What was the first monoplane fighter of a US Navy squadron?

Short answer

The Brewster F2A Buffalo, which in 1939 won a contest against the Grumman F4F Wildcat and became the US Navy's first monoplane fighter. On 8 December 1939, VF-3 received 10 of the 11 Buffalos delivered to the US Navy.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What was the first monoplane fighter of a US Navy squadron?

Crashed Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo of VMF-211 aboard USS Long Island (AVG-1) on 25 July 1942 (80 G-12905)

A contest won against a biplane

Brewster's XF2A-1, a monoplane designed by a team led by Dayton T. Brown, was one of two designs initially considered. The XF4F-1 had a twin-row radial engine, but it was a biplane like the F3F. The XF2A-1 first flew on 2 December 1937, and early test results placed it well ahead of Grumman's biplane proposal. The Navy's contest was reopened to admit another competitor, the NF-1, a navalised Seversky P-35, which was eliminated because the prototype could not exceed 267 mph (430 km/h). In 1939, the Brewster won the contest over the Grumman F4F Wildcat and became the US Navy's first monoplane fighter.

From the contest to the squadron

On 8 December 1939, VF-3 received 10 of the 11 Buffalos delivered to the US Navy. The XF4F-1 never went into production, but it later reappeared as a monoplane, the Wildcat.