In November 1943, the F8F Bearcat design was finalized. On November 27, 1943, two prototypes were ordered; it was designated as the XF8F-1. After nine months, on August 21, 1944, the first Bearcat prototype took to the air for the first time. The aircraft performed a 4,800 feet per minute climb rate and showcased a top speed of 369 knots during the first flight testing. It entered service in 1945 and was retired in 1963 with the Vietnam Air Force.

The F8F-2 is a single-crew carrier-based fighter with an exterior length of 8.61 meters, an exterior height of 3.35 meters, and a fuselage width of 1.35 meters. The tail height is 4.22 meters and the wheelbase is 5.4 meters. It has a wingspan of 10.92 meters and a wing area of 22.7 square meters. The empty weight is 3,470 kg, a maximum payload of 1,000 kg, and a fuel tank capacity of 535 US gal. It has a maximum takeoff and landing weight of 6,105 kg and 5,941 kg, respectively.

The aircraft is fitted with a single Pratt and Whitney R-2800-30W Double Wasp engine. It is an eighteen-cylinder air-cooled twin-row radial engine with two poppet valves per cylinder, a variable-speed unified with the throttle through automatic engine control single-stage single-speed centrifugal-type supercharger, one Stromberg injection carburetor, and an air-cooling system. The engine is rated at 2,250 hp thrust and drives a four-bladed constant-speed propeller.

The F8F Bearcat has a maximum speed of 395 knots and a travel range of 960 nautical miles. It can fly up to 40,800 feet and can climb at a rate of 4,465 feet per minute. The takeoff distance is 185 meters and the landing distance is 250 meters. The aircraft could be loaded with four 20 mm AN/M3 autocannon, four 127 mm high-velocity aircraft rockets, and 454 kg of bombs.