Hawker Hurricane

History of Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane was the culmination of a series of high-performance metal biplanes developed by the Hawker Company in the 1920s. The Hurricane's hull shape and design borrows heavily from the Hawker line of "Fury" biplanes previously known as the Hurricane, or, for a while, "Fury monoplanes". It is probably best known as the true star of the "Battle of Britain" (proposed "Operation Sea Lion") that swept Europe in the summer of 1940. In Fighter Command's inventory, the Hurricane Spitfire outperformed its rivals by a two-to-one margin -- and was more popular -- the Spitfire, proving it was the most effective against swarms of enemy aircraft. valuable assets.

The hurricane further resulted in the destruction of more enemy aircraft in combat than any other British weapon (including the Spitfire and all ground artillery fire), which is why it was so important to the British defense. In addition to her wartime exploits, the Hurricane became the RAF's first monoplane and the first to be able to exceed the 300 mph limit.

The design of the aircraft is attributed to aeronautical engineer Sidney Camm (1893-1966), who also lent his design talents to the wartime fighter-bomber Hawker Typhoon and Tempest. In the postwar years, he helped advance the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Harrier "Jumpjet" and Hawker Hunter jet fighter programs, which rose to prominence during the Cold War.

Development

The aircraft that would become the hurricane was gradually developed from a 1933 TDA program to move from the biplane to the monoplane realm. Camm started developing the aircraft by borrowing some successful elements from his existing Fury biplane. The aircraft will have an operator and will be powered by a new Rolls-Royce PV. 12-row piston engine (which became the famous "Merlin").

Unlike the Fury, the new fighter will feature a monoplane wing assembly, an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. It continues to use Hawker's tubular steel landing gear covered with fabric, rather than the pressurized metal hull approach found in more modern designs. This approach proved to be less complicated to maintain and manufacture, but made the aircraft a dead-end technical product that could not be developed beyond a specific form. The original 4 machine gun wing armament was increased to 8 machine guns when Colt Browning obtained a license to manufacture American rifles locally in the UK.

The guns were divided into two groups of four, on each wing, and did not require synchronization equipment to fire through the rotating propeller blades - further simplifying Camm's approach.

British authorities were enthusiastic about the concept and in 1934 developed the F. 36/34 fighter specification around the promising Hawker design. The first flight of the Hurricane prototype took place on November 6, 1935, and it was not known as the "Hurricane" until June 1936.

600 aircraft were subsequently ordered.

Canada produced a total of 1,451 hurricanes in the Mk X, Mk XI and Mk XII variants. The Mk X is powered by a Packard Merlin 28 engine with 1,300 horsepower and 8 wings. 490 were produced. Production of the Mk XI reached 150 units.

The Mk XII was armed with 12 machine guns and later 4 x 20mm cannons on the wings. MK XIIA reverted to 8 x Wing machine guns. Canadian production is by Canadian Motors and Foundry in Montreal.

The Soviet Union received approximately 2,952 Hurricane aircraft through Lend-Lease agreements.

Sea Hurricane

The "Sea Hurricane" became the naval version of the land-based Hurricane, with a catapult and snap hook, and appeared in 1941. Changes are handled by General Aircraft Ltd. These are what Royal Navy merchant ships and escort carriers need. In its early form, the plane was launched from a catapult ("hurricane") and was usually jettisoned by the pilot after the mission was completed.

In the latter form, sea hurricanes are used to bombard enemy positions offshore, defend sea lanes, or engage enemy ships directly. Approximately 825 Sea Cyclones were delivered, these were in Mk I and Mk II production form. The Canadian brand is Mk XIIA.

Hawker Hurricane Walking Tour

The design of the Hawker Hurricane stems from the interwar period, inheriting many of the design lines of the earlier Hawk series metal biplanes. Inside, the Hurricane continues to use a tubular metal structure covered in cloth skin.

Although a far cry from the most advanced pressurized metal-skinned mounts, the Hurricane's structure allows it to absorb various forms of punishment before falling. As a monoplane design, circular monoplane wings were placed under the aircraft and under the forward midship. The engine is located in the front compartment and is covered by an aerodynamic spinner. An early version of the aircraft powered a two-bladed propeller, but this soon gave way to a standard three-bladed propeller design.

The cockpit is located behind the engine unit and is mounted under a greenhouse-style sunroof. The plane's downward-sloping nose was a key feature, as it gave a better view of the engines than a Spitfire. The raised fuselage spine limits rearward visibility but allows for the necessary internal volume required for avionics controls, fuel and structural support.

The tail is elegantly shaped with a rounded vertical tail fin at the top. Center-mounted horizontal planes are added to both sides of the fin. The landing gear is a trailing arrangement with two single wheel main legs and a small tail wheel.

Only the main legs are retracted under the aircraft, the tail wheel remains free in flight.

All in all, the Hurricane brings fairly modern qualities to its design - an enclosed cockpit, monoplane wings, and retractable landing gear. The original product was equipped with 8-barrel machine gun armament, making it one of the best-equipped military fighter jets of its time.

Pilots certainly liked its speed and maneuverability, and some preferred it to the more famous Spitfire. Over time, the speed of a hurricane has ceased to be a quality that has been surpassed by ever-improving types.

The whole design was essentially a technical stalemate - their fabric tubular steel structures did not fit the more advanced, modern types that emerged at the end of the war - which led to their rapid elimination from the front lines and the cancellation of service with the UK in 1947.

Total production for the hurricane reached 14,583 aircraft. Finally, operators outside the UK include Australia, Egypt, France, Finland, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Turkey, and more.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes