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The F8F was Grumman's last production in a line of piston-engined fighters which began with the FF-l when the company was set up in 1931. The company designated the project G-58 and development started in 1943. The requirement was for a high-performance aircraft capable of operation from even the smallest carrier. The G-58 was dimensionally smaller, but had a similar configuration to that of the F6F. Grumman received an order from the US Navy on November 27, 1943, for two prototypes which were given the designation XF8F- 1. One of the initial design features, and a most unusual one, was the provision of break points in the wings, along with explosive bolts. The purpose of these was to overcome a potentially dangerous situation if the aircraft was handled too vigorously: the tips would fail at selected known points, but balance would hopefully be restored. However, this provision was abandoned at a later stage in the development program, though the wings folded only at the tips. Unlike the Hellcat, the landing gear of the Bearcat retracted inwards. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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