Попались пару страниц, которые, наверняка будут интересны моделистам. Чем отличается F9F-6 от F9F-8 http://tailspintopics.blogspot.ru/2010/11/f9f-6-vs-f9f-8-cougars.html Вот здесь полезное про отсекатели пограничного слоя. http://tailhooktopics.blogspot.ru/2014/12/f9f-8-variations.html After looking at lots of pictures, my guess is that it was incorporated at some point between BuNo 141157 (no splitter plate) and 141172 (splitter plate) and was not retrofitted to earlier Cougars except for at least two -8s that were used for Grumman flight test. (The F9F-8Ps and F9F-8Ts were all produced with splitter plates.)With two exceptions, I've not seen a picture of a overall-blue Cougar with the splitter plate. One is BuNo 131894, which appears to be dedicated to test, and the other is the sole Blue Angels' single-seat F9F-8 with a splitter plate, BuNo 144279 (it also had the mounting point for the inflight refueling probe).Early gray/white F9F-8s did not have the splitter plate. Another exception to BuNo 141157 or earlier not having it is BuNo 141140, which did, shown here. Again, my guess is that this was a Grumman test article. Ну и подборка отличных фото http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=52828 http://dansa.minim.ne.jp/CLUS-F9F-photo.htm