HAWKER HURRICANE WW2 RAF RCAF RAAF ROLLS-ROYCE
MERLIN VARIANTS SQUADRONS ACES SEAC
SAM
PUBLICATIONS MODELLERS DATAFILE 2 SOFTBOUND BOOK by RICHARD A. FRANKS
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Additional
Information from Internet Encyclopedia
The Hawker Hurricane is a British
single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s-1940s that was designed and
predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Although overshadowed by the Supermarine Spitfire, the aircraft became renowned
during the Battle of Britain, accounting for 60% of the RAF's air victories in
the battle, and served in all the major theatres of the Second World War.
The 1930s design
evolved through several versions and adaptations, resulting in a series of
aircraft which acted as fighters, bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers (also
called "Hurribombers") and ground support aircraft. Further versions
known as the Sea Hurricane
had modifications which enabled operation from ships. Some were converted as
catapult-launched convoy escorts, known as "Hurricats". More than
14,583 Hurricanes were built by the end of 1944 (including at least 800
converted to Sea Hurricanes and some 1,400 built in Canada by Canadian Car and
Foundry).
At the time that
the Hurricane was developed, RAF Fighter Command consisted of just 13
squadrons, each equipped with either the Hawker Fury, Hawker Demon, or the
Bristol Bulldog, all biplanes with fixed-pitch wooden propellers and
non-retractable undercarriages. Sydney Camm's design to meet F.7/30, the Hawker
P.V.3, was essentially a scaled-up version of the Fury and was not among the
proposals submitted to the Air Ministry selected for building as a government
sponsored prototype. After the rejection of the P.V.3, Camm started work on a
cantilever monoplane with a fixed undercarriage armed with four machine guns
and powered by the Rolls-Royce Goshawk. The original 1934 armament
specifications for what was to evolve into the Hurricane were for a similar
armament fitment to the Gloster Gladiator: four machine-guns, two in the wings
and two in the fuselage, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. The
photo immediately below the completed K5083
first prototype shows a mockup of the evolving Hurricane fuselage design
mounting the starboard fuselage gun. The prototype as completed had ballast
representing this armament, before the final multi-gun wing armament was
accepted. Detail drawings for the Hurricane were finished by January 1934, but
failed to impress the Air Ministry enough for a prototype to be ordered.
Camm's response
was to further develop the design, introducing a retractable undercarriage and
replacing the unsatisfactory Goshawk with a new Rolls-Royce design, the PV-12,
later to become famous as the Merlin. In August 1934, a one-tenth scale model
was made and sent to the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington. A series
of wind tunnel tests confirmed the aerodynamic qualities of the design were in
order, and in September Camm approached the Air Ministry again. This time, the
response was favourable, and a prototype of the "Interceptor
Monoplane" was ordered.
In November 1934,
the Air Ministry issued Specification F.5/34 which, drawing on the work of
Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley, called for fighter aircraft to be armed with
eight guns. However, by this time, work had progressed too far to immediately
modify the planned four-gun installation. By January 1935, 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.
Work on the
airframe was completed at the end of August 1935 and the aircraft components
were taken to Brooklands, where Hawker had an assembly shed, and 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 the first time at the hands of
Hawker's chief test pilot, Flight Lieutenant (later Group Captain) 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. The same year the Hawker Board
of Directors voted to tool-up for and build a production line at company
expense for 1,000 Hurricanes.
RAF trials of the
aircraft at Martlesham Heath began in February 1936. Sammy Wroath, later to be
the founding Commandant of the Empire Test Pilot School, was the RAF test pilot
for the Hurricane: his report was favorable, stating, "The aircraft is
simple and easy to fly and has no apparent vices" and going on to praise
its control response. The type name "Hurricane" proposed by Hawker
was approved by the Air Ministry on 26 June; an informal christening ceremony
was carried out the next month when King Edward VIII paid a visit to Martlesham
Heath
Further testing
showed that the Hurricane had poor spin recovery characteristics, with all
rudder authority being lost. Hawker's response was to request that spinning
tests be waived, but the Air Ministry refused the request; the situation was
resolved by the Royal Aircraft Establishment, who established that the problem
was 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 came too late to be incorporated in the first
production aircraft, but was introduced in the 61st built and all subsequent
aircraft.
Though faster and
more advanced than the RAF's current front line biplane fighters, the
Hurricane's constructional design was already outdated when introduced. It used
the traditional Hawker construction techniques, with a Warren truss box-girder
primary fuselage structure with high-tensile steel longerons and duralumin
cross-bracing using mechanically fastened rather than welded joints. Over this,
wooden formers and stringers carried the doped linen covering. Initially, the
wing structure consisted of two steel spars, and was also fabric-covered. An
all-metal, stressed-skin wing of duraluminium (a DERD specification similar to
AA2024) was introduced in April 1939 and 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 the fabric ones was that
the metal ones could carry far greater stress loads without needing so much
structure beneath." 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 only required
three hours work per aircraft.
The prototype and
early production Hurricanes were fitted with a Watts two-bladed fixed-pitch
wooden propeller. Since this was inefficient at low airspeeds, the aircraft
required a long ground run to get airborne, causing concern at Fighter Command.
Trials with a De Havilland variable-pitch propeller reduced the 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.
One of Camm's
priorities 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 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 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
groundcrew 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 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 to bullet damage. With its ease of
maintenance, widely set landing gear and benign flying characteristics, 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 a night fighter. The Hurricane proved to be a relatively simple
aircraft to fly at night and was to be instrumental in shooting down several
German aircraft during the nocturnal hours. From early 1941, the Hurricane
would also be used as an "intruder" aircraft, patrolling German
airfields in France at night in an attempt to catch night bombers during
takeoffs or landings.
The Hurricane was
ordered into production in June 1936, mainly due to its relatively simple
construction and ease of manufacture. As war was looking increasingly likely,
and time was of the essence in providing the RAF with an effective fighter
aircraft, it was unclear if the more advanced Spitfire would enter production
smoothly, while the Hurricane used well-understood manufacturing techniques.
This was true for service squadrons as well, which were experienced in working
on and repairing aircraft whose construction employed the same principles as
the Hurricane, and the simplicity of its design enabled the improvisation of
some remarkable repairs in squadron workshops. The Hurricane was also
significantly cheaper than the Spitfire, requiring 10,300 man hours to produce
versus 15,200 for the Spitfire.
The maiden flight
of the first production aircraft, powered by a Merlin II engine, took place on
12 October 1937. The first four aircraft to enter service with the RAF joined
No. 111 Squadron RAF at RAF Northolt the following December. By the outbreak of
the Second World War, nearly 500 Hurricanes had been produced, and had equipped
18 squadrons.
During 1940, Lord
Beaverbrook, who was the Minister of Aircraft Production, established an
organisation in which a number of manufacturers were seconded to repair and
overhaul battle-damaged Hurricanes. The Civilian Repair Organisation also
overhauled battle-weary aircraft, which were later sent to training units or to
other air forces; one of the factories involved was the Austin Aero Company's
Cofton Hackett plant. Another was David Rosenfield Ltd, based at Barton
aerodrome near Manchester.
Some 14,000
Hurricanes and Sea Hurricanes were produced. Most Hurricanes were built by
Hawker (which produced them until 1944), with Hawker's sister company, the
Gloster Aircraft Company, making 2,750. The Austin Aero Company built 300.
Canada Car and Foundry in Fort William, Ontario, Canada, (where the Chief
Engineer, Elsie MacGill, became known as the "Queen of the
Hurricanes") was responsible for production of 1,400 Hurricanes, known as
the Mk X.
In 1939,
production of 100 Hurricanes was initiated in Yugoslavia by Zmaj and
Rogoarski. Of these, 20 were built by Zmaj by April 1941. One of these was
fitted with a DB 601 and test flown in 1941.
A contract for 80
Hurricanes was placed with Fairey's Belgian subsidiary Avions Fairey SA for the
Belgian Air Force in 1938, with the intention of arming these aircraft with
four 13.2 mm machine guns. Three were built and two flown with this
armament by the time of the Blitzkrieg
in May 1940, with at least 12 more built by Avions Fairey with the conventional
eight rifle calibre machine gun armament.
The first 50
Hurricanes had reached squadrons by the middle of 1938. At that time,
production was slightly greater than the RAF's capacity to introduce the new
aircraft and the government gave Hawker the clearance to sell the excess to
nations likely to oppose German expansion. As a result, there were some modest
sales to other countries. Production was then increased with a plan to create a
reserve of aircraft as well as re-equip existing squadrons and newly formed
ones such as those of 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 squadrons of the planned
12 with Hurricanes. By the time of the German invasion of Poland, there were 18
operational Hurricane squadrons and three more converting.
The Hurricane had
its baptism of fire 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 115B floatplanes from 1/KüFlGr 906, searching for ships to attack in
the North Sea. The Heinkels had already been attacked and damaged by two
Spitfires from 72 Squadron when six Hurricanes intercepted the Heinkels, which
were flying at sea level in an attempt to avoid fighter attacks. Nevertheless,
the Hurricanes, in rapid succession, shot down four of the enemy (46 Squadron
claiming five and the Spitfire pilots two).
In response to a
request from the French government for 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 was No.73 Squadron on 10 September 1939, followed shortly by
the other three. A little later, 607 and 615 Squadrons joined them.
After his first
flight in October 1939, Hurricane pilot Roland Beamont subsequently flew
operationally with 87 Squadron, claiming three enemy aircraft during the French
campaign, and delivered great praise for his aircraft's performance.
During the 11 days
of fighting in France and over Dunkirk from 1021 May, Hurricane pilots claimed
499 kills and 123 probables. Contemporary German records, examined postwar,
attribute 299 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed and 65 seriously damaged by RAF
fighters. The last 66 Hurricanes of the 452 engaged during the Battle of France
left France on 21 June and 178 were abandoned at several airfields, notably
Merville, Abbeville, and Lille/Seclin.
During Operation
Dynamo (the evacuation from Dunkirk of British, French and Belgian troops cut
off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk), the Hawker Hurricanes
operated from British bases. Between 26 May and 3 June 1940, the 14 Hurricane
units involved were credited with 108 air victories. A total of 27 Hurricane
pilots became aces during Operation Dynamo, led by Canadians, Pilot Officer W.
L. Willie McKnight (10 victories) and Pilot Officer Percival Stanley Turner
(seven victories), who served in No. 242 Squadron, consisting mostly of
Canadian personnel. Losses were 22 pilots killed and three captured.
At the end of June
1940, following the fall of France, the majority of the RAF's 36 fighter
squadrons were equipped with Hurricanes. The Battle of Britain officially
lasted from 10 July until 31 October 1940, but the heaviest fighting took place
between 8 August and 21 September. Both the Supermarine Spitfire and the
Hurricane are renowned for their part in defending Britain against the
Luftwaffe; generally, the Spitfire would intercept the German fighters, leaving
Hurricanes to concentrate on the bombers, but despite the undoubted abilities
of the "thoroughbred" Spitfire, it was the "workhorse"
Hurricane that scored the higher number of RAF victories during this period,
accounting for 55 percent of the 2,739 German losses, according to Fighter
Command, compared with 42 per cent by Spitfires.
As a fighter, the
Hurricane had some drawbacks. It was slower than both the Spitfire I and II and
the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, and the thick wings compromised acceleration, but it
could out-turn both of them. In spite of its performance deficiencies against
the Bf 109, the Hurricane was still capable of destroying the German fighter,
especially at lower altitudes. The standard tactic of the 109s was to attempt
to climb higher than the RAF fighters and "bounce" them in a dive;
the Hurricanes could evade such tactics by turning into the attack or going
into a "corkscrew dive", which the 109s, with their lower rate of
roll, found hard to counter. If a 109 was caught in a dogfight, the Hurricane
was just as capable of out-turning the 109 as the Spitfire. In a stern chase,
the 109 could easily evade the Hurricane.
In September 1940,
the more powerful Mk IIa series 1 Hurricanes started entering service, although
only in small numbers. This version was capable of a maximum speed of
342 mph (550 km/h).
The Hurricane was
a steady gun platform, and had demonstrated its ruggedness, as several were
badly damaged, yet returned to base. But, whilst it was sturdy and stable, the
Hurricane's construction made it dangerous in the event of the aircraft
catching fire; the wood frames and fabric covering of the rear fuselage meant
that fire could spread through the rear fuselage structure quite easily. In
addition, the gravity fuel tank in the forward fuselage sat right in front of
the instrument panel, without any form of protection for the pilot. Many
Hurricane pilots were seriously burned as a consequence of a jet of flame which
could burn through the instrument panel. This became of such concern to Hugh
Dowding that he had Hawker retrofit the fuselage tanks of the Hurricanes with a
self-expanding rubber coating called Linatex. If the tank happened to be
punctured by a bullet, the linatex coating would expand when soaked with petrol
and seal it Some Hurricane pilots also 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 these, not the fuselage tank, were the main fire risk.
Hurricane Mk I
First production
version, with fabric-covered wings, a wooden two-bladed, fixed-pitch propeller
(first 435) or three blade two -pitch propeller, powered by the 1,030 hp (770
kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk II (first 364) or III engines and armed with eight
.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns. Produced between 1937 and 1939.
Hurricane Mk I
(revised)
A revised
Hurricane Mk I series built with a de Havilland or Rotol constant speed metal
propeller (from mid 1940), metal-covered wings, armour and other improvements.
A total of 4,200 mark I were built, 1,924 by Hawker, 1,850 by Gloster Aircraft
Company and 426 by Canadian Car and Foundry between December 1937 and July
1941. The Canadian Car and Foundry Hurricanes were shipped to England to be
fitted with engines.
Hurricane Mk IIA
Series 1
Hurricane Mk I
powered by the improved Merlin XX engine with two-speed supercharger. This new
engine used a coolant mix of 30 per cent glycol and 70 per cent water. Pure
glycol is flammable, so not only was the new mix safer, but the engine also ran
approximately 21 °C (70 °F) cooler, which gave longer engine life and greater
reliability. The new engine was longer than the earlier Merlin and so the
Hurricane gained a 4.5 in "plug" in front of the cockpit, which made
the aircraft slightly more stable due to the slight forward shift in centre of
gravity. First flew on 11 June 1940 and went into squadron service in September
1940. Hawker built 418 and Gloster Aircraft Company 33.
Hurricane Mk IIB
(Hurricane IIA Series 2)
A few were fitted
with racks allowing them to carry two 250 lb or two 500 lb bombs. This lowered
the top speed of the Hurricane to 301 mph (484 km/h), but by this point mixed
sweeps of Hurricanes carrying bombs, protected by a screen of fighter
Hurricanes were not uncommon. The same racks allowed the Hurricane to carry two
45-gallon (205 l) drop tanks instead of the bombs, nearly doubling the
Hurricane's fuel load.
Hurricane Mk IIA
Series 2 was equipped with a new and slightly longer propeller spinner, and 4
additional wing-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns; for a total of
12 guns. The first aircraft were built in February 1941 and were renamed Mark
IIB in April 1941. A total of 3,050 IIB built to November 1942, 1,883 by
Hawker, 867 by Gloster Aircraft Company and 300 by Austin Aero Company.
Hurricane Mk IIB
Trop.
For use in North
Africa the Hawker Hurricane Mk IIB (and other variants) were tropicalised. They
were fitted with Vokes and Rolls-Royce engine dust filters and the pilots were
issued with a desert survival kit, including a bottle of water behind the
cockpit.
Hurricane Mk IIC
(Hurricane Mk IIA Series 2)
Hurricane Mk IIA
Series 1 equipped with new and slightly longer propeller spinner, and fully
replaced the machine-gun armament with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk II
cannons, two per side. Hurricane IIA Series 2 became the Mk IIC in June 1941,
using a slightly modified wing. The new wings also included a hardpoint for a
500 or 250 lb (230 or 110 kg) bomb and, later in 1941, fuel tanks. 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 with about three quarters
converted to fighter bombers. There were IIC 4,711 built by Hawker between
February 1941 and July 1944.
Hurricane Mk IID
Armed with two 40
mm (1.57 in) anti-tank autocannon in a gondola-style pod, one under each wing
and a single Browning machine gun in each wing loaded with tracers for aiming
purposes. The first aircraft flew on 18 September 1941 and deliveries started
in 1942. Serial-built aircraft had additional armour for the pilot, radiator
and engine, and were armed with a Rolls-Royce gun with 12 rounds, later changed
to the 40 mm (1.57 in) Vickers S gun with 15 rounds. The outer wing attachments
were strengthened so that 4G could be pulled at a weight of 8,540 lb (3,874
kg). The weight of guns and armour protection marginally impaired the
aircraft's performance. These Hurricanes were nicknamed "Flying Can
Openers", perhaps a play on the logo of No. 6 Squadron, which flew the Hurricane
starting in 1942. A total of 296 built by Hawker from January 1942 to February
1943
Hurricane Mk IIE
Mk IIE, this
designation was used by the Ministry of Aircraft Production in 1942 and 1943
for mark II factory fitted with wing racks, 270 delivered according to the
Ministry, the RAF used the IIB or C designation. The Mk IIE was not an early
mark Mk IV.
Hurricane Mk T.IIC
Two-seat training
version of the Mk. IIC. Only two aircraft were built, for the Imperial Iranian
Air Force.
Hurricane Mk III
Version of the
Hurricane Mk II powered by a US Packard-built Merlin engine, intending to
enable supplies of the British-built engines for other designs. By the time production
was to have started, British Merlin production had increased to the point where
the idea was abandoned.
Hurricane Mk IV
The last major
change to the Hurricane was the introduction of the "universal Wing",
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, drop tanks or eight "60 pounder" RP-3
rockets. Two .303 in Brownings were fitted to aid aiming of the heavier
armament. Despite persistent reports actually fitted with the same Merlin XX as
the mark II. 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. The individual aircraft cards held by the RAF museum reports the
final mark IV had Merlin XX. The radiator was deeper and armoured. Additional
armour was also fitted around the engine. 524 built by Hawker between December
1942 and March 1944.
Hurricane Mk V
The final variant
to be produced. Only one was built and 2 mark IV converted, and the variant
never reached production. This was planned to be powered by a Merlin 27 but
also tested with a Merlin 32 boosted engine to give 1,700 hp at low level and
was intended as a dedicated ground-attack aircraft to use in Burma. All three
prototypes had four-bladed propellers. Speed was 326 mph (525 km/h) at 500 ft,
which is comparable with the Hurricane I despite being one and a half times as
heavy.
Hurricane Mk X
Canadian-built
variant. Canadian Car and Foundry report building a total of 975 mark II
airframes for Holland (1), the RAF (575) and RCAF (400), between July 1941 and
May 1943. The mark X designation has been used by the RAF for Canadian Car and
Foundry built mark I but it is usually defined as mark II airframes fitted with
a Merlin 28. About two thirds of the Canadian Car and Foundry built mark II
airframes shipped to Britain did so without an engine, the remainder being
fitted with Merlin 28 in Canada, but the engine was near automatically removed
upon arrival and a Merlin XX fitted instead and the aircraft called mark II by
the RAF. Apart from some test flights in Canada and England no Hurricane flew
powered by a Merlin 28. Canada only imported 285 Merlin 28 for Hurricanes, all
of which were shipped to Britain either as a separate engine or attached to a
Hurricane.
Hurricane Mk XI
Canadian-built
variant. Designation used for 150 aircraft from the RCAF mark XII order sent to
Britain, these aircraft had their Merlin 29 removed and were either shipped
without an engine or fitted with a Merlin 28. Fitted with Merlin XX on arrival
in Britain and called mark II by the RAF.
Hurricane Mk XII
Canadian-built
variant. Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber. Powered by a 1,300 hp (969 kW)
Packard Merlin 29. Initially armed with 12 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, but
this was later changed to four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon.
Hurricane Mk XIIA
Canadian-built
variant. Single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber. An order for 400 mark II
airframes for the RCAF powered by a 1,300 hp (970 kW) Packard Merlin 29, armed
with eight 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, production starting in June 1942.
150 sent to Britain in 1943 either engineless or fitted with a Merlin 28. Also
a batch of 30 RAF order mark II airframes retained in Canada in late 1941 and
initially fitted with Merlin III became mark XII when later fitted with Merlin
29.
Holland standard
Hurricane.
Canadian built
variant. RAF serial airframe AM270 was completed around early March 1942 to
Dutch standards, including US built Merlin, instruments and gun sight, as the
prototype of an order for the Netherlands East Indies (KM/KNIL). Given the
Dutch serial HC3-287, its subsequent fate is unclear beyond being used by
Canadian Car and Foundry for test flying. AM270 was also used by the RAF for a
Consolidated San Diego built Catalina, creating a further level of confusion.
Sea Hurricane Mk IA
The Sea Hurricane
Mk IA was a Hurricane Mk I modified by General Aircraft Limited. These conversions
numbered approximately 250 aircraft. They were modified to be carried by CAM
ships (catapult-armed merchantman), whose ships' crews were Merchant Marine and
whose Hurricanes were crewed and serviced by RAF personnel, or Fighter Catapult
Ships, which were Naval Auxiliary Vessels crewed by naval personnel and
aircraft operated by the Fleet Air Arm. These ships were equipped with a
catapult for launching an aircraft, but without facilities to recover them.
Consequently, if the aircraft were not in range of a land base, pilots had to
bail out or to ditch.
Both of these
options had their problemsthere was always a chance of striking part of the
fuselage when bailing out, and a number of pilots had been killed in this way.
Ditching the Hurricane in the sea called for skill as the radiator housing
acted as a water brake, pitching the nose of the fighter downwards when it hit
the water, while also acting as a very efficient scoop, helping to flood the
Hurricane so that a quick exit was necessary before the aircraft sank. Then the
pilot had to be picked up by a ship. More than 80 modifications were needed to
convert a Hurricane into a Sea Hurricane, including new radios to conform with
those used by the Fleet Air Arm and new instrumentation to read in knots rather
than miles per hour. They were informally known as "Hurricats".
The majority of
the aircraft modified had suffered wear-and-tear serving with front line
squadrons, so much so that at least one example used during trials broke up
under the stress of a catapult launching. CAM Sea Hurricanes were launched
operationally on eight occasions and the Hurricanes shot down six enemy
aircraft for the loss of one Hurricane pilot killed. The first Sea Hurricane IA
kill was an Fw 200C Condor, shot down on 2 August 1941.
Sea Hurricane Mk
IB
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 a
flight deck fitted, enabling aircraft to be launched and recovered. A total of
340 aircraft were converted. The first Sea Hurricane IB kill occurred on 31
July 1941 when Sea Hurricanes of 880 squadron FAA operating from HMS Furious
shot down a Do 18 flying-boat.
Apart from the
conversions in Britain 50 Sea Hurricane IB were built in Canada and delivered
in late 1941 and early 1942. Initially fitted with a Merlin III, they became Mk
XIIA when later fitted with a Merlin 29.
Sea Hurricane Mk
IC
Reported to be a
Hurricane Mk I version equipped with catapult spools, an arrester hook and the
four-cannon wing. Despite persistent reports of hundreds converted from early
1942 only two test examples actually done.
The Sea Hurricane
I used during Operation Pedestal had their Merlin III engines modified to
accept 16 lb boost, and could generate more than 1,400 hp at low altitude. Lt.
R. J. Cork was credited with five kills while flying a Sea Hurricane I during
Operation Pedestal.
Sea Hurricane Mk
IIC
60 built by Hawker
between November 1942 and May 1943, version equipped with naval radio gear;
other standard mark IIC were converted and used on fleet carriers. The Merlin
XX engine on the Sea Hurricane generated 1,460 hp at 6,250 ft and 1,435 hp at
11,000 ft. Top speed was 322 mph at 13,500ft and 342 mph at 22,000 ft.
Note the RAF
reports as of end June 1944 a total of 378 conversions to Sea Hurricane I, less
any conversions back to standard Hurricanes, and no conversions to Sea
Hurricane II
Sea Hurricane Mk
XII
50 Canadian built
Sea Hurricane I delivered in late 1941 and early 1942. Initially fitted with
Merlin III as mark I, they became Mk XII when fitted with Merlin 29.
Hillson F.40
(a.k.a. F.H.40)
A full-scale
version of the Hills & Son Bi-mono slip-wing Biplane/monoplane, using a
Hawker Hurricane Mk I returned from Canada as RCAF ser no 321 (RAF serial
L1884). Taxi and flight trials carried out at RAF Sealand during May 1943, and
at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down from
September 1943. The upper wing was not released in flight before the programme
was terminated due to poor performance.
Hurricane Photo
Reconnaissance
The Service Depot
at Heliopolis in Egypt converted several Hurricanes Is for photo
reconnaissance. The first three were converted in January 1941. Two carried a
pair of F24 cameras with 8-inch focal length lenses. The third carried one
vertical and two oblique F24s with 14-inch focal length lenses mounted in the
rear fuselage, close to the trailing edge of the wing, and a fairing was built
up over the lenses aft of the radiator housing. A further five Hurricanes were
modified in March 1941, and two were converted in a similar manner in Malta
during April 1941. During October 1941 a batch of six Hurricane IIs was
converted to PR Mark II status and a final batch, thought to be of 12 aircraft,
was converted in late 1941. The PR Mark II was said to be capable of slightly
over 350 mph (560 km/h) and was able to reach 38,000 ft (12,000 m).
Hurricane Tac R
For duties closer
to the front lines some Hurricanes were converted to Tactical Reconnaissance
(Tac R) aircraft. An additional radio was fitted for liaison with ground forces
who were better placed to direct the Hurricane. Some Hurricane Tac R aircraft
also had a vertical camera fitted in the rear fuselage, so to compensate for
the extra weight either one or two Brownings or two cannons would be omitted.
Externally these aircraft were only distinguishable by the missing armament.
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