The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based World War Two fighter aircraft.  It was developed to supersede the F4F Wildcat but also to take on the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.  It took its first flight in June 1942 and was fully operational the following year and would become arguably the US Navy’s most successful fighter particularly in the second half of the War in the Pacific. Development refinements gave it an edge over its immediate competitor the Vought F4V Corsair, establishing itself as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter, resulting in air superiority over the Japanese in that particular theatre of war.

During service with the US Navy. US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy FAA, the Hellcat was credited with destroying over 5,200 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied naval aircraft.