Colors & Markings of the F9F Cougar

in U. S. Navy & Marine Corps Service

About the Book:

The Grumman F9F Cougar was an iconic Navy fighter, being one of two swept-wing aircraft rapidly developed from existing straight-wing designs already operational. Facing a disadvantageous situation in the air war over the Korean peninsula with outmoded aircraft, and yielding the air superiority mission to the United States Air Force F-86 Sabre, swept-wing developments of Grumman’s F9F Panther and North American’s FJ Fury gave the Navy the opportunity to field swept-wing fighters in the quickest possible time, far faster than developing a completely new design.

Detail & Scale has chronicled the history of the Cougar in detail in our F9F Cougar in Detail & Scale—Revised Edition. We now complement that publication with Colors & Markings of the F9F Cougar in U. S. Navy and Marine Corps Service, a comprehensive look at the paint schemes used on this iconic Navy fighter and the squadrons that flew it.

Book Features:

The book begins with a general description of the three major paint schemes applied to the Cougar during its history. The overall Gloss Sea Blue scheme had been in place since 1944 for Navy fighters, and for all carrier-based aircraft from 1945. All F9F-6, F9F-6P, F9F-7, and early F9F-8 variants were delivered to the Navy in the Gloss Sea Blue Scheme. In 1955, a more visually impressive scheme of Non-Specular Light Gull Gray over Gloss Insignia White was established, which became one of the longest-serving military aircraft paint schemes ever, remaining in place for more than twenty-five years. Most of the F9F-8 and all of the F9F-8P variants were delivered in this gray over white scheme. All of the F9F-8T two-seat training aircraft were delivered in one of two training schemes, basically an overall Gloss Insignia White aircraft with varying areas of high visibility Florescent Red-Orange or International Orange paint. The Paint Schemes Chapter includes the official paint colors used and their corresponding Federal Standard paint color numbers as well as color illustrations of the paint schemes as laid out in official Navy documentation. Finally, a look at the dazzling colors used on Navy drone and drone controller aircraft is presented.

The Paint Schemes chapter is followed by a comprehensive look at the colors and markings of the Cougar in service with all types of Naval and Marine aviation units. Ten sections cover all the units that flew the Cougar as a significant aircraft in their inventory, beginning with sections on fighter and attack squadrons. Navy photographic reconnaissance units are covered next, and these are followed by sections on Navy training and fleet air service squadrons. Next is a look at Marine squadrons that flew the Cougar in the fighter, attack, photo recon, and training mission areas. This is followed by a look at Naval Reserve squadrons that supported both Navy and Marine pilots. The chapter concludes with sections on test & evaluation squadrons, miscellaneous squadrons, and the Navy’s “Ambassadors in Blue,” the Blue Angels.

Colors & Markings of the F9F Cougar in U. S. Navy and Marine Service, along with the companion volume F9F Cougar in Detail & Scale, provide a most in-depth look at this iconic carrier fighter.

 

A COLORS & MARKING SERIES BOOK

Need a Kindle Reading App?
You can read the Kindle version of our books on Smartphones, Computers, Tablets and even a Cloud Reader where you can read our books in your web browser.


Click here to select the Kindle Reader App you need.

BOOK REVIEWS

Cybermodeler.com

Detail and Scale Publications is back with another digital title, and the second in their Colors and Markings Series since going digital-only in their publications. This is the Colors and Markings of the F-102 Delta Dagger and is designed as a companion for the F-102 Delta Dagger in Detail and Scale released earlier this year. Unlike many of the titles previously published in the new digital Detail and Scale family, this is an all-new reference and the first with Rock Roszak (Colonel, USAF retired) in the lead. Followers of this series will recognize Rock’s name as he had co-authored and illustrated the previous titles in the digital series, but he is also the one who transformed the once-hardcopy titles into fully interactive digital references that have the same look and feel in Apple’s iBook format and Amazon’s Kindle format. If you have any other digital titles in your library, these Detail and Scale titles set the bar (high) for what I expect out of other digital publications.

What does digital publishing mean to you?

  • You can use menu hyperlinks to jump straight to a section of interest
  • You can expand photos and drawings to full-screen
  • You can zoom in on details in photos and drawings for a closer look
  • You can search for specific text within the title
  • You can bookmark items of interest
  • You can highlight and annotate the book with your own notes

Coverage includes:

  • Delta Dagger Paint Schemes
  • Air Defense Command (ADC) Squadrons
  • Alaskan Air Command (AAC)
  • United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE)
  • Pacific Air Forces (PACAF)
  • Air National Guard (ANG)
  • Miscellaneous Users

I recently read an online request from a modeler wanting to see the F-102 in 5th FIS colors. That’s in here. I was curious to see if this identified the unit that one Lt George W Bush flew the F-102, and that’s in here as well. The search function works well. Did you know that the F-102 wore three primary color schemes? That’s in here along with nice illustrations from the author. In fact, the author provided nice full-color three-view versions of the Southeast Asia paint scheme out of USAF Technical Order 1-1-4 for both the F-102A and TF-102A.

If you’re planning to build one of the Monogram 1/48 F-102 kits (Case X or XX), whether it appears in a Monogram, Revell, Encore, or Hasegawa box, or perhaps the aircraft in another scale, here is the best reference for replicating the colors and markings for the specific unit your decals represent. Of course, you’ll want the F-102 in Detail and Scale title to assist with the colors and details in the cockpit, weapons bays, etc. And at $9.99 per title, where else are you going to find 300+ pages of excellent modeling reference at your fingertips?

Head over to Amazon or the iTunes Store and order a copy. This technology is also truly instant gratification as the title will download to your tablet on completion of your purchase.

Definitely recommended!

Sprue brothers models

In addition to Amazon, scale modelers will be happy to know that all of our print editions can be ordered from Sprue Brothers. Detail & Scale recommends Sprue Brothers as a premier online hobby shop that provides good prices and great service. Check them out at their website, www.spruebrothers.com.