Hawker Hurricane

      Creeping up to the eve of World War II, we'll take a look at the Hawker Hurricane. The Hurricane was designed by Sydney Camm at Hawker Aircraft in the early 30s. After the first prototype flew in 1935, the Board of Directors quickly ordered the production of 1,000 Hawker Hurricanes, gambling that it would be accepted by the Royal Air Force. In June of 1936, the plane passed air trials with flying colors, finally entering full adoption in 1937. The Hurricane served with several countries in the British Commonwealth, including Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the British Raj. It also found a home with a wide variety of other countries, including Finland, Greece, South Africa, Iran, Portugal, and more. The Hurricane continued to be iterated upon through its introduction in service until production was halted in 1944, resulting in 14,483 aircraft being produced across 24 variants.

    The original design for the Hawker Hurricane was an upscaled Hawker Fury biplane, granted a novelty feature for the time in its retractable landing gear. As the project developed, it changed directions to meet the specifications of an Air Ministry request for a high-performance aircraft armed with 8 Vickers machine guns. The Hurricane was already well equipped to handle the increased weight brought by the guns and their munitions. It was powered by the Rolls-Royce PV-12, later renamed the Rolls-Royce Merlin, a 12-cylinder engine capable of producing over 1,000 horsepower. When the initial Hurricane I entered service, it was nearly 100 miles per hour faster than any other aircraft in the RAF, capable of reaching 330 miles per hour. Surprisingly, this power didn't come with extra difficulty. Hurricane proved exceptionally easy to fly and land, with wide landing gear providing a sturdy and stable landing platform.

    The Hurricane was quickly battle-tested in 1939 upon the declaration of war, when Hurricane squadrons were sent to France in an effort to repel the Germans. It was quickly discovered that 8 .303 caliber Vickers guns provided Hurricane I immense firepower capable of sawing enemy aircraft nearly in half. Another unintended benefit of the early Hurricane was its conventional design. Most of the fuselage was made of fabric-covered wood which was easy to quickly repair, resulting in Hurricanes quickly rejoining the fight after being damaged. Still, the extra weight proved costly. By the time British forces were withdrawn from France in 1940, nearly a quarter of the RAF's fighters were destroyed. The Hurricane would redeem itself in the Battle of Britain, accounting for nearly 60% of aerial victories.

    While the Hawker Hurricane may not be as famous as other British fighters, it was undeniably important in the wartime experience of Britain during World War II. Here's an image pulled from aircraft.com of a later Hurricane IIB, carrying an astonishing 12 Vickers guns, since 8 wasn't enough! The red paint on the leading edge of the wings marks the location of the initial 8 guns near the fuselage by the root of the wings, as well as the additional 4 mounted further out towards the center of the wings. I also found a 3-minute YouTube video showing off the engine start-up of a Hawker Hurricane (left) and its sister fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire (right)!

Hawker Hurricane IIB in flight




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