Very different from the Grumman 'cats' which had preceded it, the F7F Tigercat (as it became known) was designed as a twin-engined fighter-bomber for operation from the then new Midway class of aircraft carriers displacing 45,000 tons.
Deliveries of single-seat land-based production F7F-ls to the US Marine Corps began in April 1944, but only small numbers entered service before production of a two-seat night fighter was initiated - this having the designation F7F-2N Tigercat. Other variants included F7F-3 single-seat day fighters, similar to the -1, and -3N and -4N two-seat night fighters. Tigercats were developed too late for operational deployment in World War II, and while small numbers served post-war with the Marine Corps, these were soon displaced by first-generation jet-powered fighters/fighter-bombers.
