141-513: The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft . Some versions were built in Canada by Canadian Car and Foundry . The first Mk I production machines were ready fairly quickly, with deliveries starting in December 1937. These early aircraft featured fabric-covered wings, and a wooden, two-bladed, fixed- pitch propeller . Initially,
282-560: A Vokes air filter in a large "chin" fairing under the engine cowling. Many of these aircraft were ferried to North Africa and Malta via France and the Mediterranean using fixed, cylindrical 40-gallon fuel tanks under each wing to extend the range. The tropical filter and fuel tanks were to be used on later variants of the Hurricane. The improved Merlin XX (Mk.20) engine appeared in 1940 featuring
423-447: A Watts two-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller. Flight commented of this arrangement: "Many have expressed surprise that the Hurricane is not fitted with variable-pitch airscrews". The original two-bladed propeller was found to be inefficient at low airspeeds and the aircraft required a long ground run to get airborne, which caused concern at Fighter Command. Accordingly, trials with a de Havilland variable-pitch propeller demonstrated
564-409: A catapult for launching a single aircraft, but without facilities to recover them. Thus, if the aircraft were not in range of a land base, pilots were forced to bail out and be picked up by the ship. They were informally known as "Hurricats". The majority of the aircraft modified had been worn out in front-line squadrons, so much so that at least one example used during trials broke up under the stress of
705-667: A catapult launching. At least 60 aircraft were converted from Hurricane Mk Is. CAM launched Hurricanes were used on eight operational sorties and the Hurricanes shot down six enemy aircraft, for the loss of one Hurricane pilot killed. The first Sea Hurricane IA kill was a German Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor long range patrol aircraft, shot down on 2 August 1941. Hurricane Mk I version equipped with catapult spools plus an arrester hook. From July 1941 they operated from HMS Furious and from October 1941, they were used on Merchant aircraft carrier (MAC ships), which were large cargo vessels with
846-500: A converted Mk IIB and flew on 18 September 1941. A new-build version of what was known as the Mk IID started in January 1942, including additional armour for the pilot, radiator and engine. The aircraft were initially supplied with a Rolls-Royce gun and carried 12 rounds, but soon changed to the 40 mm (1.57 in) Vickers S gun with 15 rounds. The weight of guns and armour protection had
987-671: A decision in December 1936 to replace the Merlin I with the improved Merlin II, which resulted in many detail alterations. Merlin I production ended after 180 were built. This engine had been prioritised for the Fairey Battle light bomber and the Hawker Henley , a failed competitor to the Battle briefly adapted as a target tug which shared common elements with the Hurricane design. By the following December,
1128-465: A flight deck enabling aircraft to be launched and recovered. A total of around 300 aircraft were converted. The first Sea Hurricane IB kill occurred on 31 July 1941, when Sea Hurricanes of 880 squadron, operating from Furious shot down a Dornier Do 18 flying-boat. The Fleet Air Arm preferred the lighter de Havilland propellers over the Rotol types; it was found during tests that the Rotol unit could lead to
1269-509: A frontline fighter in the United Kingdom. However, it still saw extensive service overseas as a fighter, playing a prominent role in the Middle East and Far East . It was also critical to the defence of Malta during 1941 and early 1942. Hurricane Mk X Some production of the Hurricane was carried out in Canada by Canadian Car and Foundry . Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber. Mark X
1410-534: A liaison officer for returning POWs and subsequently in the Far East on Lady Mountbatten's staff. John Freeborn flew more operational hours in the Battle of Britain than any other pilot, remained on operations for the rest of the war and proved to be an outstanding airman. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar and rose to wing commander . Freeborn finally told some of his version of events in
1551-561: A marginal effect on the aircraft's performance. The IID was used in anti-tank operations in limited numbers during the North African campaign where, provided enemy flak and fighters were absent, they proved accurate and highly effective against armoured vehicles and all motor transport. The Mk IIE . This designation was used by parts of the RAF in 1941 (starting with BE221 in September) and then
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#17328374605401692-421: A new two-speed supercharger that could have its impeller speed changed by the pilot depending on the outside air pressure (altitude). At about 18,000 feet (5,500 m) (effective), it would be switched to a higher speed gearing ("FS ratio" – Full Supercharge) for added compression, while below that, at its lower speed gearing, ("MS ratio" – Moderate Supercharge), it "robbed" less power from the engine. The result
1833-646: A number of manufacturers were to repair and overhaul battle-damaged aircraft including Hurricanes. Some of these were later sent to training units or to other air forces. Factories involved included the Austin Aero Company 's Cofton Hackett plant and David Rosenfield Ltd, based at Barton aerodrome near Manchester . The Canadian Car and Foundry of Fort William, Ontario , Canada was a major Hurricane manufacturer, producing them from November 1938 after receiving their initial contract for 40 Hurricanes. The facility's chief engineer, Elsie MacGill , became known as
1974-470: A pattern for Canadian Car and Foundry , one for Iran, one for Poland, three for Romania and 12 for Yugoslavia. All the built for export aircraft were taken from the RAF order and so all originally had an RAF serial. Further exports were done in the final four months of 1939 and early 1940. Hurricane production was increased as part of a plan to create a reserve of attrition aircraft as well as re-equip existing squadrons and newly formed ones such as those of
2115-664: A prototype to the September proposal was placed on 21 February 1935. At the time the armament was two Vickers Mark V machine guns in the fuselage and one Browning machine gun in each wing. Work on stressed skin outer wings to replace the fabric covered ones began in July and the contract was altered in August to include another set of wings with eight guns in them; the guns were to be either Vickers or Brownings. These wings were delivered in June 1936. By
2256-471: A reduction in the Hurricane's take-off run from 1,230 to 750 ft (370 to 230 m). Deliveries of these began in April 1939: this was later replaced by the hydraulically operated constant-speed Rotol propeller, which came into service in time for the Battle of Britain. Then, with tail trimmer set, throttle and mixture lever fully forward... and puffs of grey exhaust smoke soon clearing at maximum r.p.m. came
2397-443: A reserve gravity-feed tank which held an additional 28 gal (127 L) in the forward fuselage, just ahead of the cockpit. This was the main fuel feed to the engine. The 7 gal (32 L) oil tank was built into the forward, port centre section. Early "K" serialled Mk Is were powered by the 1,029 hp (768 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin C engine; from the "L" serial numbers the later Merlin II of 1,030 hp (768 kW)
2538-532: A slightly modified wing. Trials with a pair of external cannons as armament had begun in May 1939, then the internal arrangement in June to August 1940. In November 1940 thirty sets of Hurricane IIC (Four cannon) wings were built by semi-tooled and hand methods in the experimental shop, using wings damaged in the region of the gun bay. Test flights with external fuel tanks began in May 1940, the first Mark II trials in June 1941. Test flights carrying bombs began in April 1941,
2679-459: A stalling speed of 57 mph (92 km/h) (only marginally higher than the Gladiator biplane), the last achieved using its flaps . In the course of further testing, it was found that the Hurricane had poor spin recovery characteristics, in which all rudder authority could be lost due to shielding of the rudder. Hawker's response to the issue was to request that spinning tests be waived, but
2820-413: A wooden mock-up had been finished, and although a number of suggestions for detail changes were made, construction of the prototype was approved, and a new specification (F.36/34) was written around the design. In July 1935, this specification was amended to include installation of eight guns. The mock-up conference with Air Ministry staff was on 10 January 1935 at Kingston. The ministry order to purchase
2961-622: Is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60% of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the campaign, and fought in all
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#17328374605403102-443: Is often known as by the unofficial designation Mark IIA Series 1 , while later Mark IIs had their wing centre sections strengthened. The Mark II went into squadron service in September 1940 at the peak of the Battle of Britain. Hawker had long experimented with improving the armament of the fighter by fitting cannons. Their first experiments used two 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons in pods, one under each wing, (one aircraft
3243-538: Is used by some RAF documentation to describe Canadian-built Mark I but was not an official designation. By the time Merlin 28 production began in the US 419 Canadian-built Mark I airframes had arrived in Britain. Ultimately only 234 Canadian-built Hurricanes arrived in Britain with an engine fitted, and they were quickly removed and fitted to Lancasters. Hurricane Mk XI Mark number never allocated, many references use it to describe
3384-400: Is well known that Freeborn felt that Sailor Malan tried to evade responsibility for the attack. Malan gave evidence against his pilots, stating that Freeborn had been irresponsible, impetuous and had not taken proper heed of vital communications. During the trial, Freeborn's counsel, Sir Patrick Hastings , called Malan a bare-faced liar. The court exonerated both pilots, ruling that the case
3525-602: The Auxiliary Air Force . Expansion scheme E included a target of 500 fighters of all types by the start of 1938. By the time of the Munich Crisis , there were only two fully operational RAF squadrons of the planned 12 to be equipped with Hurricanes. By the time of the German invasion of Poland there were 16 operational Hurricane squadrons as well as a further two more that were in the process of converting. On 24 August 1939,
3666-567: The Belgian Air Force , and it was intended to arm these aircraft with four 13.2 mm (0.52 in) Browning machine guns . Three were built and two flown with this armament by the time of the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940, with at least 12 more constructed by Avions Fairey armed with the conventional eight rifle calibre machine gun armament. The Hawker Hurricane is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. The primary structure of
3807-633: The Essex coast. Misleading back-signals giving a reciprocal bearing was obviated by relay sensors but early in the war this back cut-off failed. Coastal radar stations could misinterpret radar returns from inland flights as aircraft flying towards England. 11 Group Fighter Command ordered six Hawker Hurricanes to be scrambled from 56 Squadron , based at North Weald in Essex. The sector controller, Group Captain David Lucking , sent up all 14 aircraft. Unbeknown to
3948-445: The Hart , but enhanced by livelier controls, greater precision and all this performance. Roland Beamont describing his first flight in a Hurricane as a trainee pilot. Camm's priority was to provide the pilot with good all-round visibility. To this end, the cockpit was mounted reasonably high in the fuselage, creating a distinctive "hump-backed" silhouette. Pilot access to the cockpit
4089-704: The Luftwaffe actually lost only one Bf 109. Battle of Barking Creek Luxembourg The Netherlands Belgium France Britain 1941–1943 1944–1945 Germany Strategic campaigns The Battle of Barking Creek was a friendly fire incident over the East Coast of England in the earliest days of the Second World War . On 6 September 1939, aircraft from several 11 Group , RAF Fighter Command squadrons, were scrambled to intercept German aircraft detected by radar (RDF) flying towards
4230-515: The Meuse , at Maastricht . The escort consisted of eight Hurricanes of 1 Squadron, with Squadron Leader P. J. H. "Bull" Halahan in the lead. When the formation approached Maastricht, it was bounced by 16 Bf 109Es from 2./JG 27 . Two Battles and two Hurricanes (including Halahan's) were shot down, two more Battles were brought down by flak and the fifth bomber had to crash-land. The 1 Squadron pilots claimed four Messerschmitts and two Heinkel He 112s , while
4371-678: The PV-12 , which went on to become famous as the Merlin . In August 1934, a one-tenth scale model of the design was produced and sent to the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington , where a series of wind tunnel tests confirmed the aerodynamics were satisfactory, and in September 1934 Camm again approached the Air Ministry. This time, the Ministry's response was favourable, and a prototype of
Hawker Hurricane variants - Misplaced Pages Continue
4512-557: The Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications including an arrestor hook near the tail, enabling operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 units had been completed in Britain and Canada, with others built in Belgium and Yugoslavia. During the early 1930s, when Hawker Aircraft company developed
4653-409: The Supermarine Spitfire . During its operational life, the Hurricane was able to operate from all sorts of adverse airfield surfaces with ease. Large, thick wings meant that the fighter proved to be a stable gun platform. It was armed with eight .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns arranged in lots of four in two large gun bays incorporated into the outer wing panels. In 1937 this firepower
4794-536: The apartheid regime until his death in 1963. Paddy Byrne was shot down and captured over France in 1940. He was imprisoned at Stalag Luft III with his former defence lawyer Roger Bushell . In 1944 he was repatriated, having convinced the Germans and the repatriation board that he was mad. On his return to England he was unable to reinstated into the RAF and given a ground position; he could not return to action because of his repatriation on medical grounds and served as
4935-481: The "Interceptor Monoplane" was promptly ordered. In July 1934, at a meeting chaired by Air Commodore Arthur Tedder (director of training), the Air Ministry Science Officer Captain F.W. "Gunner" Hill presented his calculation showing that future fighters must carry no fewer than eight machine guns, each capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute. / Hill's assistant in making his calculations
5076-465: The "Queen of the Hurricanes". The initiative was commercially driven, but was endorsed by the British government. Hawker recognised that a major conflict was inevitable after the Munich Crisis of 1938 and drew up preliminary plans to expand Hurricane production at a new factory in Canada. Under this plan, samples, pattern aircraft, and design documents stored on microfilm were shipped to Canada. In 1938/39
5217-576: The 150 Hurricanes shipped to Britain from the Canadian order for 400. Hurricane Mk XII Originally designated the Mark IIB (Can), changed to mark XII in April 1943. Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber. Powered by a 1,300 hp (969 kW) Packard Merlin 29. Armed with twelve 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns. Hurricane Mk XIIA The survivors of 30 Hurricane I transferred to the RCAF and upgraded to use
5358-633: The AASF when the order to move to France was received and the home station HQs, 71, 72 74–76 Wings. In response to a request from the French government for the provision of 10 fighter squadrons to provide air support, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding , Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command, insisted that this number would deplete British defences severely, and so initially only four squadrons of Hurricanes, 1 , 73 , 85 and 87 , were relocated to France, keeping Spitfires back for "Home" defence. The first to arrive
5499-550: The Admiralty. Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945 by Ray Sturtivant with Mick Burrow identify the following Hurricanes as having served: 101 Mk I, 3 Mk IIA, 30 Mk IIB, 90 Mk IIC, 1 Mk IV, 16 Mk Sea Ia, 281 Mk Sea Ib, 2 Mk Sea IIb, 109 Mk Sea IIc along with other possibilities. The Sea Hurricane Mk IA was a Hurricane Mk I modified by Hawker or General Aircraft Limited . They were modified to be carried by CAM ships ( catapult -armed merchantman ). These were cargo ships equipped with
5640-658: The Advanced Air Striking Force (No. 1 to Berry-au-Bac , north-west of Paris; No. 73 to Rouvres ) while two more, No. 85 and No. 87, formed 60 Wing of the Air Component, BEF. While the two squadrons of No. 60 Wing had their Hurricanes painted in the standard colour scheme and markings of Home-based fighters, those of No. 67 Wing differed considerably. It was probably because No. 1 and No. 73 Squadrons were operating in close proximity to French fighter squadrons that these units painted red, white, and blue stripes over
5781-445: The Air Ministry placed its first order for 600 aircraft. On 26 June 1936 the Air Ministry approved the type name of "Hurricane" that had been proposed by Hawker, and an informal naming ceremony occurred the following month during an official visit by King Edward VIII to Martlesham Heath. It was significantly cheaper to produce than the Supermarine Spitfire and took 10,300 person hours per airframe to produce, compared to 15,200 for
Hawker Hurricane variants - Misplaced Pages Continue
5922-474: The Air Ministry refused the request; the situation was resolved by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), who established that the aerodynamic problem had been caused by a breakdown of the airflow over the lower fuselage, and could be cured by the addition of a small ventral fairing and extension of the bottom of the rudder. This discovery had come too late for the changes to be incorporated in
6063-514: The Battle of Britain. The first RAF ace of the war, a young New Zealander known as "Cobber" Kain , flew a Hurricane with No. 73 Squadron. In June 1940, another wartime ace, Douglas Bader , was promoted to Squadron Leader and took command of No. 242 (Canadian) Squadron flying Hurricane Mk Is. The famous children's author Roald Dahl also flew Hurricanes with No. 80 Squadron in Greece and later in Syria, against
6204-468: The Bf 109's higher speed. This small turning circle often allowed a well-flown Hurricane to get onto the tail of a 109 even more quickly than a Spitfire, assuming a 109 pilot was unwise enough to be lured into a turning match. Against the Hurricane was the aircraft's relatively slow acceleration and a top speed some 10–30 mph (16–48 km/h) slower, depending on altitude. This meant that the 109 pilot often held
6345-532: The British Air Ministry issued Specification F.5/34 in response to demands within the Royal Air Force (RAF) for a new generation of fighter aircraft . Earlier, during 1933, British aircraft designer Sydney Camm had conducted discussions with Major John Buchanan of the Directorate of Technical Development on a monoplane based on the existing Fury. Mason attributes Camm's discussions with figures within
6486-476: The British government gave Hawker the clearance to sell excess aircraft to nations that were likely to oppose German expansion. As a result, there were some modest export sales made to other countries; at the earliest opportunity, a former RAF Hurricane I was dispatched to Yugoslavia for evaluation purposes. Shortly after this evaluation, an order for 24 Hurricane Mk.Is for the Royal Yugoslav Air Force
6627-505: The British government gave orders partially to mobilise and No. 1 Group RAF ( Air Vice-Marshal Patrick Playfair ) sent its 10 Fairey Battle day-bomber squadrons to France, according to plans established by the British and French earlier in the year. The group was the first echelon of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) and flew from bases at Abingdon, Harwell, Benson, Boscombe Down and Bicester. The group HQ became
6768-465: The English coast. The radar plots were reflections of British aircraft flying inland and Spitfire fighters sent to intercept shot down two Hurricanes in error, killing one of the pilots, the first death of a British fighter pilot in the war. At 6:15 a.m. on 6 September 1939, a radar fault led to a false alarm that unidentified aircraft were approaching from the east at high altitude over West Mersea , on
6909-451: The European theatre until the early days of 1944, before being replaced by the more modern Hawker Typhoon . One prototype and another two Hurricane Mk Vs were built as conversions of Mk IVs, and featured a Merlin 27 engine driving a four-bladed propeller, also tested with a Merlin 32. The ground attack role moved to the more capable Hawker Typhoon . By this time, the Hurricane was no longer
7050-534: The French campaign, and delivered great praise for his aircraft's performance: Throughout the bad days of 1940, 87 Squadron had maintained a proficient formation aerobatic team, the precise flying controls and responsive engines permitting precision formation through loops, barrel rolls, 1 g semi-stall turns and rolls off half-loops ... My Hurricane was never hit in the Battles of France and Britain, and in over 700 hr on type I never experienced an engine failure. While
7191-507: The Germans and Vichy France . Although some of the basic design elements of the aircraft were from an earlier generation, the Hurricane proved to be a match, to an extent, for the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E. In his book, Duel of Eagles , British ace Peter Townsend , who flew Hurricanes with No. 85 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain, provides examples demonstrating how the Hurricane's superior turning ability could offset
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#17328374605407332-548: The Hispano breeches and feed motors. The first sets of Hispano wings were modified from standard Mark I eight gun wings. Trials with 12 .303 in (7.7 mm) Brownings (four per wing in the original gun-bays and two more in new gun-bays outboard of the landing lights) were done in June and July 1940, production began at Hawker and Austin in February 1941. These aircraft also featured a new longer propeller spinner. The tailwheel recess on
7473-533: The Hurricane remained in use in theatres of operations where reliability, easy handling and a stable gun platform were more important than performance, typically in roles like ground attack. One of the design requirements of the original specification was that both the Hurricane and the Spitfire were also to be used as night fighters . The Hurricane proved to be a relatively simple aircraft to fly at night, and shot down several German aircraft on night raids. From early 1941
7614-456: The Hurricane was also used as an "intruder" aircraft, patrolling German airfields in France at night to catch bombers taking off or landing. By the middle of 1938, the first 50 Hurricanes had reached squadrons and, at that time, it had been assessed that the rate of production was slightly greater than the RAF's capacity to introduce the new aircraft, which had already been accelerated. Accordingly,
7755-403: The Hurricane were equipped with a more powerful arms package, initially 12 .303 in (7.7 mm) Brownings, and later four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannons . Hurricanes built under licence by SABCA in Belgium had four 12.7 mm (.50 in) FN-Browning guns instead of the .303 inch armament. In 1939, several changes were made to the Hurricane. The powerplant was changed to
7896-452: The Hurricane's cantilever wing consisted of two steel spars, which possessed considerable strength and stiffness. The wing was described by Flight as relatively straightforward to manufacture, employing simple vertical jigs to attach the two spars, after which the wing ribs were installed using horizontal bolts, forming separate units between the front and rear spars. Hydraulically -actuated split trailing edge flaps were fitted to
8037-635: The Hurricane, RAF Fighter Command had just 13 squadrons, equipped with the Hawker Fury , Hawker Demon , or the Bristol Bulldog , all biplanes with fixed- pitch wooden propellers and non-retractable undercarriages. At the time, there was an institutional reluctance towards change within the Air Staff ; some senior figures were prejudiced against the adoption of monoplane fighter aircraft, while mid-level officers were typically more open-minded. In 1934
8178-428: The Hurricane. A fabric-covered wing was initially adopted in order to accelerate production, while a higher-performing stressed-skin metal wing was introduced in late 1939. The first production Hurricane I first flew on 12 October 1937, flown by Flight Lieutenant Philip Lucas and powered by a Merlin II engine. While a contract for 600 Hurricanes was received on 2 June 1936, deliveries lagged by roughly six months due to
8319-554: The Merlin 29. Armed with eight 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns. Sea Hurricane Mk I: 50 built by Canadian Car and Foundry and 60 Sea Hurricane Mk IIC built by Hawker. The RAF aircraft census as of end February 1943 reports 50 Sea Hurricane I built, 378 converted, 36 out of an order for 60 Sea Hurricane IIC built. A further 29 mark I, 52 IIB and 30 IIC were with the Admiralty. RAF census as of end June 1944 reported 50 Sea Hurricane I built, 378 converted, 60 Sea Hurricane IIC built. A further 19 mark I, 51 IIB and 76 IIC were with
8460-459: The Merlin III and XII until above 15,000 ft (4,600 m). The Merlin's only major drawback was a tendency to cut out during negative- g manoeuvres and inverted flight, on account of fuel starvation from the carburettor . This was temporarily fixed with " Miss Shilling's orifice ", a simple modification. A direct- injection carburettor later solved the problem and eventually, some versions of
8601-412: The Merlin III driving a de Havilland or Rotol constant speed metal propeller. Ejector exhaust stacks were fitted for added thrust. The fabric-covered wings were replaced by re-stressed metal-covered wings. An armour-glass panel was incorporated on the front of the windscreen. The "rod" aerial mast was replaced by a streamlined, tapered design. From about May 1940, 70 pounds of armour plate protection
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#17328374605408742-409: The Merlin used direct fuel injection . When attacking Luftwaffe bombers, it was discovered that the Hurricane's fuel tanks were vulnerable to defensive machine gun fire. The greatest hazard was with the unprotected gravity-feed fuel tank in front of the cockpit which could rupture when hit, allowing a jet of flame to penetrate the cockpit through the instrument panel, causing serious burn injuries to
8883-519: The Ministry of Aircraft Production in 1942 for mark II factory fitted with wing racks, 270 delivered according to the Ministry, 230 IIB and 40 IIC, the RAF used the Mk IIBB or IICB designation to denote racks fitted. The Mk IIE was NOT an early mark Mk IV. The Mk III was a Mk II equipped with a Packard -built Merlin engine, intending to provide supplies of the British-built engines for other designs. By
9024-595: The North Sea. The Heinkels, which were flying at sea level in an attempt to avoid fighter attacks, had already been attacked and damaged by two Spitfires from 72 Squadron when six Hurricanes intercepted them. The Hurricanes shot down four of the enemy in rapid succession, 46 Squadron claiming five and the Spitfire pilots two. After his first flight in October 1939, Hurricane pilot Roland Beamont subsequently flew operationally with 87 Squadron, claiming three enemy aircraft during
9165-491: The RAF, such as Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley , as having provoked the specification and some of its details, such as the preference for armaments being installed within the wings instead of within the aircraft's nose. An outline of the "Fury Monoplane" armed with two guns in the wings and two in the nose and powered by the Goshawk engine was prepared and discussed with Roger Liptrot of the Air Ministry in December 1933. The design
9306-625: The RCAF ordered 24 Hurricanes to equip one fighter squadron, 20 of which were delivered, and two were supplied to Canadian Car and Foundry as pattern aircraft but one probably did not arrive, while the other was returned to Britain in 1940. The first Hurricane built at Canadian Car and Foundry was completed in February 1940. Canadian-built Hurricanes shipped to Britain participated in the Battle of Britain . Overall, some 14,487 Hurricanes and Sea Hurricanes were produced in England and Canada. The majority of Hurricanes, 9,986 were built by Hawker (who produced
9447-556: The Sahara to the Middle East theatre and, to save space, some Royal Navy aircraft carriers carried their reserve Sea Hurricanes dismantled into their major assemblies, which were slung up on the hangar bulkheads and deckhead for reassembly when needed. In contrast, the contemporary Spitfire used all-metal monocoque construction and was thus both lighter and stronger, though less tolerant of bullet damage. With its ease of maintenance, widely set landing gear and benign flying characteristics,
9588-427: The Spitfire, which had many parts formed by hand, with English wheels . As war was looking likely, and time was of the essence in providing the RAF with an effective fighter, the authorities expected there to be problems with the more advanced Spitfire, while the Hurricane made use of well proven manufacturing techniques. The service squadrons were also already experienced in maintaining aircraft structurally similar to
9729-420: The acceptance of the final multi-gun wing armament. By March 1936, the prototype had completed ten flying hours, covering all major portions of the flight envelope. Early testing had gone reasonably well, especially in light of the trial status of the Merlin engine, which had yet to achieve full flight certification at this time and thus severe restrictions had been imposed upon use of the engine. In early 1936,
9870-431: The attacking aircraft were British and gave the order not to retaliate. Frank Rose and Pilot Officer Montague Hulton-Harrop were shot down, Hulton-Harrop being killed. Fired upon by John Freeborn, he had been hit in the back of the head and was dead before his Hurricane crashed at Manor Farm, Hintlesham , Suffolk, about 5 mi (8.0 km) west of Ipswich . Hulton-Harrop was the first British pilot killed in action in
10011-496: The border, fell in flames about 10 mi (16 km) west of Toul . Mould was the first RAF pilot to down an enemy aircraft on the European continent in the Second World War. According to Mason, the experiences gained in these early engagements proved invaluable in developing tactics which became tried and tested, and rapidly spread throughout Fighter Command. On 6 November 1939, Pilot Officer Peter Ayerst from 73 Squadron
10152-631: The campaign. They attacked one of three Dornier Do 17s from 4. Staffel/ KG 2 that were flying over their airfield at Rouvres-en-Woevre . The Dornier went away unscathed, while Orton was hit by defensive fire and had to force land. On the same day the Hurricane squadrons claimed 42 German aircraft, none of them fighters, shot down during 208 sorties; seven Hurricanes were lost but no pilots were killed. On 12 May several Hurricanes units were committed to escort bombers. That morning, five Fairey Battle volunteer crews from 12 Squadron took off from Amifontaine base to bomb Vroenhoven and Veldwezelt bridges on
10293-423: The course of RAF trials, despite the problems with the Merlin engine, which had suffered numerous failures and necessitating several changes, enthusiastic reports were produced on the aircraft and its performance. The trials had proved the aircraft to possess a maximum level speed of 315 mph (507 km/h) at an altitude of 16,200 ft (4,900 m), climb to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) in 5.7 minutes, and
10434-405: The end of August 1935, work on the airframe had been completed at Hawker's Kingston upon Thames facility and the aircraft components were transported to Brooklands , Surrey , where Hawker had an assembly shed; the prototype was fully re-assembled on 23 October 1935. Ground testing and taxi trials took place over the following two weeks. On 6 November 1935 the prototype K5083 took to the air for
10575-547: The engine cowling which used lightweight metal panels instead. Camm had decided to use traditional Hawker construction techniques instead of more advanced options, such as a stressed-skin metal construction. This form of construction resembled that of earlier biplanes and was already considered to be somewhat outdated when the Hurricane was introduced to service . The Hurricane was initially armed with an arrangement of eight remotely-operated wing-mounted Browning machine guns, intended for conducting rapid engagements. The Hurricane
10716-415: The engine. With the 12 lb "emergency boost", the Merlin III was able to generate 1,305 hp (973 kW) in a five-minute burst. If the pilot resorted to emergency boost, he had to report this on landing and it had to be noted in the engine log book. In 1939, the RAF had taken on about 500 planes of this later design to form the backbone of the fighter squadrons during the Battle of France and into
10857-413: The engine; detachable cowling panels allowed access to most of the engine's areas for maintenance. Installed underneath the fuselage, the liquid-cooled radiator has a rectangular opening to its aft; this is covered by a hinged flap, allowing the pilot to control the cooling level. An atypical feature for the era was the use of Tungum alloy pipes throughout the cooling system. Initially, the structure of
10998-544: The entire height of the rudders on their Hurricanes in a similar manner to the standard French AF National markings. As the French squadrons were not familiar with the British use of code letters, and there could have been cause for error in aircraft identification, both Hurricane squadrons removed their squadron identification letters, leaving the grey-painted aircraft letter aft of the fuselage roundel. The decision to adopt these special changes in markings seems to have been made at 67 Group HQ (the immediate command authority for
11139-404: The fabric ones was that the metal ones could carry far greater stress loads without needing as much structure." Several fabric-wing Hurricanes were still in service during the Battle of Britain, although a good number had had their wings replaced during servicing or after repair. Changing the wings required only three hours work per aircraft. The Hurricane had a inward-retracting undercarriage ,
11280-494: The first Mark II trials with 500-pound bombs were in February 1942, most Mark II were built as able or converted to carry external stores. By then performance was inferior to the latest German fighters, and the Hurricane changed to the ground-attack role, sometimes referred to as the Hurribomber. The Mark also served as a night fighter and "intruder." The last Hurricane built was a Mark IIC, serial number PZ865 . The T Mk IIC
11421-565: The first four aircraft to enter service with the RAF had joined No. 111 Squadron , stationed at RAF Northolt . By February 1938, No. 111 Squadron had received 16 Hurricanes. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, over 550 Hurricanes had been produced equipping 18 squadrons, with 3,500 more on order. During 1940, Lord Beaverbrook , the Minister of Aircraft Production , established the Civilian Repair Organisation through which
11562-470: The first production aircraft, but were introduced upon the 61st built and all subsequent aircraft. In early 1936, the Hawker board of directors had decided, in the absence of official authorisation and at company expense, to proceed with the issue of the design drawings to the production design office and to start tooling-up for a production line capable of producing a batch of 1,000 Hurricanes. In June 1936
11703-402: The first time at the hands of Hawker's chief test pilot , Flight Lieutenant George Bulman . Bulman was assisted by two other pilots in subsequent flight testing; Philip Lucas flew some of the experimental test flights, while John Hindmarsh conducted the firm's production flight trials. As completed, the prototype had been fitted with ballast to represent the aircraft's armament prior to
11844-407: The fuselage tank was considered to be too small a target. Hurricanes were soon being modified at the rate of 75 per month. In one month of combat, 10 July 1940 to 11 August, defensive fire from bombers hit 25 Hurricanes and 25 Spitfires; as a result, 11 Hurricanes were shot down compared to two Spitfires. The biggest advantages of the Hurricane were that it was a relatively easy aircraft to fly, which
11985-410: The fuselage was a Warren truss box-girder with high-tensile steel longerons and duralumin cross-bracing, which were mechanically fastened rather than being welded . Over this, a secondary structure composed of wooden formers and stringers covered with doped linen gave the fuselage a rounded section. The majority of the external surfaces were linen, except for a section between the cockpit and
12126-425: The fuselage, synchronised to fire through the propeller arc. By January 1934, the proposal's detail drawings had been finished, but these failed to impress the Air Ministry enough for a prototype to be ordered. Camm's response to this rejection was to further develop the design, introducing a retractable undercarriage and replacing the unsatisfactory Goshawk engine with a new Rolls-Royce design, initially designated
12267-485: The initiative when it came to breaking off or attacking during combat. At higher altitudes especially, the Hurricane was hard-pressed to keep up with a well-flown 109, or even a Bf 110 . Lower down the situation was a little more even. The Merlin engine gave more power at low altitude than the Daimler-Benz DB 601 used in the Bf 109, on account of a different supercharger design. The DB601A-1 did not start to outperform
12408-472: The inner end of the wings. This wing was predominantly fabric-covered, like the fuselage, although some lightweight metal sheets were used on the inner wing and its leading edge . The majority of the flight control surfaces , such as the Frise-type ailerons , also had fabric coverings. An all-metal, stressed-skin wing of duraluminium (a DERD specification similar to AA2024) was introduced in April 1939 and
12549-450: The late summer of 1940". Present at the meeting was Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley of the Air Ministry's Operational Requirements branch, who played an important role in the decision. In November 1934, the Air Ministry issued Specification F.5/34 which called for new fighter aircraft to be armed with a total of eight guns. However, by this time, work had progressed too far to immediately modify the planned four-gun installation. By January 1935,
12690-432: The lead. Mölders and Leutnant Hans von Hahn shot down the Hurricanes of Sergeant R. M. Perry and J. Winn for no loss. In May 1940, Nos. 3, 79 and 504 Squadrons reinforced the earlier units as Germany's Blitzkrieg gathered momentum. On 10 May, the first day of the Battle of France , Flight Lieutenant R. E. Lovett and Flying Officer "Fanny" Orton , of 73 Squadron, were the first RAF pilots to engage enemy aircraft in
12831-432: The main undercarriage units being housed in recesses in the wing. Hinged telescopic Vickers-built legs are attached to the bottom boom of the wing's forward spar, but with a angled pivot to allow the strut to be perpendicular to the thrust line when extended and angle rearwards when retracted to clear the forward spar. A hydraulic jack actuated the undercarriage. Two separate hydraulic systems, one being power-operated and
12972-552: The major theatres of the Second World War. The Hurricane originated from discussions between RAF officials and aircraft designer Sir Sydney Camm about a proposed monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane in the early 1930s. Despite an institutional preference for biplanes and lack of interest by the Air Ministry , Hawker refined its monoplane proposal, incorporating several innovations which became critical to wartime fighter aircraft, including retractable landing gear and
13113-534: The mast. At the start of the war, the engine ran on the standard 87 octane aviation spirit . From March 1940 increasing quantities of 100 octane fuel, imported from the British-controlled refineries and the US, became available. This meant that during the defensive battles over Dunkirk the Hurricane Is benefited from an allowable increase in supercharger "boost" from 6 lb to 12 lb without damaging
13254-558: The more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's Interceptor Monoplane in late 1934, and the prototype Hurricane K5083 performed its maiden flight on 6 November 1935. The Hurricane went into production for the Air Ministry In June 1936 and entered squadron service in December 1937. Its manufacture and maintenance were eased by using conventional construction methods so that squadrons could perform many major repairs without external support. The plane
13395-516: The new design also mounted the improved Merlin 24 or 27 engines of 1,620 hp (1,208 kW) but this is clearly wrong as the RAF Form 78 show. It can be noted that all Merlin 27 were modified to Merlin 25 and used in Mosquitoes, there were only 16 production Merlin 24 by the time over 300 Mark IV had been delivered and despite many Hurricane IV exports Merlin 24 exports were rare, and in accordance with
13536-721: The nose dipping during arrested landings, causing the propeller blades to "peck" the carrier deck. The lighter de Havilland units avoided this problem. Hurricane Mk I version equipped with catapult spools, an arrester hook and the four-cannon wing. Eight known conversions from Sea IA or IB in 1943 for the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit, no operational use. Sea Hurricane IC may have been used during Operation Pedestal . Some Sea Hurricanes reportedly had their Merlin III engines adjusted to 16 lb maximum boost which would mean more than 1,400 hp at low altitude (5,000 ft). Lt. Richard Cork
13677-411: The opening months of the war were characterised by little air activity in general, there were sporadic engagements and aerial skirmishes between the two sides. On 30 October 1939 Hurricanes saw action over France. That day, Pilot Officer P. W. O. "Boy" Mould of 1 Squadron, flying Hurricane L1842, shot down a Dornier Do 17 P from 2(F)/123. The German aircraft, sent to photograph Allied airfields close to
13818-402: The other armament to a single Browning in each wing loaded with tracers for aiming purposes. The Hurricanes No. 6 Squadron , the first squadron equipped with this armament, were so effective that the squadron was nicknamed the "Flying Can Openers". A winged can-opener became an unofficial squadron emblem, and is painted on present-day aircraft of 6 Squadron. The layout was originally tested on
13959-460: The other hand-operated, are present for the deployment and retraction of the undercarriage; in the event of both failing, pilots can release the retaining catches holding the undercarriage in place, deploying the wheels to the 'down' position using weight alone. A wide wheel-track was used to allow for considerable stability during ground movements and to enable tight turns to be performed. The prototype and early production Hurricanes were fitted with
14100-409: The overseas Avro York fleet. The individual aircraft cards held by the RAF museum reports the final Mark IV had Merlin XX. Mark IV loss reports note the engine as Merlin XX. They were equipped with dust filters for desert operations and an additional 350 lb (159 kg) of armour plating was added to the radiator housing, cockpit, and fuel tanks. The Mk IV was used in ground-attack missions in
14241-411: The pilot. The wooden and fabric rear fuselage was also far more likely to catch fire than the metal fuselages of its contemporaries. This issue was of such concern to Air Vice Marshal Hugh Dowding that he had Hawker retrofit the fuselage tanks of Hurricanes with a fire-resistant material called "Linatex" as a matter of priority. The wing tanks had already been fitted with a covering of this sealant, but
14382-464: The planes claimed by the RAF (1,593 out of 2,739 in total). Hurricane fighters were sometimes directed against slower bombers whilst the Spitfires attacked German fighters. By the close of the Battle of Britain in late 1940, production of the Spitfire had increased to the point where all squadrons could be supplied with them. In June 1940, the first Hurricane Mk I "Tropical" versions appeared. These featured
14523-563: The prototype was transferred to RAF Martlesham Heath , Suffolk , to participate in initial service trials under the direction of Squadron Leader D.F. Anderson. Sammy Wroath, later to be the founding commandant of the Empire Test Pilots' School , was the RAF test pilot for the Hurricane: his report was favourable, stating that: "The aircraft is simple and easy to fly and has no apparent vices" and proceeded to praise its control response. In
14664-532: The rejection of the P.V.3 proposal, Camm started work on a new design involving a cantilever monoplane arrangement with a fixed undercarriage, armed with four machine guns and powered by the Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. The original 1934 armament specifications for what evolved into the Hurricane were for a similar armament fitment to the Gloster Gladiator : four machine guns; two in the wings and two in
14805-417: The rest of the pilots, two pilot officers took up a pair of reserve aircraft and followed at a distance. Hurricanes from 151 Squadron (also from North Weald) and Spitfires from 54 Squadron , 65 Squadron and 74 Squadron based at Hornchurch Airfield scrambled. None of the Royal Air Force pilots had been in action and few had seen a German aircraft. Communication between the pilots and ground control
14946-409: The ring being mounted above the instrument panel and the bead mounted on a post above the engine cowling. The standard GM2 reflector gunsight was introduced in mid-1939, although many Hurricanes retained the "bead". Fuel capacity was 97 Imperial gal (441 L) in two fuel tanks, each of 34.5 gal (157 L) in the wing centre-section, between the spars; the fuel was pumped from these into
15087-413: The surprise! There was no sudden surge of acceleration, but with a thunderous roar from the exhausts just ahead on either side of the windscreen, only a steady increase in speed... In retrospect that first Hurricane sortie was a moment of elation, but also of relief. Apart from the new scale of speeds that the pilot had to adapt to, the Hurricane had all the qualities of its stable, secure biplane predecessor
15228-424: The tailwheel was designed to be retractable; early on it was discovered that the Hurricane needed a larger rudder area to improve the control characteristics during a spin. To this end, the lower part of the rudder was extended and a distinctive ventral "keel" was added to the rear fuselage. The tailwheel was now fixed. Early Hurricanes lacked armour or self-sealing tanks . They used "ring and bead" gunsights, with
15369-427: The three, Flying Officer Vincent 'Paddy' Byrne and Pilot Officer John Freeborn , opened fire. Malan later claimed to have given a last-minute call of "friendly aircraft – break away!" but if this was true, it was not heard by Byrne and Freeborn. Richard Hough and Denis Richards wrote that further losses were prevented by Squadron Leader Edward Donaldson , the 151 Squadron commanding officer, who alerted his pilots that
15510-534: The time of the Battle of Britain , a view echoed in a 2012 publication by Philip Kaplan. Montague Hulton-Harrop is buried with a war grave headstone at St Andrew's Church in North Weald . Lucking was an engineering officer who was in the General Duties Branch and was returned to engineering duties later that month as OC (Officer Commanding) 32 MU . He was transferred to the new Technical Branch in 1940 and
15651-590: The time production was to have started, British Merlin production had increased to the point where the idea was abandoned. The Mk IV . The last major change to the Hurricane was to "rationalise" the wing, configuring it with a single design able to mount two 250 or 500 lb (110 or 230 kg) bombs, two 40 mm (1.57 in) Vickers S guns , or two 40 mm (1.57 in) Rolls-Royce B.H. type guns, or two SBC (small bomb containers) or SCI (smoke curtain installation), or two 45 or 90 gallon drop tanks, or eight "60 pounder" RP-3 rockets. Some sources say that
15792-510: The two squadrons involved) to suit local circumstances. The Hurricane had its first combat action on 21 October 1939, at the start of the Phoney War . That day, "A" Flight of 46 Squadron took off from North Coates satellite airfield, on the Lincolnshire coast, and was directed to intercept a formation of nine Heinkel He 115 B floatplanes from 1/KüFlGr 906, searching for ships to attack in
15933-559: The type at Brooklands from December 1937 to October 1942 and Langley from October 1939 to July 1944), while Hawker's sister company, the Gloster Aircraft Company , constructed 2,750. The Austin Aero Company completed 300 Hurricanes. Canada Car and Foundry produced 1,451 Hurricanes. However those shipped to Britain were often incomplete airframes and about 80% were delivered without an engine. In 1939, production of 100 Hurricanes
16074-577: The ventral keel was changed in shape and the tailwheel leg became a levered-suspension unit with a small torque link. For use in North Africa; the Hawker Hurricane IIB, (and other aircraft), were tropicalised, or "trop". They were given engine dust filters and the pilots were issued a desert survival kit. The Hurricane II armed with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispanos become the Mark IIC , using
16215-526: The war and his Hurricane was the first aircraft shot down by a Spitfire. The court martial of John Freeborn and Paddy Byrne was heard in camera at Bentley Priory , the headquarters of Fighter Command. In 2019, The National Archives released some records, including the Operations Record Books of the fighter squadrons and certain court documents. The court martial transcript has not been released as of 2021. According to Bill Nasson in 2009, it
16356-490: The weight was enough to seriously reduce performance. The Hispanos were designed for a rigid, engine-based mounting and it was quickly found that the wings flexing in flight led to problems with the weapons twisting in their mounts as they fired, which caused gun jamming through misaligned shells. Changes made both to the Hispanos and to their mountings cured this problem. Small blisters on the upper wing surfaces were needed to clear
16497-560: The wood and fabric covering without exploding. Even if one of the steel tubes were damaged, the repair work required was relatively simple and could be done by ground crew at the airfield. Damage to a stressed skin structure, as used by the Spitfire, required more specialised equipment to repair. The old-fashioned structure also permitted the assembly of Hurricanes with relatively basic equipment under field conditions. Crated Hurricanes were assembled at Takoradi in West Africa and flown across
16638-422: Was 322 mph (518 km/h) at 13,500 ft (4,100 m) and 342 mph (550 km/h) at 22,000 ft (6,700 m). Canadian-built Sea Hurricane Mk I converted to use the Merlin 29. [REDACTED] Media related to Hawker Hurricane Mark I at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED] Media related to Hawker Hurricane Mark IV at Wikimedia Commons Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane
16779-445: Was 73 Squadron on 10 September 1939, followed shortly by the other three. A little later, 607 and 615 Squadrons joined them. Owing to the Hurricane's rugged construction, ease of maintenance and repair in the field, and its docile landing and take-off characteristics, coupled with a wide-track undercarriage, it was selected to go to France as the principal RAF fighter. Two Hurricane squadrons, No. 1 and No. 73 , formed 67 Wing of
16920-414: Was a boon when it came to squadrons being flooded with inexperienced pilots, and it was a steady gun platform. The closely grouped .303 in (7.7 mm) Brownings created a superior pattern of fire to those of the Spitfire, which were spaced out along the wings, and the armament was more quickly serviced. In spite of its vulnerabilities during the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane shot down the majority of
17061-468: Was a factor leading to the Battle of Barking Creek . At about the same time new VHF T/R Type 1133 radios started replacing the HF TR9 sets. The pilots enjoyed a much clearer reception, which was a big advantage with the adoption of Wing formations throughout the RAF in 1941. The new installation meant that the wire running between the aerial mast and rudder could be removed, as could the triangular "prong" on
17202-517: Was a two-seat training version of the Mk. IIC. Only two aircraft were built for the Persian Air Force. Mk IIs were used in ground support , where it was quickly learned that destroying German tanks was difficult; the cannons did not have the performance needed, while bombing the tanks was almost impossible. The solution was to equip the aircraft with a 40 mm cannon in a pod under each wing, reducing
17343-428: Was added in the form of head and back armour. Starting in September 1940, IFF equipment was installed. This weighed about 40 lb (18 kg) and could be identified by wire aerials strung between the tailplane tips and rear fuselage. Although the added weight and the aerials reduced maximum speed by about 2 mph (3 km/h), it allowed the aircraft to be identified as "friendly" on radar: lack of such equipment
17484-437: Was aided by a retractable " stirrup " mounted below the trailing edge of the port wing. This was linked to a spring-loaded hinged flap which covered a handhold on the fuselage, just behind the cockpit. When the flap was shut, the footstep retracted into the fuselage. In addition, both wing roots were coated with strips of non-slip material. An advantage of the steel-tube structure was that cannon shells could pass right through
17625-446: Was an unfortunate accident. In 1990, Hough and Richards wrote, This tragic shambles, hushed up at the time, was dubbed in the RAF 'the Battle of Barking Creek' – a place several miles from the shooting-down but one which, like Wigan Pier , was a standing joke in the music halls. In 2003, Patrick Bishop wrote that the incident exposed the inadequacies of RAF radar and identification procedures, leading to their being greatly improved by
17766-512: Was cooled by a 70% to 30% water glycol mix, rather than pure glycol used for earlier Merlin versions. This and the increased cooling requirements required a larger radiator and a redesigned, circular oil cooler housed in a deeper, slightly wider "bath". Although, by this time, production of the Spitfire had started to increase, a prototype of a Merlin XX-powered Hurricane Mk I was built and first flew on 11 June 1940. The initial Mark II
17907-511: Was credited with five kills while flying a Sea Hurricane IC during Pedestal. Hurricane Mk IIC version equipped with catapult spools, an arrester hook and full naval avionics; 60 Built by Hawker November 1942 to May 1943, around another 50 mark IIB were converted, with most receiving C wings. The Merlin XX engine on the Sea Hurricane generated 1,460 hp at 6,250 ft (1,900 m) and 1,435 hp at 11,000 ft (3,400 m). Top speed
18048-438: Was enough to outgun the early marks of German Messerschmitt Bf 109 , which were equipped with only four light machine guns. By the time of the Battle of Britain , it was recognised that this relatively small-calibre armament was inadequate; during the Battle of Britain it was relatively common for Luftwaffe aircraft to survive numerous hits from .303 in (7.7 mm) bullets and still return safely to base. Later versions of
18189-495: Was his 13-year-old daughter Hazel Hill . Of the decision to place eight machine guns in fighters, Claude Hilton Keith , at the time assistant director of armament research and development, said "The battle was brisk and was carried into very high quarters before the implementing authority was given. My Branch had made out a sound case for 8-gun fighters and if this recommendation had not been accepted and we had been content with half-measures, it might indeed have gone ill for us during
18330-546: Was initiated in Yugoslavia by Zmaj and Rogožarski . Of these, 20 were built by Zmaj by April 1941. Recognising that the supply of British-made Merlin engines might not be guaranteed, it was decided to fit one of the Yugoslavian Hurricanes with a Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine instead. This aircraft was flown in 1941. In 1938, a contract for 80 Hurricanes was placed with Fairey's Belgian subsidiary Avions Fairey SA for
18471-489: Was installed. The main coolant radiator was housed in a fairing under the rear wing centre-section; the oil cooler was also incorporated into the main radiator. The aircraft handling qualities during take-off and landings were excellent due to a wide-track undercarriage with relatively wide low-pressure tyres. Because of this wide, stable platform, the Hurricane was an easier aircraft to land, with less fear of nose-overs or "ground-loops" than its RAF Fighter Command counterpart
18612-407: Was more power at both lower and higher altitudes, dramatically increasing the overall performance of the engine, peaking at 1,280 horsepower (950 kW). Because of the new engine, the bay immediately in front of the cockpit was lengthened by 4 inches (100 mm). The carburettor air intake under the forward centre-section was redesigned and moved back 3 inches (76 mm). The more powerful engine
18753-472: Was poor and there was no procedure for pilots to distinguish between RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft. Identification friend or foe (IFF) sets were still being developed and had not been installed in many RAF aircraft. With everyone in the air expecting to see enemy aircraft and no experience of having done so, 'A' Flight of 74 Squadron saw what they believed were German aircraft and their commander, Adolph "Sailor" Malan , allegedly gave an order to engage. Two of
18894-594: Was promoted to air commodore in December 1941. He died in 1970, aged 75. Frank Rose was killed in action over Vitry-en-Artois , France, on 18 May 1940. Malan went on to be one of the most successful Allied fighter pilots of the war, shooting down 27 Luftwaffe aircraft and rising to group captain . Malan received the Distinguished Service Order and bar and the Distinguished Flying Cross . On his return to South Africa he worked against
19035-529: Was rapidly procured prior to the outbreak of the Second World War; in September 1939, the RAF had 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons in service. It was relied upon to defend against German aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe, including dogfighting with Messerschmitt Bf 109s in multiple theatres of action. The Hurricane was developed through several versions: bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers , and ground support aircraft as well as fighters. Versions designed for
19176-732: Was received; this was followed by the purchase of a production licence for the Hurricane by Yugoslavia. Yugoslavian Hurricanes saw action against the Luftwaffe during the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 by the Axis powers . To the end of August 1939, 14 Hurricanes had been sent to Poland (SS Lassel left Liverpool on 30 August 1939 heading to Constanza in Romania, these planes never reached Poland and ultimately were sold to Turkey ), seven ex-RAF Hurricanes had been sent to South Africa, while another 13 ex-RAF Hurricanes were sent to Turkey, 13 Hurricanes had been built for Belgium, 21 for Canada including one as
19317-607: Was reworked with the PV.12, following detailed work working drawings of the "Interceptor Monoplane" were begun in May 1934. The complete design was presented to the Air Ministry on 4 September. Camm's initial submission in response to the earlier fighter specification F.7/30 was a development of the Fury, the Hawker P.V.3 , However, the P.V.3 was not among the proposals which the Air Ministry selected to be built as prototype to official contract. After
19458-404: Was tested during 1940 with 151 Squadron) but the extra weight and drag seriously compromised the aircraft's performance and manoeuvrability, and the limited amount of ammunition carried coupled with the frequent stoppages suffered by the drum-fed guns, meant the arrangement was unsatisfactory. A more reliable fit was made with four 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk II cannon, two in each wing, but
19599-719: Was the first to clash with a Messerschmitt Bf 109 . After the dogfight, he came back with five holes in his fuselage. Flying Officer Cobber Kain , a New Zealander, was responsible for 73 Squadron's first victory, on 8 November 1939 while stationed at Rouvres . He went on to become one of the RAF's first fighter aces of the war, being credited with 16 kills. On 22 December, the Hurricanes in France suffered their first losses: three, while trying to intercept an unidentified aircraft between Metz and Thionville , were jumped by four Bf 109Es from III./JG 53, with their Gruppenkommandeur , Spanish Civil War ace Captain Werner Mölders , in
19740-402: Was typically equipped for flying under both day and night conditions, being provided with navigation lights, Harley landing lights , complete blind-flying equipment, and two-way radios . Upon its entry to service, much of the performance data was intentionally concealed from the general public, but it was known that the type possessed a speed range of 6:1. A simple steel tube structure supported
19881-420: Was used for all of the later marks. "The metal skinned wings allowed a diving speed that was 80 mph (130 km/h) higher than the fabric-covered ones. They were very different in construction but were interchangeable with the fabric-covered wings; one trials Hurricane, L1877 , was even flown with a fabric-covered port wing and metal-covered starboard wing. The great advantage of the metal-covered wings over
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