Hawker Hurricane Fighter

The Hurricane was designed by Sir Sydney Camm, who was knighted after the war for his aircraft design contributions to the Allied war effort. He started work on the plane in 1934 and finished the prototype a year later. It immediately won praise for it's speed, climb rate and ceiling. It was a low-wing monoplane, with retractable landing gear. The fuselage was a braced steel tube construction, with wooden frames and fabric covering. It was inferior to the best contemporary fighters, but sturdy, reliable and easy to produce in quantity. The RAF placed it's first orders in 1936, so it was largely in place for the beginning of WWII. This was the main reason why it bore the brunt of the fighting in the Battle of Britain from Aug-Oct., 1940. Due to the differences in abilities between it and the Spitfire, the Hurricane was alloted the task of attacking German bombers, while the Spitfires went after the Bf109s and 110s. Three major variants were produced throughout the war (one pictured above is a Mk.IIC), including naval varieties. It fought in all of the theatres, and in many roles. It performed well as an interceptor, fighter-bomber, night fighter and ground attack craft. A total of 14,233 were built.

Technical Details
The Mk I was fitted with the 990 hp (take off) Rolls-Royce Merlin II, 12 cyl., liquid-cooled engine. It had a maximum speed of 330 mph (530 km/h) at 17,500 ft (5,333 m), with a ceiling of 36,000 ft (10,920 m) and a range of 460 mi. (740 km). It packed 8 Browning 0.303 machine guns in the wings, giving it a fair bit of destructive power. In 1939 it was fitted with metal wings, a three blade propellor and armour.

The Hurricane Mk.II used the 1280 hp (take off) Rolls-Royce Merlin XX 12 cyl., supercharged engine, giving it a speed of 334-342 mph depending on the version (550km/h), a ceiling of 36,475 ft (11,125m), and a range of 480 mi (772 km). The Mk IIB packed a mighty punch with twelve 0.303 machine guns and could carry two 250 or 500 lb (227kg) bombs, or alternatively 45 or 90 gallon drop tanks. The Mk IIC carried four 20 mm British-made Hispano cannons, two in each wing. The real bruiser in this series was the Mk IID carrying two 40 mm Vickers cannons and two 0.303 in. machine guns and extra armour for low level attacks on armoured vehicles. All of the extra weight reduced the speed and range of the aircraft.

The Mk.IV model (initially called the Mk.IIE) used a "universal wing" making the arrangement of armament very flexible. Also, the Mk.IV was given the most powerful Merlin engine available, the 1298 hp models 21 or 22, 12 cyl. supercharged and liquid-cooled. The maximum speed of the aircraft dropped to 314 mph (502 km/h) due to the carrying of heavier armament and 350 lbs of extra armour. It had a range of 495 miles (790 km). The MkIV wings were capable of handling 1) two 0.303 in. machine guns and two 40 mm antitank cannons 2) eight Rocket Projectiles (25 lb armour piercing or 60 lb HE) and two 0.303 machine guns, 3) two 250 lb or two 500 lb bombs and two 0.303 machine guns. Other options were two long range disposable tanks. These aircraft were intended for ground attacks against armour, and were particularly effective in North Africa, Italy and Burma.

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Image From: With permission of Herve Champain. Check out his excellent airphoto archive site.