The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engined fighter designed for the US Navy, intended to serve on the new Midway-class carriers, but which like the F7F were too late to see action during World War II. The F7F was an extremely high perfoming aircraft: its max speed was considerably superior to the Hellcat, its immediate predecessor, and could also be adapted to fulfill the night fighter and attack roles (even armed with a torpedo) as well as photo-reconnaissance. Armament consisted of four 20-mm cannon mounted on the wing roots with an additional four .50-in machine guns giving it a bigger punch than any other wartime USN or USMC aircraft. It was also the first carrier-based aircraft to feature a tricycle landing gear. Still, the Tigercat was not initially deemed suitable for carrier operations due to weight and stability issues which were corrected only much later in its service life, with only a trickle of carrier-capable aircraft ever entering service. Ultimately, the F7F was quickly overshadowed by the newer jets entering service in the immediate post-war era although this did not prevent them from seeing combat with the USMC during the Korean War (primarily as night fighters and night interdictors) until retired in 1952.

The prototype XF7F-1 first flew on 3 November 1943 and exceeded expecations, resulting in immediate orders for the USMC. However, pre-production changes resulted in the aircraft entering service only after the war ended as the F7F-1. A twin-seat night-fighter version equipped with AN/APS-6 radar followed with the F7F-2N after which the main production variant, the single-seat F7F-3 appeared with an upgraded engine and enlarged tailfin. Sub-variants included the F7F-3E electronic warfare platform, F7F-3N night fighter, and photo-recon F6F-3P. The final variant was the F7F-4N night fighter, the only version that was cleared for carrier operations, although only 13 aircraft were built.