F4U-5 Corsair Superprop

One of the best post-WWII propeller-driven fighters was Vought’s F4U-5 Corsair. It was an excellent fighter plane with great performance and a strong combat record.

The development of the Corsair didn’t stop when World War II ended. Early jets guzzled fuel and demanded long runways, making them poor fits for carrier decks, so the Navy kept the bent-wing bird alive. Born from the F4U-4 in 1945, this redesign took flight on December 21st, built to boost the Corsair’s performance and shaped by the hard-earned lessons and demands of its pilots.

The F4U-5 marked the end of an era, as it was the last propeller-driven fighter built for the U.S. Navy. Born from the proven F4U-4, its prototype was a converted -4 (BuNo. 27296) and first flew on December 21, 1945. By then, jets were already on the horizon, but Chance Vought poured the latest technology into this final Corsair to keep it relevant.

The F4U-5 took flight in April 1946 with a beefed-up Pratt & Whitney R-2800-32W engine, cranking out 2,459 horsepower and pushing the fighter to 470 mph, 20 mph faster than the -4. The engine is paired with an automatically adjusting turbo supercharger.

Standard guns were upgraded to four hard-hitting 20mm M3 cannons, backed by eight rocket stubs for 5-inch HVARs and wing pylons ready for bombs, napalm, or drop tanks. The cockpit and canopy were redesigned for better visibility and pilot comfort, making it as advanced as piston fighters could get.

The F4U-5 wasn’t just an upgrade- it was a complete refinement of the Corsair. Engineers packed it with innovations: automatic blower controls, cowl flaps, intercooler doors, and a more efficient oil cooler to keep that powerful engine running at its best.

Handling was sharpened with spring tabs on the elevators and rudder, while the cockpit received a full modernization worthy of a new generation fighter. Even the tail wheel retracted fully, and both cannon bays and the pitot head were heated for high-altitude reliability. The cowling was lowered by two degrees to finally give pilots better forward visibility. It also became the very first Corsair to take to the skies with all-metal wings.

The F4U-5 Corsair earned its stripes in Korea before retiring from U.S. service in 1956. Only 223 were built after the war, but this final variant stood as the ultimate evolution of the legendary bent-wing fighter, the Corsair’s last and greatest chapter.