Hawker Hunter
By the end of 1948, the Dunsfold Hawker society started studies on a fighter that would replace the ageing RAF Meteor's. Designed by Sir Sydney Camm (father of some other famous airplanes like the Hurricane) as a swept wing evolution of the Sea Hawk, the Hawker P.1067 (WB188) flew for the first time in Boscombe Down on July 20, 1951, piloted by Hawker's chief test pilot Neville Duke, that same pilot that would fly the machine trough the sound barrier in April 1952.
Three prototypes were built, two equipped with the new axial Rolls Royce Avon AJ.65 turbojet, the last machine being used as a test bed for what was later to become the Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire: the Metrovick F.9.
The first production F.Mk.1 flew on May 16, 1953 and was later used together with 22 other machines built for future developments. It's the period where numerous problems appeared, in particular with the mounting of the new 30 mm Aden canons; with the airbrake system (that used the flaps!) and insufficient autonomy (An in-flight refuelling system was never developed).
The two Avon and Sapphire engines were retained for the initial 400 aircraft order of 1950, but it's finally the Avon that would power most machines.
Certainly one of the most successful post war fighter designs, the Hunter was also built under licence in Belgium and Holland. It was operated in all parts of the world and in particular in Sweden under the J-34 designation, in Denmark, Switzerland, Peru, India, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Singapore.
Many display teams used the Hunter: the "Black Arrows", performing an incredible 22 aircraft looping in Farnborough in 1958 and the "Blue Diamonds" of 92nd squadron. In Switzerland, the "Patrouille de Suisse", a country that operated a hundred Hunter Mk.58 between 1958 and 1974.
A total of 2.417 machines were built in numerous versions:
- F.2: The F.1 variant with Sapphire engine.
- F.3: Reheat equipped engine. It's aboard a F.3 evolution powered by an Avon RA.7R engine that Neville Duke broke the world speed record on September 7, 1963 flying at 1.170 km/h (632 kts).
- F.4: Better autonomy and reinforced wings.
- F.5: 1955. An F.4 with Sapphire engine. This version was used in Egypt during the Suez campaign.
- F.6: 1957. Increased thrust. Equipped with slotted slats that would counteract the pitch up effect at high speed.
- T.7: 1955. A two seater based on the F.4. Equipped with a landing parachute.
- T.8: Two seater equipped with an arrester gear.
- T.8C: The T.8 disarmed version.
- FGA.9: This 1960 version had reinforced wings. It had the autonomy of the F.4. Equipped with a landing parachute, those aircraft were used by Jordan during the June 1967 war against Israel.
- FR.10: Armed reconnaissance version.
- PR.11A: An FR.10 equipped with nose cameras.
- GA.11: An FR.10 equipped with a nose light.
- T.8M: 1979. A T.8 with modified nose used for training of the new Sea Harrier FRS.1 pilots.
- T.12: This only exemplar was used for TSR.2 pilot training.
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