Editing Grumman TBF Avenger (section)

==Design and development==
[[File:TBM on USS Randolph 1945.jpg|thumb|A Grumman TBM ([[General Motors|GM]]-built TBF) with [[Grumman Sto-Wing|Sto-Wing]] folding wings]]
[[File:TBF early1942.jpg|thumb|TBF-1 Avenger early in 1942. Note the red spot centered in the U.S. [[United States military aircraft national insignia|roundel]] and [[Flag of the United States|flag-inspired fin flash]] on the rudder, both of which were removed prior to the [[Battle of Midway]] to avoid confusion with Japanese insignia.]]
[[File:TBF mid1942.jpg|thumb|TBF Avenger in mid-1942]]

The [[Douglas TBD Devastator]], the U.S. Navy's main torpedo bomber introduced in 1935, was obsolete by 1939. Bids were accepted from several companies, but Grumman's TBF design was selected as the replacement for the TBD and in April 1940 two prototypes were ordered by the Navy. Designed by [[Leroy Grumman]], the first prototype was called the ''XTBF-1''.<ref>Tillman 1999, p. 6.</ref> It was first flown on 7 August 1941. Although one of the first two prototypes crashed near [[Brentwood, New York]], rapid production continued.

To ease carrier storage concerns, simultaneously with the [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|F4F-4]] model of its Wildcat carrier fighter, Grumman designed the Avenger to also use the new [[Grumman Sto-Wing|Sto-Wing]] patented "compound angle" wing-folding mechanism, intended to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier; the Wildcat's replacement, the [[Grumman F6F Hellcat|F6F Hellcat]], also employed this mechanism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aviation-history.com/grumman/f4f.html |title=Grumman F4F Wildcat |last1=Dwyer |first1=Larry |date=19 February 2014 |website=The Aviation History Online Museum |access-date=27 October 2020 |quote=The F4F-4 was the first version of the Wildcat to feature a Grumman innovation, the ''[[Grumman Sto-Wing|Sto-Wing]]''. The ''Sto-Wing'' used a novel approach using a compound angle folding-wing that was unique to Grumman&nbsp;... It was a successful design that was later used on the F6F Hellcat and TBF Avenger.}}</ref> The [[Aircraft engine|engine]] used was the twin-row [[Wright R-2600|Wright R-2600-20]] Twin Cyclone fourteen-cylinder radial engine, which produced {{convert|1900|hp|kW|round=10}}.

There were three crew members: pilot, turret gunner and radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. A single [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] [[M1919 Browning machine gun#Aircraft|.30&nbsp;caliber (7.62&nbsp;mm) machine gun]] was mounted in the nose, a [[M2 Browning#.50 Browning AN/M2|.50&nbsp;caliber (12.7&nbsp;mm) gun]] was mounted right next to the turret gunner's head in a rear-facing electrically powered turret, and a single 0.30&nbsp;caliber (7.62&nbsp;mm) hand-fired machine gun flexibly-mounted ventrally (under the tail), which was used to defend against enemy fighters attacking from below and to the rear. This gun was fired by the radioman/bombardier while standing up and bending over in the belly of the tail section, though he usually sat on a folding bench facing forward to operate the radio and to sight in bombing runs. 

Later models of the TBF/TBM omitted the cowl-mount synchronized 0.30&nbsp;caliber (7.62&nbsp;mm) gun, and replaced it with twin Browning AN/M2 0.50&nbsp;caliber (12.7&nbsp;mm) light-barrel guns, one in each wing outboard of the propeller arc, per pilots' requests for better forward firepower and increased strafing ability. There was only one set of controls on the aircraft, and no direct access to the pilot's position existed from the rest of the aircraft's interior. The radio equipment was massive, especially by today's standards, and filled the length of the well-framed "greenhouse" canopy to the rear of the pilot. The radios were accessible for repair through a "tunnel" along the right hand side. Any Avengers that are still flying today usually have an additional rear-mounted seat in place of the radios, allowing for a fourth passenger.

The Avenger had a large bomb bay, allowing for one [[Bliss-Leavitt torpedo|Bliss-Leavitt]] [[Mark 13 torpedo]], a single {{convert|2000|lb|kg|0|adj=on}} bomb, or up to four {{convert|500|lb|kg|0|adj=on}} [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s. The aircraft had overall ruggedness and stability, and pilots say it flew like a truck, for better or worse. With its good radio facilities, docile handling, and long range, the Grumman Avenger also made an ideal command aircraft for Commanders, Air Group (CAGs). With a {{convert|30000|ft|m|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} ceiling and a fully loaded range of {{convert|1000|mi|km}}, it was better than any previous American torpedo bomber, and better than its Japanese counterpart, the obsolete [[Nakajima B5N]] "Kate". Later Avenger models carried radar equipment for the [[Anti-submarine warfare|ASW]] and [[Airborne Early Warning|AEW]] roles.

[[Escort carrier]] sailors referred to the TBF as the "turkey" because of its size and maneuverability in comparison to the [[Grumman F4F Wildcat|F4F Wildcat]] fighters in the same airgroups.<ref name="Proceedings">{{cite magazine |last=O'Rourke |first=G. G. |title=Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads |magazine=[[Proceedings (magazine)|Proceedings]] |date=July 1968 |volume=94 |number=7 |page=56 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/july/hosenoses-stoofs-and-lefthanded-spads |url-access=subscription}}</ref>