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The Grumman F4F Wildcat was the US Navy's premier carrier-based fighter in 1942 and 1943. It could dive faster and was a tougher construction than the Zero, its main opponent. The Wildcat held the front line until the arrival of the faster and better Hellcats in late 1943. The F4F was, in many ways, an aircraft that was caught between eras. It was originally designed as a biplane in the mid 1930s. It was redesigned as a monoplane, but was initially shelved as a production fighter, in favor of the Brewster Buffalo. It finally went into production in 1939 as the F4F-3, featuring a more powerful engine then the original version. When the war with Japan began it was outclassed by the IJN's front line fighter, the Zero, but it nonetheless experienced success and continued in operation and production until the end of the war. Though under-powered compared to other war fighters. it could operate from smaller escort carriers and, thus, maintained an important role.
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