F8F "Bearcat" Desk Mat

Sale price$19.99 USD

Tax excluded.


The Grumman F8F Bearcat was the pinnacle of piston-engine fighter design, built for the U.S. Navy as a fast, agile, and powerful carrier-based aircraft. Powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, it could reach speeds over 447 mph and climb to 10,000 feet in under 90 seconds, making it one of the fastest and most manoeuvrable fighters of its time. Although it arrived too late for combat in WWII, the Bearcat served in the Korean War and with foreign air forces, later becoming a star in air racing. A total of 1,265 Grumman F8F Bearcats were built between 1945 and 1949. While production was significant, it was cut short as jet-powered aircraft began to dominate military aviation.