The F9F-6/8 Cougar was the swept-wing version of the Grumman F9F Panther fighter. It was first flown in September 1951, with the Navy receiving operational F9F-6s in November of 1952. After the Korean War, Cougars served with many Navy and Marine operational squadrons in succession to the earlier Panthers. They were also the first swept-wing aircraft used by the Navy's Blue Angels aerobatic team, which flew them from 1955 to 1958. The F9F-8P version was given an extended nose to house a number of cameras for reconnaissance purposes. It is believed that there are only a handful of F9F-8P aircraft surviving today.
(source: United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 by Gordon Swanborough and Peter Bowers)