Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>Hawker Hurricane>HA8608

General Background

The Hawker Hurricane was the first British single-engine fighter and the first single wing aircraft with retractable landing gear as well as an enclosed cockpit and 8 machine guns. The Hurricane went into operational service in December 1937 with the RAF 111 Squadron. The Hurricane is usually over looked as a major player in the BoB because of the Spitfire but 80% of the 1,792 German aircraft shot down were because of the Hurricane. There were 14,533 Hurricanes produced in all variants.

The Aircraft

On August 31, 1940 Sqn Ldr P W Townsend of the RAF No. 85 Squadron was flying Hurricane Mk.I P3166 when he shot down a Do-17 named Gustav Marie and was hit by return fire damaging the Hurricane making it necessary to ditch in the English Channel. After some time recuperating Townsend returned to the No. 85 Squadron on September 21, 1940 and was assigned Hurricane Mk.I P3854. After the war Townsend became friends with the German bomber gunner who shot him down and wanted to marry the sister of the woman who would become Queen of England.

Specifications :

Manufacturer :	Hawker Industries
Country :	UK
First Year of Service :	1937
Production:	14,583
Crew:	1
Dimensions
Length :	31.4 ft (9.57 m)
Wingspan:	39.99 ft (12.19 m)
Height:	13.12 ft (4.0 m)
Weight:
Empty:	4,982 lb (2,260 kg)
Maximum Takeoff:	6,446 lb (2,924 kg)
Performance:
Power plant:	1 x Rolls-Royce Merlin III 12-cylinder Liquid-cooled Producing 1,030 hp
2 Bladed Propeller
Later Production Power plant:	3,164 x Merlin III producing 1,029 hp with a Three-Blade Propeller
Maximum Speed :	318 mph (511 kmh / 276 kts)
Maximum Range :	460 miles (740 km)
Service Ceiling :	35,991 ft (10,970 m)
Rate of Climb :	2,520 ft/min (768 m/min)
Armament :
Early Production :	Hard points – 2
	Machine Guns – 8 x 7.7 mm Colt-Browning in Wings
Later production :	Machine Guns – 8 or 12 x 7.7 mm Colt-Browning in Wings
	Hispano Canons – 4 x 20 mm in the Wings
Optional:	Bombs Under-Wings
	2 x 250 lb
	or
	500 lb
	8 x Unguided Rockets Under-Wings
	2 x 40 mm Canons Under-Wings