The Grumman F11F Tiger was designed and manufactured by Grumman as a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft in service with the United States Navy between the 1950s and 1960s. In April 1955, it was initially designated as the F11F Tiger in the pre-1962 Navy designation system before it was redesignated in the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system as the F-11 Tiger. The aircraft was produced from 1954 to 1959 with a total number of 200 Tigers built.
On July 30, 1954, the first aircraft prototype fitted with a non-afterburning engine conducted its maiden flight. In 1956, the F11F entered into service and was primarily used by the United States Navy.
The single-seat carrier-based F11F Tiger has an external length of 13.98 meters, an external height of 2.21 meters, and a fuselage diameter of 0.7 meters. It has a tail height of 4.03 meters and a wheelbase of 4.6 meters. The wingspan is 9.63 meters and the wing area is 23 square meters. It has an empty weight of 6,264 kg, a gross weight of 9,541 kg, a maximum payload of 1,360 kg, and a maximum takeoff weight of 10,641 kg. The fuel tank capacity is 1,023 US gal.
The aircraft is powered by a single Wright J65-W-18 engine. It is an afterburning turbojet engine with a thirteen-stage axial compressor, annular combustors, and a two-stage axial turbine. It produces a 7,450 lbf thrust at 8,000 rpm, military power dry, and a 10,500 lbf afterburning thrust. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 631 knots at 35,000 feet and 654 knots at sea level. The cruise speed is 501 knots. It has a travel range of 1,110 nautical miles. It can fly up to 49,000 feet and can climb at a rate of 16,300 feet per minute.
The F11F Tiger was loaded with four 20 mm Colt Mk 12 autocannons with 125 rounds per gun, four hardpoints with provisions to carry combinations of Aero 6A or Aero 7A Rocket Package, AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile, and up to 150 gal of drop tank. The aircraft was also fitted with various avionics systems including AN/ARC-27A UHF aircraft radio transceiver, AN/ARA-25 UHF radio direction finder, AN/ARN-14E VHF Navigation receiver, AN/APX-6B Identify Friend or Foe, AN/APA-89 video coder, and AN/APG-30A ranging radar.
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