35 Facts About Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd.

The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's Interceptor Monoplane in late 1934, and the prototype Hurricane K5083 performed its maiden flight on 6 November 1935.

Hawker Hurricane went into production for the Air Ministry In June 1936 and entered squadron service in December 1937.

Hawker Hurricane was developed through several versions: bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft as well as fighters.

The original 1934 armament specifications for what evolved into the Hawker Hurricane were for a similar armament fitment to the Gloster Gladiator: four machine-guns, two in the wings and two in the fuselage, synchronised to fire through the propeller arc.

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The first Hawker Hurricane built at Canadian Car and Foundry was officially produced in February 1940.

Hawker Hurricane is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit.

The Hawker Hurricane was initially armed with an arrangement of eight remotely-operated wing-mounted Browning machine guns, intended for conducting rapid engagements.

The Hawker Hurricane 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.

Hawker Hurricane had a inward-retracting undercarriage, the main undercarriage units being housed in recesses in the wing.

In retrospect that first Hawker Hurricane sortie was a moment of elation, but of relief.

Apart from the new scale of speeds that the pilot had to adapt to, the Hawker Hurricane had all the qualities of its stable, secure biplane predecessor the Hart, but enhanced by livelier controls, greater precision and all this performance.

The Hawker Hurricane proved to be a relatively simple aircraft to fly at night, and shot down several German aircraft on night raids.

From early 1941 the Hawker Hurricane was used as an "intruder" aircraft, patrolling German airfields in France at night to catch bombers taking off or landing.

Shortly after this evaluation, an order for 24 Hawker Hurricane Mark Is for the Royal Yugoslav Air Force was received; this was followed by the purchase of a production licence for the Hawker Hurricane by Yugoslavia.

Hawker 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 the Auxiliary Air Force.

Hawker Hurricane had its first combat action on 21 October 1939, at the start of the Phoney War.

My Hawker Hurricane was never hit in the Battles of France and Britain, and in over 700 hr on type I never experienced an engine failure.

Hawker Hurricane went on to become one of the RAF's first fighter aces of the war, being credited with 16 kills.

All ten requested Hawker Hurricane squadrons were then operating from French soil and felt the full force of the Nazi offensive.

On 18 May 1940, air combat continued from dawn to dusk; Hawker Hurricane pilots claimed 57 German aircraft and 20 probables.

Between 26 May and 3 June 1940, the 14 Hawker Hurricane units involved were credited with 108 air victories.

On leaving his airfield, he put on an impromptu aerobatic display and was killed when his Hawker Hurricane crashed after completing a loop and attempting some low altitude "flick" rolls.

In spite of its performance deficiencies against the Bf 109, the Hawker Hurricane was still capable of destroying the German fighter, especially at lower altitudes.

Hawker Hurricane was a steady gun platform, and had demonstrated its ruggedness as several were badly damaged yet returned to base.

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Many Hawker Hurricane pilots were seriously burned as a consequence of a jet of flame which could burn through the instrument panel.

However, some Hawker Hurricane pilots felt that the fuel tanks in the wings, although they were protected with a layer of Linatex, were vulnerable from behind, and it was thought that those, and not the fuselage tank, were the main fire risk.

Hawker Hurricane is credited with 21 kills, 19 of those in a Hurricane during the Battle of Britain.

Hawker Hurricane was killed on 1 November 1940 while taking on a superior number of Bf 109s.

Hawker Hurricane was the first Allied Lend-Lease aircraft to be delivered to the Soviet Union with a total of 2,952 Hurricanes eventually delivered, becoming the most numerous British aircraft in Soviet service.

Many Soviet pilots were disappointed by the Hawker Hurricane fighter, regarding it as inferior to both German and Soviet aircraft.

The Hawker Hurricane remained in service as a fighter-bomber over the Balkans and at home as well where it was used mainly for second-line tasks and occasionally flown by ace pilots.

For example, in mid-1944, ace Sqdn Leader 'Jas' Storrar flew No 1687 Hawker Hurricane to deliver priority mail to Allied armies in France during the Normandy invasion.

The Sea Hawker Hurricane scored an impressive kill-to-loss ratio, primarily while defending Malta convoys, and operating from escort carriers in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Hawker Hurricane was unusual in that it was flown operationally by both the Allies and the Axis during the war.