American Grumman AF-2S "Guardian"
Serial Number:
Registration:
Markings: US Navy
Museum Condition: Static Display Only/Under Restoration
AF-2S Guardian awaits repainting outside of our main hangar
The AF Guardian was developed as a replacement for the Navy's TBF Avenger anti-submarine search & strike aircraft. The Navy ordered Grumman Aerospace Corporation to modify the developing XTB3F-1 bomber. The new plane was to be classified as "hunter-killer" carrier based anti-submarine (ASW) aircraft. The first prototype flew on 19 December 1945. Two variants of the Guardian were produced: The AF-2S for torpedo or bombing missions and the AF-2W with the large ventral radar. Designed to work in pairs, the AF-2W "hunter" member of the team had a crew of four and was unarmed, though it could carry underwing drop tanks, and had a large radome for the APS-20 search radar mounted on the belly under the cockpit The finlets were to provide lateral stability, which was affected by the radome. The AF-2S "killer" member of the team had a crew of three and could carry up to 1,800 kilograms (4,000 pounds) of munitions, including depth charges, bombs, or a homing torpedo in the bomb bay, plus 12.7 centimeter (5 inch) "high velocity air rockets (HVARs)" mounted on underwing pylons. The AF-2S mounted APS-30 targeting radar in a pod under the right wing, a searchlight in a pod under the left wing, and could also carry sonar buoys.
The Guardian was the biggest single-engine piston aircraft ever flown by the US Navy. It was driven by a P&W R-2800-48W Double Wasp radial engine, providing 2,400 horsepower to a big four-bladed propeller.
A second version of the AF-2S hunter was built beginning in 1952, featuring "magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) gear with a boom on the right side of the fuselage. This variant was designated the "AF-3S", and 40 were built. The last Guardian was rolled out in March 1953, with a total of 389 of all variants built, including the prototypes. By early 1953, Guardians began to be phased out of front line Navy squadrons in favor of the S2F-1 Tracker, a combined hunter-killer aircraft. August 31, 1955 saw the end of the last operational active Navy squadron. The Guardians had slowly been transferred to U.S. Navy Reserve squadrons and mothballed. A number of Guardians ended up in civilian hands and were apparently used as "water bombers".
| Type |
Anti-submarine Hunter |
| Manufacturer |
Grumman |
| Maiden Flight |
19 December 1945 |
| Introduced |
December 1950 |
| Theatre of War |
World War II (Pacific Theater) |
| Number Produced |
389 |
| Status |
Retired 31 August 1955 |
| Crew |
3-4 |
| Wingspan |
60 ft 8 in |
| Length |
43 ft 4 in |
| Height |
16 ft 2 in |
| Empty Weight |
14,580 lbs |
| Max Takeoff Weight |
25,500 lbs |
| Power Plant |
(1) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-48W "Double Wasp" radial |
| Horsepower |
2,400 hp |
| Maximum Speed |
274 knots (315 mph) |
| Service Ceiling |
32,500 ft |
| Rate of Climb |
1,850 ft/min |
| Range |
1,304 nm (1,500 mi) |
Rockets |
(16) 5 in/127 mm unguided rockets |
| Payload |
4,000 lbs of bombs, torpedoes, and/or depth charges |
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