair français"/> with some surviving for museum display or as civilian [[warbird]]s. By the early 1960s, two new modern aircraft carriers, {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Clemenceau||2}} and {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Foch|R99|2}}, had entered service with the French Navy and with them a new generation of jet-powered combat aircraft.<ref name="Tillman p. 192"/>

==="Football War"===
[[File:Chance vought corsair f4u-5n FAH-609.jpg|alt=|thumb|Honduran Air Force Vought F4U-5NL No. FAH-609 Corsair flown by Cap. Fernando Soto when he shot down three Salvadoran Air Force planes.]]
Corsairs flew their final combat missions in 1969 during the "[[Football War]]" between [[Honduras]] and [[El Salvador]], in service with both air forces. The conflict was allegedly triggered, though not really caused, by a disagreement over a soccer ([[association football]]) match. Captain Fernando Soto of the [[Honduran Air Force]] shot down three [[Air Force of El Salvador|Salvadoran Air Force]] aircraft on 17 July 1969. In the morning he shot down a [[Cavalier Mustang]], killing the pilot. In the afternoon, he shot down two FG-1s; the pilot of the second aircraft may have bailed out, but the third exploded in the air, killing the pilot. These combats were the last among propeller-driven aircraft in the world and also made Soto the only pilot credited with three kills in an American continental war. El Salvador did not shoot down any Honduran aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Central and Latin America Database: El Salvador vs Honduras, 1969: The 100-Hour War |url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_156.shtml |first1=Tom |last1=Cooper |first2=March |last2=Coelich |website=Air Combat Information Group |date=1 September 2003 |access-date=8 March 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215032210/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_156.shtml |archive-date=15 February 2008}}</ref> At the outset of the Football War, El Salvador enlisted the assistance of several American pilots with [[North American P-51 Mustang|P-51]] and F4U experience. Bob Love (a Korean war ace), Chuck Lyford, Ben Hall, and [[Lynn Garrison]] are believed to have flown combat missions, but it has never been confirmed. Lynn Garrison purchased F4U-7 133693 from the French MAAG office when it was retired from French naval service in 1964. It was registered N693M and was later destroyed in a 1987 crash in San Diego, California.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Corsair Registry: Corsair/Bu. 133693 |url=http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairregistry/f4u-133693.html|access-date=12 June 2023|website=Warbird Registry}}</ref>

===Legacy===
The Corsair entered service in 1942. Although designed as a carrier fighter, initial operation from carrier decks proved to be troublesome. Its low-speed handling was tricky due to the left wing stalling before the right wing. This factor, together with poor visibility over the long nose (leading to one of its nicknames, "The Hose Nose"), made landing a Corsair on a carrier a difficult task. For these reasons, most Corsairs initially went to [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] squadrons which operated off land-based runways, with some early Goodyear-built examples (designated '''FG-1A''') being built with fixed wings{{#tag:ref| The wings were not actually "fixed". The hydraulic wing folding hardware was simply not installed. The wings could still be manually folded.|group=N}}.<ref name="Swanboroughp404"/> The USMC aviators welcomed the Corsair with open arms as its performance was far superior to the contemporary [[Brewster F2A Buffalo]] and [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|Grumman F4F-3 and -4 Wildcat]].

Moreover, the Corsair was able to outperform the primary Japanese fighter, the A6M Zero. While the Zero could outturn the F4U at low speed, the Corsair was faster and could outclimb and outdive the A6M.<ref name="Styling">Styling 1995</ref>

This performance advantage, combined with the ability to take severe punishment, meant a pilot could place an enemy aircraft in the killing zone of the F4U's six [[.50 BMG|.50]] (12.7&nbsp;mm) M2 Browning machine guns and keep him there long enough to inflict major damage. The 2,300 rounds carried by the Corsair gave just under 30 seconds of fire from each gun.

[[Image:F4U Coursair Udvar Hazy.jpg|left|thumb|Corsair on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]

Beginning in 1943, the Fleet Air Arm also received Corsairs and flew them successfully from Royal Navy carriers in combat with the British Pacific Fleet and in Norway.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chance-Vought F4U Corsair |url=http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Corsair.htm |website=fleetairarmarchive.net |access-date=5 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404043143/http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Corsair.htm |archive-date=4 April 2007 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> These were clipped-wing Corsairs, the wingtips shortened {{convert|8|in|cm|abbr=on}} to clear the lower [[Deck (ship)|overhead]] height of RN carriers. FAA also developed a curving landing approach to overcome the F4U's deficiencies.<ref>Veronico and Campbell 1994</ref>
[[Image:CF15 Corsair ZK-COR 040415 02.jpg|thumb|Underside of a Corsair]]

Infantrymen nicknamed the Corsair "The Sweetheart of the [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign|Marianas]]" and "The Angel of Okinawa" for its roles in these campaigns. Among Navy and Marine aviators, the aircraft was nicknamed "Ensign Eliminator" and "Bent-Wing Eliminator" because it required many more hours of flight training to master than other Navy carrier-borne aircraft. It was also called simply "U-bird" or "Bent Wing Bird".<ref name="Shettle p. 107"/> Although Allied World War II sources frequently make the claim that the Japanese called the Corsair the "Whistling Death", Japanese sources do not support this, and it was mainly known as the Sikorsky.<ref>Sakaida 1998, pp. 81–82.</ref>

The Corsair has been named the official aircraft of [[Connecticut]] due to its multiple connections to Connecticut businesses including airframe manufacturer [[Sikorsky Aircraft|Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft]], engine manufacturer [[Pratt & Whitney]] and propeller manufacturer [[Hamilton Standard]].<ref>''Connecticut State Register & Manual''. [http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionX/SITESEALSYMB.htm "Sites |Seals | Symbols"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314164131/http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionX/SITESEALSYMB.htm |date=14 March 2008 }} ''State of Connecticut.'' Retrieved: 4 January 2007.</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:F4U-1 Corsair in flight c1942.jpg|thumb|An early F4U-1 in flight.]]
During World War II, Corsair production expanded beyond Vought to include Brewster and Goodyear models. Allied forces flying the aircraft in World War II included the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Eventually, more than 12,500 F4Us were built, comprising 16 separate variants.<ref name = "mjwqqv"/>

'''F4U-1''' (called '''Corsair Mk I''' by the [[Fleet Air Arm]]<ref name="Goebel">{{citation |last=Goebel |first= Greg |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040205061450/http://www.vectorsite.net/avf4u.html |archive-date=5 February 2004 |title=The Vought F4U Corsair |work= AirVectors <!-- |access-date= 5 March 2007 --> |url=http://www.vectorsite.net/avf4u.html |url-status=usurped |date=1 March 2019 |version=v2.0.1 }}</ref>):

The first production version of the Corsair with the distinctive "birdcage" canopy and low seating position.{{#tag:ref|A later version of this canopy incorporated a small rear view mirror in a transparent blister.|group=N}} The differences over the XF4U-1 were as follows:
* Six {{convert|.50|in|mm|1|abbr=on}} Browning AN/M2 machine guns were fitted in the outer wing panels, displacing fuel tanks.
* An enlarged {{convert|237|USgal|L|abbr=on}} fuel tank was fitted ahead of the cockpit, in place of the fuselage armament. The cockpit was moved back by {{convert|32|in|mm|abbr=on}}.
* The fuselage was lengthened by {{convert|1|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}}.
* The more powerful R-2800-8 Double Wasp was fitted.
* {{convert|150|lb|kg}} of armor plate was fitted to the cockpit and a {{convert|1.5|in|mm|adj=on|abbr=on}} thick bullet-resistant glass panel was fitted behind the curved windscreen.
* IFF transponder equipment was fitted.
* Curved transparent panels were incorporated into the fuselage behind the pilot's headrest.
* The flaps were changed from deflector type to [[NACA]] slotted.
* The span of the ailerons was increased while that of the flaps was decreased.
* One {{convert|62|USgal|L|abbr=on}} auxiliary fuel cell (not a self-sealing type) was installed in each wing leading edge, just outboard of the guns.

The Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm received 95 Vought F4U-1s. These were all early "birdcage" Corsairs.<ref name="March 1998, p.237"/> Vought also built a single F4U-1 two-seat trainer; the Navy showed no interest.<ref>Veronico et al. 1984, p. 21.</ref>

'''F4U-1A''' (called '''Corsair Mk II''' by the [[Fleet Air Arm]]<ref name="March 1998, p.237-238"/>):
[[File:Corsair II 1833 NAS in flight 1943.jpg|thumb|right|An F4U-1A in Fleet Air Arm service]]
Mid-to-late production Corsairs incorporated a new, taller, wider canopy with only two frames — very close to what the [[Malcolm hood]] did for British fighter aircraft — along with a simplified windscreen; the new canopy design allowed the semi-elliptical turtledeck "flank" windows to be omitted. The designation F4U-1A to differentiate these Corsairs from earlier "birdcage" variants was allowed to be used internally by manufacturers.<ref>Bell, Vol. 2, p. 2</ref> The pilot's seat was raised {{convert|7|in|mm|abbr=on}} which, combined with the new canopy and a {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on|abbr=on}} lengthening of the tailwheel strut, allowed the pilot better visibility over the long nose. In addition to these changes, the bombing window under the cockpit was omitted. These Corsairs introduced a {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}-long stall strip just outboard of the gun ports on the right wing leading edge and improved undercarriage oleo struts which eliminated bouncing on landing, making these the first truly "carrier capable" F4Us.

Three hundred and sixty F4U-1As were delivered to the Fleet Air Arm. In British service, they were modified with "clipped" wings ({{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on}} was cut off each wingtip) for use on British aircraft carriers,<ref name="Goebel"/> although the Royal Navy had been successfully operating the Corsair Mk I since 1 June 1943 when [[1830 Naval Air Squadron]] was commissioned and assigned to HMS ''Illustrious''.<ref>March 1998, p.236.</ref> F4U-1s in many [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] squadrons had their arrester hooks removed.{{#tag:ref| Although F4Us operated by the Marines were seldom seen with folded wings it did not mean that this facility was deactivated; the only version of the Corsair built without folding wings were some of those manufactured by Goodyear.|group=N}} Additionally, an experimental R-2800-8W engine with [[Water injection (engines)|water injection]] was fitted on one of the late F4U-1As. After satisfactory results, many F4U-1As were fitted with the new powerplant. The aircraft carried {{convert|237|USgal|L|abbr=on}} in the main fuel tank, located in front of the cockpit, as well as an unarmored, non-self-sealing {{convert|62|USgal|L|abbr=on}} fuel tank in each wing. This version of the Corsair was the first to be able to carry a drop tank under the center-section. With drop tanks fitted, the fighter had a maximum ferry range of just over {{convert|1500|mi|km|abbr=on}}.

[[File:Brewster F3A-1 Corsair.jpg|thumb|F3A-1]]

'''F3A-1''' and '''F3A-1D''' (called '''Corsair Mk III''' by the Fleet Air Arm<ref name="March 1998, p. 239"/>):

This was the designation for [[Brewster Aeronautical Corporation|Brewster]]-built F4U-1. Labor troubles delayed production; the Navy terminated the company's contract and Brewster folded soon after.<ref>Bell, Vol. 2, p. 3</ref> Poor quality wing fittings meant that these aircraft were red-lined for speed and prohibited from aerobatics after several lost their wings.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} None of the Brewster-built Corsairs reached front line units. 430 Brewster Corsairs (334 F3A-1 and 96 F3A-1D), more than half of Brewster's total production, were delivered to the Fleet Air Arm.

'''FG-1A''' and '''FG-1D''' (called '''Corsair Mk IV''' by the Fleet Air Arm):

This was the designation for Corsairs that were license-built by Goodyear, to the same specifications as Vought's Corsairs.<ref>Sullivan 2010, p.8.</ref> The first Goodyear built FG-1 flew in February 1943<ref name="Bowman 2002, p.110">Bowman 2002, p.110.</ref> and Goodyear began delivery of FG-1 Corsairs in April 1943.<ref name="Dorr 1991, p.66"/> The company continued production until the end of the war and delivered 4,007 FG-1 series Corsairs, including sixty FG-1Ds to the RNZAF<ref name="Bowman 2002, p.110"/> and 857 (400 FG-1 and FG-1A, and 457 FG-1D) to the Royal Navy as Corsair Mk IVs.<ref name="March 1998, p.239"/><ref>Campbell 2012, p.155.</ref>

'''F4U-1B''': This was an unofficial post-war designation used to identify F4U-1s modified for Fleet Air Arm use.<ref name="Russell 1984, p. 27."/>

'''F4U-1C''':

The prototype F4U-1C, appeared in August 1943 and was based on an F4U-1. A total of 200 of this variant were built from July to November 1944; all were based on the F4U-1D and were built in parallel with that variant.<ref name="Russell 1984 p. 28."/> Intended for ground-attack as well as fighter missions, the F4U-1C was similar to the F4U-1D but its six machine guns were replaced by four {{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404|AN/M2 cannons]] with 231 rounds of ammunition per gun.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-08-10|title=SAC F4U-1D pg. 7|url=http://www.geocities.com/slakergmb/id79.htm|access-date=2023-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810202420/http://www.geocities.com/slakergmb/id79.htm |archive-date=10 August 2009 }}</ref> The F4U-1C was introduced to combat during 1945, most notably in the Okinawa campaign. The firepower of 20&nbsp;mm was highly appreciated.<ref>VMF-311 Aircraft Action Report, 7 April 1945</ref><ref>VMF-311 Aircraft Action Report, 4 May 1945</ref><ref>VMF-314 Aircraft Action Report, 2 June 1945</ref> It was believed that the 20&nbsp;mm cannon was more effective for all types of combat work than the .50 caliber machine gun.<ref name = "bunker_hill_action_report_450314_to_450514">Action Reports of Air Group 84, Kyushu - Shikoku - Kure - Okinawa operations, 27 May 1945</ref> However, despite the superior firepower, many navy pilots preferred .50 caliber machine guns in air combat due to jam and freezing problems of the 20mm cannons.<ref name = "shangri_la_action_report_450615">ACA-1 Aircraft Action Reports, CVG-85, 12 May 1945</ref> These problems were reduced as the ordnance crews gained experience until the performance of the guns compared favorably with the .50 caliber,<ref name="bunker_hill_action_report_450314_to_450514"/> but freezing problems remained at {{convert|25,000|to| 30,000|ft|m|abbr=on}} until gun heaters were installed.<ref name="shangri_la_action_report_450615"/><ref>VF-85 Aircraft Action Report, 4 May 1945</ref>

[[File:FG-1D NAN3-53.jpg|thumb|A Goodyear-built FG-1D, with the later single-piece "blown" canopy used by the F4U-1D.]]

'''F4U-1D''' (called '''Corsair Mk II''' by the Fleet Air Arm):

This variant was introduced in April 1944, and was built in parallel with the F4U-1C. It had the new R-2800-8W Double Wasp engine equipped with water injection. This change gave the aircraft up to {{convert|250|hp|kW|abbr=on}} more power, which, in turn, increased performance. Speed was increased from {{convert|417|to|425|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Due to the U.S. Navy's need for fighter-bombers, it had a payload of rockets (double the -1A's) carried on permanent launching rails, as well as twin pylons for bombs or drop tanks. These modifications caused extra drag, but the additional fuel carried by the two drop tanks would still allow the aircraft to fly relatively long missions despite heavy, un-aerodynamic loads. A [[Malcolm hood|single piece "blown" clear-view canopy]] was adopted as standard equipment for the -1D model, and all later F4U production aircraft. 150 F4U-1D were delivered to the Fleet Air Arm.

'''F4U-1P''': A rare photo reconnaissance variant.<ref name = "qqnaio">Green 1975, p. 149.</ref>

[[File:F4U-2 VFN-101 on USS Intrepid (CV-11) in 1944.jpg|thumb|F4U-2s aboard {{USS|Intrepid|CV-11|6}}. The radome on the right outer wing is just visible.]]

'''XF4U-2''': Special night fighter variant, equipped with two auxiliary fuel tanks.<ref name = Moran>Moran 1978, p. 94.</ref>

'''F4U-2''': Experimental conversion of the F4U-1 Corsair into a carrier-borne nightfighter, armed with five {{convert|.50|in|mm|1|abbr=on}} machine guns (the outboard, right gun was deleted), and fitted with Airborne Intercept (AI) radar set in a radome placed outboard on the [[Port and starboard|starboard]] wing. Since Vought was preoccupied with more important projects, only 32 were converted from existing F4U-1s by the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]] and another two by front line units.<ref>{{Cite web |title=F4U-2 |url=http://www.vought.com/heritage/products/html/f4u-2.html |website=Vought Aircraft Industries |access-date=9 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315025454/http://www.vought.com/heritage/products/html/f4u-2.html |archive-date=15 March 2007}}</ref><ref>Green 1975, pp. 145–146.</ref>
The type saw combat with VF(N)-101 aboard {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}} and [[USS Intrepid (CV-11)|USS ''Intrepid'']] in early 1944, VF(N)-75 in the [[Solomon Islands]], and [[VMF(N)-532]] on [[Battle of Tarawa|Tarawa]].

[[File:XF4U-3 NAN6 46.jpg|thumb|An XF4U-3 in 1946.]]

'''XF4U-3''': Experimental aircraft built to hold different engines in order to test the Corsair's performance with a variety of power plants. This variant never entered service. Goodyear also contributed a number of airframes, designated '''FG-3''', to the project. A single sub-variant '''XF4U-3B''' with minor modifications was also produced<ref>Green 1975, p. 146.</ref> for the [[Fleet Air Arm|FAA]].<ref name = Moran/>

'''XF4U-4''': New engine and cowling.<ref name = Moran/>

'''F4U-4''': The last variant to see action during World War II. Deliveries to the U.S. Navy of the F4U-4 began in early 1945. It had the {{convert|2100|hp|kW|abbr=on}} dual-stage-supercharged -18W engine. When the cylinders were injected with the water/alcohol mixture, power was boosted to {{convert|2450|hp|kW|abbr=on}}. The aircraft required an air scoop under the nose and the unarmored wing fuel tanks of {{convert|62|USgal|L|abbr=on}} capacities were removed for better maneuverability at the expense of maximum range. The propeller was changed to a four blade type. Maximum speed was increased to {{convert|448|mph|km/h}} and climb rate to over {{convert|4500|ft/min|m/min}} as opposed to the {{convert|2900|ft/min|m/min}} of the F4U-1A.<ref>US Navy performance trials</ref> The "4-Hog" retained the original armament and had all the external load (i.e., drop tanks, bombs) capabilities of the F4U-1D. Vought also tested the two F4U-4Xs (BuNos 49763 and 50301, prototypes for the new R2800) with fixed wingtip tanks (the Navy showed no interest) and an Aeroproducts six-blade [[contraprop]] (not accepted for production).<ref>Veronico et al. 1984, pp. 55–58.</ref>
[[Image:F4U-4 VF-1B CVB-41 1947-48.jpg|thumb|An F4U-4 of VF-1b on board USS Midway, 1947–1948. Four-bladed prop is shown.]]

'''F4U-4B''': 300 F4U-4s ordered with alternate gun armament of four {{convert|20|mm|in}} [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404|AN/M3 cannon]].<ref>http://www.avialogs.com/viewer/avialogs-documentviewer.php?id=16071 {{Dead link|date=January 2022}}</ref>

'''F4U-4E and F4U-4N''': Developed late in WWII, these nightfighters featured radar radomes projecting from the right wingtip. The -4E was fitted with the [[APS-4]] search radar, while the -4N was fitted with the APS-6 type. In addition, these aircraft were often refitted with four 20&nbsp;mm M2 cannons similar to the F4U-1C. Though these variants would not see combat during WWII, the nightfighter variants would see great use during the Korean war.<ref>Green 1975, p. 150.</ref>

'''F4U-4K''': Experimental radio-controlled target drone variant (1 unit built).<ref name = Moran/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vought |url=http://www.aerofiles.com/_vot.html |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=www.aerofiles.com}}</ref>

'''F4U-4P''': F4U-4 equivalent to the -1P, a rare photo reconnaissance variant.<ref name = "qqnaio"/>

'''XF4U-5''': New engine cowling, other extensive changes.<ref name = Moran/>

[[File:F4U-5N VMFN-513 Wonsan 1950.jpeg|thumb|A [[VMA-513|VMF(N)-513]] F4U-5N at [[Wonsan]] during the [[Korean War]], 1950.]]

'''F4U-5''': A 1945 design modification of the F4U-4, first flown on 21 December 1945, was intended to increase the F4U-4 Corsair's overall performance and incorporate many Corsair pilots' suggestions. It featured a more powerful Pratt and Whitney R-2800-32(E) engine with a two-stage supercharger,<ref name="swanboroughp406">Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 406.</ref> rated at a maximum of {{convert|2760|hp|kW|abbr=on}}. Other improvements included automatic blower controls, cowl flaps, intercooler doors, and oil cooler for the engine, spring tabs for the elevators and rudder, a completely modernized cockpit, a completely retractable tail wheel, and heated cannon bays and pitot head. The cowling was lowered two degrees to help with forward visibility, but perhaps most striking as the first variant to feature all-metal wings (223 units produced).<ref>Green 1975, p. 152.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Swihnart|first1=Earl|title=Vought F4U Corsair|url=http://www.aviation-history.com/vought/f4u.html|website=The Aviation History Online Museum|publisher=Earl Swihnart|access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref> Maximum speed was {{convert|408|kn|mph}} and max rate of climb at sea level 4,850 feet per minute.<ref>{{cite book|title=Corsair 5|publisher=Chance Vought Aircraft|page=10|url=http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/aircraft/usa/vought/f4ucorsair/corsair-5-f4u-5-information-manual.html|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222062522/http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/aircraft/usa/vought/f4ucorsair/corsair-5-f4u-5-information-manual.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

'''F4U-5N''': Radar equipped version (214 units produced)

'''F4U-5NL''': Winterized version (72 units produced,<ref>Angelucci 1985, p. 210.</ref> 29 modified from F4U-5Ns (101 total)). Fitted with rubber de-icing boots on the leading edge of the wings and tail.<ref>Maloney 1967, p. 2.</ref>

'''F4U-5P''': Long-range photo-reconnaissance version (30 units produced)

[[File:AU-1 Corsair in flight 1952.jpg|thumb|A factory-fresh AU-1, 1952.]]

'''F4U-6''': Re-designated '''AU-1''', this was a ground-attack version produced for the U.S. Marine Corps.

'''F4U-7''' : AU-1 airframe with -43W engine developed for the [[French Navy]].

'''FG-1E''': Goodyear FG-1 with radar equipment.<ref name = Moran/>

'''FG-1K''': Goodyear FG-1 as drone.<ref name = Moran/>

'''FG-3''': Turbosupercharger version converted from FG-1D.

'''FG-4''': Goodyear F4U-4, never delivered.<ref name = Moran/>

'''AU-1''': U.S. Marines attack variant with extra armor to protect the pilot and fuel tank, and the oil coolers relocated inboard to reduce vulnerability to ground fire. The supercharger was simplified as the design was intended for low-altitude operation. Extra racks were also fitted. Fully loaded for combat the AU-1 weighed 20% more than a fully loaded F4U-4, and was capable of carrying {{cvt|8,200|lb}} of bombs. The AU-1 had a maximum speed of {{convert|238|mph}} at {{cvt|9,500|ft}}, when loaded with {{cvt|4,600|lb}} of bombs and a {{convert|150|gal|l|adj=on}} drop-tank. When loaded with ten [[HVAR]] rockets and two 150-gallon drop-tanks, maximum speed was {{cvt|298|mph}} at {{cvt|19,700|ft}}. When not carrying external loads, maximum speed was {{cvt|389|mph}} at {{cvt|14,000|ft}}. First produced in 1952 and used in Korea, and retired in 1957. Re-designated from '''F4U-6'''.<ref>Dorr 2005, p. 136.</ref><ref>James D'Angina. ''Vought F4U Corsair''. Air Vanguard 7. Oxford: Osprey Publishing., 2014. {{ISBN|978-1782006268}}.</ref><ref>''[https://www.aahs-online.org/images/Navy_SAC/AU-1.pdf Standard Aircraft Characteristics AU-1 Corsair]'' NAVAER 1335C REV. 1–49.</ref>

===Super Corsair variants===
{{main|Goodyear F2G Corsair}}

In March 1944, Pratt & Whitney requested an F4U-1 Corsair from Vought Aircraft for evaluation of their new P&W R-4360, Wasp Major 4-row 28-cylinder "corncob" radial engine. The F2G-1 and F2G-2 were significantly different aircraft. F2G-1 featured a manual folding wing and {{convert|14|ft|m|abbr=on}} propeller, while the F2G-2 had hydraulic operated folding wings, {{convert|13|ft|m|abbr=on}} propeller, and carrier arresting hook for carrier use.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=Goodyear F2G Corsair Status List|url=http://www.airrace.com/CorsairStatusList2.html|first=Adam|last=Snelly|access-date=2023-02-20|website=www.airrace.com}}</ref> There were five pre-production XF2G-1s: BuNo 14691, 14692, 14693 (Race 94), 14694 (Race 18), and 14695. There were ten production F2Gs: Five F2G-1s BuNo 88454 ([[Museum of Flight]] in Seattle, Washington), 88455, 88456, 88457 (Race 84), and 88458 (Race 57) and five F2G-2s BuNo 88459, 88460, 88461, 88462, and 88463 (Race 74). Five F2Gs were sold as surplus and went on to racing success after the war (indicated by the "Race" number after the BuNo), winning the Thompson trophy races in 1947 and 1949. The only surviving F2G-1s are BuNos 88454 and 88458 (Race 57). The only surviving F2G-2 was BuNo 88463 (Race 74). It was destroyed in a crash September 2012 after having a full restoration completed in July 2011.<ref name="auto"/>

==Operators==
[[File:F9F Cougar & F4U COAN ARA.jpg|thumb|Argentine F9F Cougar and F4U Corsairs, 1960s]]
[[File:Chance vought corsair f4u-5n FAH-609.jpg|thumb|FAH-609 of the Honduran Air Force]]
[[Image:Corsair FG-1D Bu88391 RNZAF.jpg|thumb|Corsair FG-1D (Goodyear built F4U-1D) in the Royal New Zealand Air Force markings]]
[[File:VMF-113.JPG|thumb|right|Insignia of the defunct American squadron [[VMF-113]]]]

;{{ARG}}
* [[Argentine Navy]] [[Argentine Naval Aviation|Naval Aviation]] operated 26 F4U-5/5N/5NL Corsairs from 1956 to 1968 from [[ARA Independencia (V-1)|ARA ''Independencia'']]<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130327114944/http://www.institutoaeronaval.org/Aeronaves/Aeronaves/NOMINA-GENERAL.html "Nomina General: Aeronaves de la Aviación Naval Argentina a lo largo de su historia" (in Spanish).]}} ''institutoaeronaval.org.'' Retrieved: 5 October 2010.</ref>
**2nd Attack Squadron

;{{ESA}}
* [[Air Force of El Salvador]] operated 5 F4Us and 20 FG-1Ds from 1957 to 1976<ref>[http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/el_salvador/els.html "Historical Listings: El Salvador (ELS)"]
 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014190124/http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/el_salvador/els.html |date=14 October 2012 }} ''World Air Forces.'' Retrieved: 28 September 2012.</ref>
** Fighting and Bombing Squadron

;{{FRA}}
*[[French Navy]]'' [[Aéronavale]]'' operated 69 AU-1 and 94 F4U-7 from 1954 to 1964<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.netmarine.net/aero/aeronefs/corsair/francais.htm|title=Corsair|website=www.netmarine.net|access-date=15 January 2018}}</ref>
** [[Flottille 12F]]<ref name="Algeria">{{Cite web|title=Corsair aux portes du désert|url=http://aerostories.free.fr/events/algerie/algerie03/|first=Patrick-Charles|last=Renaud|date=2001|access-date=2023-02-20|website=aerostories.free.fr}}</ref>
** [[Flottille 14F]]<ref name="Algeria"/>
** {{ill|Flottille 15F|fr}}<ref name="Algeria"/>
** [[Flottille 17F]]
** Escadrille 10S
** [[Escadrille SPA.57|Escadrille 57S]]

;{{HON}}
* [[Honduran Air Force]] operated 9 F4U-4s and 10 F4U-5N/-5NL/-5Ps from 1956 to 1979<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/fleet/honduras-af-vought-f4u-corsair.htm|title=Vought F4U Corsair – Aeroflight|date=14 June 2014|access-date=1 February 2021|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027044318/http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/fleet/honduras-af-vought-f4u-corsair.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--Third Series (120342 to 126256) |url=https://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries13.html |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=www.joebaugher.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--Third Series (90020 to 99860) |url=https://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries10.html |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=www.joebaugher.com}}</ref>

;{{NZL}}
* [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] operated 368 F4U-1s and 60 FG-1Ds from 1944 to 1949{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

* [[No. 14 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 15 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 16 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 17 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 18 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 19 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 20 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 21 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 22 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 23 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 24 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 25 Squadron RNZAF]]
* [[No. 26 Squadron RNZAF]]
{{Div col end}}

;{{UK}}
*The [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Fleet Air Arm]] operated 2,012 Corsairs of all types during World War II, including 95 Corsair Is (F4U-1), 510 Corsair IIs (F4U-1A), 430 Corsair IIIs (F3A-1D), and 977 Corsair IVs (FG-1D)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chance Vought F4U Corsair in British Service|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_F4U_uk.html|last=Rickard|first=J.|date=24 April 2007|access-date=12 June 2023|website=History of War}}</ref>
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[700 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[703 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[706 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[715 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[716 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[718 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[719 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[721 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[723 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[731 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[732 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[736 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[738 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[748 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[757 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[759 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[760 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[767 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[768 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[771 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[778 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[787 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[791 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[794 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[797 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[885 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1830 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1831 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1833 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1834 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1835 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1836 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1837 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1838 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1841 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1842 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1843 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1845 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1846 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1848 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1849 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1850 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1851 Naval Air Squadron]]
* [[1852 Naval Air Squadron]]
{{div col end}}
;{{flag|United States|1912}}
* [[United States Navy]]
* [[United States Marine Corps]]

==Surviving aircraft==
{{main|List of surviving Vought F4U Corsairs}}
According to the [[FAA]] there are 45 privately owned F4Us in the U.S.<ref>[http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Inquiry.aspx "Aircraft – Make / Model Inquiry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402052315/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/acftref_inquiry.aspx |date=2 April 2015 }}. ''FAA Registry.'' Retrieved: 6 September 2013.</ref>

==Specifications (F4U-4)==

{{Aircraft specs
|ref=F4U-4 Detail Specification;<ref name="F4U-4 Detail Specification">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/f4u/f4u-4-detail-specification.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516192117/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/f4u/f4u-4-detail-specification.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-16 |url-status=live|title=F4U-4 Detail Specification|website=wwiiaircraftperformance.org|access-date=9 May 2017}}</ref> F4U-4 Airplane Characteristics and Performance<ref name="F4U-4 Airplane Characteristics and Performance (March 1946)">{{cite web|url=http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/aircraft/usa/vought/f4ucorsair/f4u-4-corsair-airplane-characteristics-performance-1-march-1946.html|title=F4U-4 Corsair Airplane Characteristics & Performance |date= 1 March 1946|website=www.avialogs.com|access-date=9 May 2017|archive-date=23 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223072011/http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/aircraft/usa/vought/f4ucorsair/f4u-4-corsair-airplane-characteristics-performance-1-march-1946.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
General characteristics
-->
|genhide=

|crew=One
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=33
|length in=8
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=41
|span in=0
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=14
|height in=9
|height note=
|wing area sqm=29.17
|wing area sqft=314
|wing area note=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=4238
|empty weight lb=9205
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=6,654
|gross weight lb=14,670
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=6592
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--
Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-2800]]-18W
|eng1 type=[[radial engine]]
|eng1 kw=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->2380
|eng1 shp=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 note=
|power original=
|thrust original=

|eng2 number=
|eng2 name=
|eng2 type=
|eng2 kw=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng2 hp=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng2 shp=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng2 kn=<!-- jet/rocket engines -->
|eng2 lbf=<!-- jet/rocket engines -->
|eng2 note=
|eng2 kn-ab=<!-- afterburners -->
|eng2 lbf-ab=<!-- afterburners -->

|prop blade number=<!-- propeller aircraft -->4
|prop name=
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=

<!--
Performance
-->
|perfhide=

|max speed kmh=717
|max speed mph=446
|max speed kts=385
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kmh=346
|cruise speed mph=215
|cruise speed kts=187
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=143
|stall speed mph=89
|stall speed kts=77
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=1005
|range nmi=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=328
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=41500
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=4360
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=

|more performance=
<!--
Armament
-->
|guns=6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) [[M2 Browning#AN/M2|M2 Browning machine guns]] 375-400 rounds per gun
|bombs= {{convert|4000|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
|rockets= 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets ''and/or''

}}

==Notable appearances in media==
{{main|Aircraft in fiction#F4U Corsair|l1=F4U Corsair in fiction}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Vought V-326]]
* [[Goodyear F2G Corsair]]
* [[W.A.R. F4U Corsair]]
|similar aircraft=
* {{lwc|Focke-Wulf Fw 190}}
* {{lwc|Grumman F6F Hellcat}}
* {{lwc|Grumman F8F Bearcat}}
* {{lwc|Republic P-47 Thunderbolt}}
* {{lwc|Hawker Sea Fury}}
* {{lwc|Kawanishi N1K}}
* {{lwc|Nakajima Ki-84}}
|lists=
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of aircraft of the United States during World War II]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
|see also=
* [[LTV A-7 Corsair II]]
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=N}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Abrams, Richard. ''F4U Corsair at War''. London: Ian Allan Ltd., 1977. {{ISBN|0-7110-0766-7}}.
* Angelucci, Enzo with Peter M. Bowers. ''The American Fighter''. New York: Orion Books, 1985. {{ISBN|0-517-56588-9}}.
* Barber, S.B. ''Naval Aviation Combat Statistics: World War II, OPNAV-P-23V No. A129''. Washington, D.C.: Air Branch, Office of Naval Intelligence, 1946.
* Bell, Dana. ''F4U-1 Corsair, Vol. 1'', Aircraft Pictorial, No. 7. Tucson: Classic Warships Publishing, 2014. {{ISBN|978-0-9857149-7-0}}.
* Blackburn, Tom. ''The Jolly Rogers''. New York: Orion Books, 1989. {{ISBN|0-517-57075-0}}.
* Bowman, Martin W. ''Vought F4U Corsair''. Marlborough, UK: The Crowood Press Ltd., 2002. {{ISBN|1-86126-492-5}}.
* Campbell, Douglas E. "BuNos! Disposition of World War II USN, USMC, USCG Aircraft Listed by Bureau Number". 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-105-42071-9}}
* Condon, John Pomeroy. ''Corsairs and Flattops: Marine Carrier Warfare, 1944–1945''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1998. {{ISBN|1-55750-127-0}}.
* D’Angina, James. "Vought F4U Corsair". Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-78200-626-8}}
* Dean, Francis H. ''America's Hundred Thousand''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1997. {{ISBN|0-7643-0072-5}}.
* Donald, David, ed. ''American Warplanes of World War II''. London: Aerospace Publishing. 1995. {{ISBN|1-874023-72-7}}.
* Dorr, Robert F. "Marine Air, The History of the Flying Leathernecks in Words and Photos" New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-425-21364-3}}.
* Drendel, Lou. ''U.S. Navy Carrier Fighters of World War II''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1987. {{ISBN|0-89747-194-6}}.
* Green, William. ''Famous Fighters of the Second World War''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1975. {{ISBN|0-385-12395-7}}.
* Green, William. "Vought F4U-1, F4U-4 (FG-1 Corsair)". ''War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1973, pp.&nbsp;188–194. {{ISBN|0-385-03259-5}}.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Chance Vought F4U Corsair". ''WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Fighters''. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1976, pp.&nbsp;16–29. {{ISBN|0-356-08222-9}}.
* Grossnick, Roy A. and William J. Armstrong. ''United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Historical Center, 1997. {{ISBN|0-16-049124-X}}.
* Guyton, Boone T. ''Whistling Death: The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996. {{ISBN|0-88740-732-3}}.
* ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft''. London: Aerospace Publishing/Orbis Publishing, 1985.
* Irons, Martin. ''Corsair Down!''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2022.  {{ISBN|978-0-7643-6224-8}}
* Jablonski, Edward. ''Airwar''. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1979. {{ISBN|0-385-14279-X}}.
* Johnsen, Frederick A. ''F4U Corsair''. New York: Crown Publishers, 1983. {{ISBN|0-517-55007-5}}.
* Kinzey, Bert. ''F4U Corsair Part 2: F4U-4 Through F4U-7: Detail and Scale Vol 56''. Carrolton, Texas: Squadron Signal Publications, 1998. {{ISBN|1-888974-09-5}}
* Kristy, Ben. Aviation Curator, National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, Virginia. Emailed remarks regarding FG-1A Corsairs. 25 February 2013
* Maloney, Edward T. and Uwe Feist. ''Chance Vought F4U Corsair, Vol. 11''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1967. {{ISBN|0-8168-0540-7}}.
* March, Daniel J. "British Warplanes of World War II". Westport, CT: AIRtime Publishing Inc., 1998. {{ISBN|1-880588-28-5}}
* Mondey, David. ''The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II''. London: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., 1982. {{ISBN|0-7537-1461-2}}.
* Moran, Gerard P., ''Aeroplanes Vought, 1917–1977''. Terre Haute, Indiana: Aviation Heritage Books, Sunshine House, Inc., 1978. {{ISBN|0-911852-83-2}}.
* Morris, David. ''Corsair KD431: The Time Capsule Fighter''. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing Ltd., 2006. {{ISBN|0-7509-4305-X}}.
* Musciano, Walter A. ''Corsair Aces: The Bent-wing Bird Over the Pacific''. New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1979. {{ISBN|0-668-04597-3}}.
* Núñez, Padin and Jorge Félix. ''Vought F4U-5,-5N & 5NL Corsair (serie Aeronaval Nro.18)'' (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Museo de la Aviacón Naval, Instituto Aeronaval, 2004.
* [[Masatake Okumiya|Okumiya, Masatake]] and [[Jiro Horikoshi]], with [[Martin Caidin]]. ''Zero!'' New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1956.
* O'Leary, Michael. ''United States Naval Fighters of World War II in Action''. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press, 1980. {{ISBN|0-7137-0956-1}}.
* Pautigny, Bruno (translated from the French by Alan McKay). ''Corsair: 30 Years of Filibustering 1940–1970''. Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2003. {{ISBN|2-913903-28-2}}.
* ''Pilots Manual for F4U Corsair''. Appleton, Wisconsin: Aviation Publications, 1977 (reprint). {{ISBN|0-87994-026-3}}.
* ''Pilot's Notes for Corsair I-IV: Air Publications 2351A, B, C & D-P.N.''. London: Air Ministry, August 1944.
* Russell, Warren P. ''Chance Vought F4U-1/F4U-1D and Goodyear FG-1D Corsair: NZPAF, RNZAF Aircraft colour schemes''. Invercargill, New Zealand: New Zealand Aero Products, 1984. {{ISBN|0-473-00245-0}}
* Sakaida, Henry. ''Imperial Japanese Navy Aces 1937–45 – Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 22''. Botley, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1998, {{ISBN|978-1855327276}}.
* [[Robert Sherrod|Sherrod, Robert]]. ''History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II''. Washington, D.C.: Combat Forces Press, 1952. No ISBN.
* Shettle, M.L. ''Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II''. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co., 2001. {{ISBN|0-9643388-2-3}}.
* Styling, Mark. ''Corsair Aces of World War 2'' (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 8). London: Osprey Publishing, 1995. {{ISBN|1-85532-530-6}}.
* Sullivan, Jim. ''F4U Corsair in action''. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1977. {{ISBN|0-89747-028-1}}.
* Sullivan, Jim. ''F4U Corsair in action''. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-89747-623-2}}.
* Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976. {{ISBN|0-370-10054-9}}.
* {{cite book|last=Thetford|first=Owen|title=British Naval Aircraft since 1912|location=London|publisher=Putnam|edition=Fourth|date=1978|isbn=0-370-30021-1}}
* Thompson, Warren. "Marine Corsairs in Korea". ''International Air Power Review'', Volume 11, Winter 2003/2004, Norwalk, CO: AirTime Publishing, 2004. {{ISBN|1-880588-60-9}}.
* Thompson, Warren. ''F4U Corsair Units of the Korean War: Osprey Combat Aircraft 78''. Botley, Oxford UK: Osprey Publishing, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-84603-411-4}}
* Tillman, Barrett. ''Corsair&nbsp;— The F4U in World War II and Korea''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979. {{ISBN|1-55750-994-8}}.
* Tillman, Barrett. ''Vought F4U Corsair''. Warbird Tech Series, Vol. 4. North Branch, Minnesota: Speciality Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-933424-67-1}}.
* Veronico, Nick and John M. and Donna Campbell. ''F4U Corsair''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1994. {{ISBN|0-87938-854-4}}.
* Wilson, Randy. "From Bent-winged Bird to Whistling Death." ''The Dispatch''. Midland, Texas: Confederate Air Force, 1996.

==Further reading==
* Núñez Padin, Jorge Felix. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150415050448/http://www.fuerzasaeronavales.com/?product=libro-vought-f4u-55n-5nl-corsair-serie-aeronaval-n27 ''Vought F4U-5, -5N & -5NL Corsair'' (Serie Aeronaval, Volume 27).] Bahía Blanca, Argentina: Fuerzas Aeronavales, 2009. {{ISBN|978-987-20557-9-0}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://VBF-85.com VBF-85 Historical web site; F4U-1D, F4U-1C, FG-1D] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315081605/http://vbf-85.com/ |date=15 March 2020 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050305110240/http://www.thecorsairexperience.com/ CorsairExperience.com: ''Interviews with Corsair pilots'']
* [http://www.aviation-history.com/vought/f4u.html AviationHistory: ''Vought F4U Corsair'']
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/f4u/f4u.html WWII Aircraft performance: ''Includes a large collection of official test data for F4U & FG series''] Retrieved: 20 February 2009.
* {{YouTube| R4aPk4fledU | "Flying the Vought F4U "Corsair" Fighter (1944)" }}
* [https://www.plane-encyclopedia.com/ww2/chance-vought-f4u-corsair/ Vought F4U Corsair]
* [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/items/show/47348 Pilot's handbook for Navy model F4U-1, F4U-1C, F4U-1D, F3A-1, FG-1, FG-1D airplanes] –  The Museum of Flight Digital Collections

;Survivor links
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080224023149/http://www.aero-web.org/locator/manufact/vought/f4u.htm AeroWeb: ''List of survivor F4Us on display'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080120055031/http://www.aero-web.org/locator/manufact/goodyear/fg.htm AeroWeb: ''List of survivor FG1s on display'']
* [http://brewstercorsair.com Brewster F3A Corsair on display] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812210700/http://brewstercorsair.com/ |date=12 August 2011 }}
* [http://warbirdregistry.org/corsairregistry/corsairregistry.html Warbird Registry&nbsp;— listings of existing Corsairs]
*{{cite web|url=  https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/nz-news/350119082/old-aviator-gets-buzz-out-seeing-classic-corsair |title= Old aviator gets buzz out seeing classic corsair (photo, New Zealand)  |publisher= Stuff/Fairfax  |date= 2023}} 
* [http://vintagetin.net/F4UCorsair/ Hi-res spherical panoramas inside the cockpit, access panels, tail wheel and arrestor hook bays of the Collings Foundation's F4U-5NL]{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}; click area to be viewed

{{Vought aircraft}}
{{Goodyear aircraft}}
{{Brewster aircraft}}
{{USN fighters}}
{{USN attack aircraft}}
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