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Hawker Hurricane (Variants/Other Names: See History
below)
History: In 1933, Hawker's
chief designer, Sydney Camm, decided to design an aircraft which would fulfill a British
Air Ministry specification calling for a new monoplane fighter. His prototype, powered by
a 990hp Rolls Royce Merlin 'C' engine, first flew on 6 November 1935, and quickly
surpassed expectations and performance estimates. Official trials began three months
later, and in June 1936, Hawker received an initial order for 600 aircraft from the Royal
Air Force. The first aircraft had fabric wings. To power the new aircraft (now officially
designated the "Hurricane,") the RAF ordered the new 1,030hp Merlin II engine. The first production Hurricane flew on 12 October 1937, and
was delivered to the 111 Squadron at RAF Northolt two months later. A year later, around
200 had been delivered, and demand for the airplane had increased enough that Hawker
contracted with the Gloster Aircraft company to build them also. During the production
run, the fabric-covered wing was replaced by an all-metal one, a bullet-proof windscreen
was added, and the engine was upgraded to the Merlin III. Before WWII, production
locations expanded to include Yugoslavia, Belgium and in 1940, Canada, where it was
undertaken by the Canadian Car and Foundry Company. August 1940 brought what has become the Hurricane's shining
moment in history: The Battle of Britain. RAF Hurricanes accounted for more enemy aircraft
kills than all other defenses combined, including all aircraft and ground defenses. Later
in the war, the Hurricane served admirably in North Africa, Burma, Malta, and nearly every
other theater in which the RAF participated. The Hurricane underwent many modifications during its life,
resulting in many major variants, including the Mk IIA, with a
Merlin XX engine; the Mk IIB, with interchangeable wings housing
twelve 7.7mm (0.303in) guns and carrying two 500lb bombs; the Mk IID,
a tankbuster with two 40mm anti-tank guns plus two 7.7mm guns; the Mk IV,
with a universal, multi-purpose wing, and powered by a 1,620hp Merlin 24/27 engine; and
the Canadian-built Mk XII, with a 1,300hp Packard Merlin 29
engine. During the war, Hurricanes were sold to Egypt, Finland, India, the Irish Air
Corps, Persia, Turkey, and the USSR. The Hurricane was undoubtedly one of the greatest and most
versatile fighter aircraft of WWII, and it remained in service with the RAF until January
1947. Nicknames: Hurry; Hurribomber
(Malta-based Hurricanes) Specifications (Mk IIB): Number Built: 14,231 Number Still Airworthy: 6
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All text and photos Copyright 2006 The
Doublestar Group, unless otherwise noted.
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