The F4F Wildcat is known as one of the most successful carrier aircraft designs of WWII. Among its variants was the FM-1, which was manufactured by General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division; manufactured from August 1942, it had its armament reduced to four machine guns, and was also flown by British Royal Navy units as the Martlet Mk.V. The aircraft was usually deployed on aircraft carriers and tasked with warding off submarines as well as escorting valuable convoys.