Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter designed by Sydney Camm for Hawker Aircraft and first flown on 6 November 1935. The RAF's first eight-gun monoplane, it outnumbered the Spitfire during the Battle of Britain and was credited with the larger share of the victories, then served in nearly every theatre of the Second World War as a fighter, night fighter, fighter-bomber and naval aircraft. Over 14,000 were built, and about a dozen remain airworthy.
Why It Mattered
The Hurricane was the RAF's first eight-gun monoplane fighter, entering service in 1937, a year before the Spitfire. In the Battle of Britain, Hurricane squadrons were more numerous than Spitfire squadrons, and the RAF Museum credits them with over 60% of the German aircraft destroyed. The design was already dated, but the aeroplane could absorb damage, and squadrons could perform many major repairs without external support. By September 1939 over 550 had been produced and 18 squadrons were equipped, so the type was available in quantity when the war began. It went on to serve in nearly every major theatre of the Second World War.
Design Notes
Sydney Camm designed the Hurricane as a monoplane derivative of Hawker's Fury biplane, using construction the company already understood. Its fuselage was a steel-tube structure covered in fabric, while its modern features were a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, retractable landing gear and eight machine guns in the wings. The result was slower than the Spitfire and dated in concept, but it could take more damage and keep flying. The basic design changed little over its life, but later versions became fighter-bombers and ground-support aircraft as the war moved on.
Operational History
The prototype K5083 flew for the first time on 6 November 1935, and the first production aircraft had joined No. 111 Squadron at RAF Northolt by December 1937. Hurricanes fought over France in the spring of 1940 and then formed the larger part of Fighter Command through the Battle of Britain. From 1941 the type was increasingly used after dark: it was Fighter Command's principal single-seat night fighter during the Blitz, and cannon-armed aircraft flew as night intruders over occupied Europe. In the Mediterranean, Hurricanes played a significant part in the defence of Malta, and over North Africa the cannon-armed Mk IID attacked tanks and transport around El Alamein. Sea Hurricanes, fitted with an arrestor hook, operated from Royal Navy carriers, while others were fired off merchant ships by catapult to defend convoys. The type was exported in quantity — 2,952 were delivered to the Soviet Union — and in Burma it flew in the ground-attack role until the end of the war. Production ended in 1944; 14,487 had been completed in Britain and Canada, with others built in Belgium and Yugoslavia.
Afterlife
The Hurricane retired from RAF service in 1947, its work done. Two Mk IICs, LF363 and PZ865, are still flown by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; PZ865 was the last Hurricane built. The RAF counts only 12 airworthy Hurricanes left in the world. Most survivors are museum aircraft, including the RAF Museum's Mk I, a genuine survivor of the Battle of Britain displayed in London. Restoration can still return a Hurricane to the sky: V7497, shot down over Kent in 1940 and recovered decades later, was restored to flight, its restoration completed in August 2018.