The F6F included provisions for carrying additional external fuel tanks or two 1,000lb. bombs, stubs for launching six HVAR 5in. rockets and an alternate armament arrangement consisting of two 20mm cannon and four 50cal. machine guns or the standard six. 50cal. guns. A smoother closer fitting cowling was installed around the P&W R2800-10W engine. At 23,000 ft. the F6F-5 would fly at 380mph, taking only seven minutes to climb to 20,000ft, The rear window was removed on all but a few of the early F6F-5s.930 of this model Hecat were provided to England during WWII and later in smaller quantities to France and Uruguay.
