The Grumman F11F Tiger was an attempt to squeeze as much performance as possible from the F9F series but which ended up being a totally new aircraft in its own right. It incorporated a number of advanced design techniques such as an area rule fuselage and solid light alloy slabs on the main box skins while at the same time it was given provision for inflight refuelling and was powered by a license-built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. Although the F11F was one of the first US Navy aircraft to achieve supersonic speeds on level flight, engine problems led to only a limited production run of just over 200 units none of which saw combat although they were deployed on five carriers until retired in 1961. They were perhaps best remembered for being the aircraft of choice for the USN's acrobatic display team, the Blue Angels, for over a decade.

The Tiger had originally been based on the earlier Cougar and thus, the prototype had been given the designation F9F-9. It first flew on 30 July 1954 but engine problems resulted in numerous delays and replacements before the F11F-1 (F-11A after 1962) appeared. A considerably improved F11F-1F Super Tiger was able to reach Mach 2 speeds and had excellent maneuverability and performance (it set the world absolute speed and altitute records) but was not ordered due to their excessive weight.