A Hurricane in Russian service.
The Hawker Hurricane was a British fighter introduced in the late 1930s, and one of the unsung heroes of the Battle for Britain, overshadowed by the Supermarine Spitfire.
Background[ | ]
A single-seat fighter aircraft introduced into the British arsenal in late 1937, the Hawker Hurricane was the workhorse of Allied aviation in the early years of the war. It was a monoplane design using last-generation technology, such as the use of mechanically fastened steel tubes for its frame, with a mixed wood/fabric body and wings (replaced with metal wings in 1939), or older propeller designs. Though less advanced than the all-metal Spitfire, this arrangement made the Hurricane cheaper and easier to manufactue, with damage sustained in air sorties a lot easier to repair. This ruggedness also made it a stable gun platform, and contributed to the distinguished service of the Hurricane on all fronts of the war, especially the Battle of Britain, where it constituted as much as three fifths of the fighter force and could go toe to toe with the powerful Bf 109 fighters.
Models[ | ]
Mk IIB[ | ]
- February 1941 - November 1942
The Hurricane Mk IIB 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. 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). 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.
Mk IIC[ | ]
- February 1941 - July 1944
The Hurricane Mk IIC equipped with new and slightly longer propeller spinner, fully replaced the machine-gun armament with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk II cannons, and 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.
- Hurricane Mk IIC Dogfighter
- Hurricane Mk IIC Light Bomber 100kg
- Hurricane Mk IIC Medium Bomber 250kg
Mk.IV[ | ]
- December 1942 - March 1944
The Mark IV was the last major evolution of the Hurricane, fitted with a universal wing. This design allowed the Hurricane to mount a variety of ordnance using multi-purpose hardpoints, including two 250 or 500 lb (110 or 230 kg) bombs, twin 40mm Vickers S guns, drop tanks, or eight RP-3 rockets. It also included new Merlin 24 or 27 engines together with additional armor, in support of its new role as a close support fighter.