F8F BearcatGrumman F8F Bearcat airplane model. The Grumman F8F Bearcat was intended as an interceptor fighter, operating from carriers. In modern vernacular, it might have been called the "Hellcat Lite," designed for the smallest and lightest airframe that could support the Pratt &, Whitney R 2800 34 radial engine, its fuel, weapons, and armor. The US Navy order two prototypes, XF8F 1, in November 1943. First flown nine months later, the Bearcat prototype