Tuesday, 2 May 2017

McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee B, N and P variants

The Banshee F2H-2B featured strengthened wings and an strengthned inner pylon in order to carry either a 748Kg Mark 7 nuclear bomb or a 1465kg Mark 8 one in the portside. To cope with the vastly increased load, it was fitted with stiffer landing gear struts and a pilot-switcheable power booster for the ailerons which was necessary when the pilots made a roll to the left with such heavy load. One of the 20mm cannons was removed in order to make room for additional electronics needed to arm the nuclear weapons.
The F2H-2N was a night fighter variant with a longer nose that housed an AN/APS-19 radar with the cannons moved rearwards in order to fit the radar. Apparently it wasn't used very widely and McDonnell Corporation used this variant as the basis for the next improved F2H-3 version.
The F2H-2P was a photo-reconnaissance variant with six photo cameras housed in the expanded nose and it was the first jet-powered photo reconnaissance airplane used by the United States Navy. Cameras could be rotated horizontally and vertically by the pilot using remote controls and it could carry also a pair of underwing pods with 20 flash cartridges for night photography. The camera bay was also electronically heated to prevent frost and this variant was considered to be a very valuable asset as it was very difficult to intercept thank to its speed and its maximum operational altitude.
The F2H-2P flew reconnaissance missions with the United States Marine Corps in the Korean war with success as their high altitude and speed made them a very difficult target to hit for conventional anti-air guns. It even operated with escorts from the United States Air Force when flying inside an enemy fighter area.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_F2H_Banshee
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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