Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>Hawker Hurricane>HA8611
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P3143, Sgt. B. Furst, 310 Sqn., Duxford, Sept 1940
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
Hurricane Mk.I P3143 NN-D was the most successful fighter belonging to the famous No. 310
Czechoslovakia Squadron during the Battle of Britain. This aircraft was used by Sergeant
Bohumil Furst to score three of his five victories. Furst fled to France and joined their air force
were he scored two victories. When France fell Furst escaped to England and joined the 310
Squadron. NN-D served from July 24, 1940 until October 16, 1940 when it was destroyed and the
pilot Sergeant J. Calupa was lost.
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 |