F4U-5Ns fly past USS Boxer (CV-21), Korea
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F4U-5
Development work on the Corsair continued after the war. Early jet fighters needed long runways and used their fuel very quickly, making them unsuited for use on carriers. The F4U-5 first flew in April 1946. It had a yet more powerful engine, the P&W R-2800-32W, providing 2,459 hp. This gave the dash five a top speed of 470 mph, twenty miles per hour quicker than the dash four. Standard armament was changed to four 20mm M-3 cannon, two in each wing. It retained the eight rocket stubs capable of carrying 5 inch HVAR rockets, and the wing root pylons, used to carry bombs, drop tanks or napalm. The F4U-5 was finally retired from US service in 1956. It saw active service during the Korean War, as did the final variant, the AU-1.
F4U-5N
This was a night fighter variant, carrying its radar in a similar radome to earlier Corsair night fighters. It used the AN/APS-19 radar system, capable of operating in four different modes, from short range “blind firing” mode to long range navigation mode.
F4U-5NL
The -5NL was a winterised version of the -5N, with the same radar and de-icing equipment. This was needed to cope with the freezing Korean winters. In total 315 of the two night fighter versions were built, making it them most common variant of the dash five. The two night fighter variants were more commonly used in Korea than the straight dash five.
F4U-5P
This was a photo reconnaissance version. It could carry three different types of camera, including the S-7S continuous-strip camera, used for aerial mapping.
Introduction - F4U-1 - F4U-2 - XF4U-3 - F4U-4 - F4U-5 - AU-1 - F4U-7 - American Service - British Service - Statistics