charlie_c67 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Just wondered if anyone could identify which model AIM-9 Sidewinder is being carried by this Cougar. It could be the colour or the angle but they don't look like a -9B, something about the nose. I wondered if it was a -9A, but unfortunately a search of google doesn't really help. If anyone knows, as well as if the "black" colouring was used in service, I'd be grateful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jure Miljevic Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (edited) Hello, Charlie There is a photo of the same aircraft (F9F-8B BuNo 141140) with the same load (two 150-gallon drop tanks and four Sidewinders) on the front cover of Corvin Meyers' book Grumman F9F-6 -7 -8 Cougar from Naval Fighters series. The photo shows the Cougar at slightly different angle, but I suspect must have been take during the same photo session. Sidewinder version is described as ˝inert AIM-9B˝. Curiously, missiles on the book cover photo are all red, so somebody may have a go at them with a photo rendering software. Cheers Jure Edited May 24, 2017 by Jure Miljevic F8F-8B type designation corrected into F9F-8B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jure Miljevic Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Link to the book selling site with the photo of the cover in question: https://www.amazon.com/Grumman-F9F-6-Cougar-Testing-Structures/dp/0942612663 Cheers Jure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_c67 Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 A little digging into the source of the photo shows them to be labelled as -9B's as well, apparently taken in 1958. It still looks wrong though, maybe the inert ones were different? That said it does look like the ones supplied with the Hasegawa kit, I'll try and get a pic of them compared to other examples. As an aside, anyone else know the F-104 was used by the USN too? http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=37289 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jure Miljevic Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 One of three USN F-104 A. According to Jim Upton's Lockheed F-104 Starfighter book they had been used during Mach 2 supersonic launch development of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Cheers Jure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selwyn Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 5 hours ago, charlie_c67 said: Just wondered if anyone could identify which model AIM-9 Sidewinder is being carried by this Cougar. It could be the colour or the angle but they don't look like a -9B, something about the nose. I wondered if it was a -9A, but unfortunately a search of google doesn't really help. If anyone knows, as well as if the "black" colouring was used in service, I'd be grateful There was no 9A sidewinder as such, the first in service variant was the 9B. These are seen in the picture. Colour wise red or black suggests some sort of trials round. it might even be a publicity shot of some kind. with the missiles painted to stand out. Operational 9B was white. Selwyn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 (edited) On 24/05/2017 at 11:11 PM, charlie_c67 said: Just wondered if anyone could identify which model AIM-9 Sidewinder is being carried by this Cougar. It could be the colour or the angle but they don't look like a -9B, something about the nose. I wondered if it was a -9A, but unfortunately a search of google doesn't really help. If anyone knows, as well as if the "black" colouring was used in service, I'd be grateful I believe that those 'Sidewinders' are dummies that were used, (and possibly made), by Grumman for engineering purposes, e.g. to check fit and mating to airframe and weapons carriers. They weren't even inert rounds, just made to the correct dimensions and shape. Two of them also appear in photos of the Grumman F11F-1, showing the proposed dorsal mounting of the Sidewinders. In other photos they are shown under the fuselage and under the wingtips, now orange in colour. The Supertiger photos were taken at Grumman in the mid 1950s, about the same time as the Cougar photos, so probably the same dummies. Peter M Edited May 28, 2017 by Magpie22 spellin' errors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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