Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC

[McCoy]

Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC

Manufacturer: Hawker, Austin & Gloster.
Type: Single engine fighter
Crew: 1
Length: 9,83 meters
Wingspan: 12,19 meters
Height: 4,04 meters
Weight: 2569 kg (empty).
Engine: Rolls-Royce Merlin XX, 1280 Hk.
Max speed: 529 km/h
Service distance: 1480 km with droptanks
Operational ceiling: 10850 meters
Arnament: Four 20mm cannons in the wings and up to 1000 lb (454 kg) payload under the wings.

The Hurri was the mainstay fighter for the RAF at the beginnin' of the war n' the real workhorse durin' the battle of Britain even if the more "sexy" Spit got most of the glory. The airframe of the Hurri was very robust n' proved to be an very good weapon platform that was easy to fly n' loved by the pilots. The Mk. IID was armed with two 40mm cannons in wingpods n' did some exemplary service in north Africa. The Hurri proved to be good against German bombers as it packed a heavy punch with four high velocity 20mm Hispano Suiza cannons n' proved to be a good nightfighter. But it was an underdog one on one against the Bf109.

Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC

[Aussie Dave]

History:
In 1933, Hawker's chief designer, Sydney Camm, decided to design an aircraft which would fulfill a British Air Ministry specification calling for a new monoplane fighter. His prototype, powered by a 990hp Rolls Royce Merlin 'C' engine, first flew on 6 November 1935, and quickly surpassed expectations and performance estimates.

Official trials began three months later, and in June 1936, Hawker received an initial order for 600 aircraft from the Royal Air Force. The first aircraft had fabric wings. To power the new aircraft (now officially designated the "Hurricane,") the RAF ordered the new 1,030hp Merlin II engine.
The first production Hurricane flew on 12 October 1937.

The first Hurricanes were delivered to the 111 Squadron at RAF Northolt in December 1937.

A year later, around 200 had been delivered, and demand for the airplane had increased enough that Hawker contracted with the Gloster Aircraft company to build them also. During the production run, the fabric-covered wing was replaced by an all-metal one, a bullet-proof windscreen was added, and the engine was upgraded to the Merlin III.
Before WWII, production locations expanded to include Yugoslavia, Belgium and in 1940, Canada, where it was undertaken by the Canadian Car and Foundry Company.

August 1940 brought what has become the Hurricane's shining moment in history: The Battle of Britain. RAF Hurricanes accounted for more enemy aircraft kills than all other defenses combined, including all aircraft and ground defenses.

Later in the war, the Hurricane served admirably in North Africa, Burma, Malta, and nearly every other theater in which the RAF participated.

Variants:
The Hurricane underwent many modifications during its life, resulting in many major variants, including the Mk IIA, with a Merlin XX engine; the Mk IIB, with interchangeable wings housing twelve 7.7mm (0.303in) guns and carrying two 500lb bombs; the Mk IID, a tankbuster with two 40mm anti-tank guns plus two 7.7mm guns; the Mk IV, with a universal, multi-purpose wing, and powered by a 1,620hp Merlin 24/27 engine; and the Canadian-built Mk XII, with a 1,300hp Packard Merlin 29 engine. During the war, Hurricanes were sold to Egypt, Finland, India, the Irish Air Corps, Persia, Turkey, and the USSR.

The Hurricane was undoubtedly one of the greatest and most versatile fighter aircraft of WWII, and it remained in service with the RAF until January 1947.

Specifications (Mk IIB):
Engine: 1,280hp Rolls-Royce Merlin XX 12-cylinder V piston engine
Weight: Empty 5,500 lbs., Max Takeoff 7,300 lbs.
Wing Span: 40ft. 0in.
Length: 32ft. 2.5in.
Height: 13ft. 1in.

Performance:
Maximum Speed at 22,000 ft: 342 mph
Cruising Speed at 20,000 ft: 296 mph
Ceiling: 36,500 ft
Range: 480 miles

Armament:
Twelve 7.7mm (0.303in.) wing-mounted machine guns
Two 250 or 500-lb bombs

Total Number Built: 14,231

[Aussie Dave]

[SRF]

One of the unsung heroes. But I guess it was easy to be overshadowed by the Spitfire.

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by SRF

One of the unsung heroes. But I guess it was easy to be overshadowed by the Spitfire.

Thats right mate, the Spitfire was the "Sexy Looking" one of the pair so...


Cheers,
Dave

[Wolster]

Great pictures, a couple of interesting ones. The picture of the desert camo MkIIc is in the colours of a 6 Sqn MkIId (would love to see one of those flying!!). And the night fighter 'night reaper' has no anti glare shields as the all black AL-K does. I believe this aircraft is actually the repainted 'Last of the Many' but I could be wrong!



(I like Hurricanes!)

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by Wolster

Great pictures, a couple of interesting ones. The picture of the desert camo MkIIc is in the colours of a 6 Sqn MkIId (would love to see one of those flying!!). And the night fighter 'night reaper' has no anti glare shields as the all black AL-K does. I believe this aircraft is actually the repainted 'Last of the Many' but I could be wrong!



(I like Hurricanes!)

Hmm...I will have to look into that and get back to you.

BTW, I like Hurricanes too.

Cheers,
Dave

[Aussie Dave]

Its a Canadian built Hawker Hurricane Mk XII BE417 and is seen in the nightfighter scheme of Flt. Lt. Ian Gleed's aircraft LK-A of 87 Squadron during Winter 1940-1941.


Cheers,
Dave

[Wolster]

Originally Posted by Wolster

And the night fighter 'night reaper' has no anti glare shields as the all black AL-K does.

Oops, I mean LK-A!!

[Wolster]

Originally Posted by Aussie Dave

Its a Canadian built Hawker Hurricane Mk XII BE417 and is seen in the nightfighter scheme of Flt. Lt. Ian Gleed's aircraft LK-A of 87 Squadron during Winter 1940-1941.


Cheers,
Dave

And it has the anti glare shields, the other NF 'Night Reaper doesn't, I'm pretty sure this is the BBMFs 'Last of the Many'. Just trying to find info on the net, its bugging me now!!

Got it!!

The wartime record of the RAF aircraft known as the Hawker Hurricane IIC

A pretty good Hurricane page, and I fell of my seat laughing when I looked at the 'Links' section and saw what you have to do to get to the BBMF website!!!