Hawker Heroes Welcome to Hawker Heroes - a compilation of four of the finest ever to be designed by the legendary Sir and the Hawker design team. Included in this compilation are the , the legendary , the Typhoon and Tempest. Each of these aircraft played a role in history and the history of 20th Century warfare. Assembled together for the first time in this package, these stalwarts of the skies are the ultimate simulation homage to these remarkable aircraft and the heroes that flew them.

“I expect the is about to begin . . Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.” – Sir Winston Churchill, June 1940 Missions: Hawker Heroes has two missions included with this package, both utilising the Hawker Fury. These missions can be accessed from the missions menu on the FSX start screen. Just select Missions and change the category to Hawker Heroes. You can then fly these missions. Note: before flying this mission we recommend you switch on the Mission captioning feature in FSX by selecting Settings then General and in the Missions area ticking Show captioning and selecting Compass/Pointer.

For all aircraft variants to be visible in the FSX aircraft menu, please ensure that the box marked “show all variants” is ticked. Each aircraft can be accessed from the FSX aircraft menu.

“As the speedo needle was winding up towards the 450 mph mark, I pulled her up into a loop and rolled off the top. We did ever-increasing tight turns until she blacked me out. We slow-rolled and barrel-rolled as I thrashed her about the sky for a full half hour.” - Squadron Leader Des Scott 486 (NZ) Typhoon Squadron

Hawker Fury Mk1 The Hawker Fury was a British used by the in the 1930s. The Fury was the RAF’s first operational fighter aircraft to be able to exceed 200 mph (322 km/h) in level flight. It had highly sensitive controls which gave it superb aerobatic performance. It was designed partly for the fast interception of and to that end it had a climb rate of almost 2,400 ft/min.

- K1938, 43 Sqn RAF, c.1932 - K2065, ‘B’ Flight, 1 Sqn RAF, c.1932 - K3731, 43 sqn RAF, c.1934 - K3736, 5th FTS, c.1938 - K217, 43 Sqn SAAF, c.1942 Hawker Hurricane Mk. IID The Hurricane IID went into action at the Battle of Bir Hakim in North Africa on 6 June 1942. The Mark IID proved devastatingly effective, though its increased weight and the of the underwing did impose a performance penalty, Designed by Sydney Camm in the mid-1930s and flown by the RAF in the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane achieved the highest number of RAF victories in this vital aerial conflict. The construction of the Hawker Hurricane, using tubular metal alloy and fabric covering the , made it relatively easy to repair and resistant to damage in battle. Although its speed could not match that of its contemporary fighters, the Hurricane’s turning ability, stable gun platform and versatility meant it saw action in most major theatres of war during WWII, including Europe, Russia, North Africa and Burma.

JV-Z, BP188, 6 Sqn RAF, c.1942 G, KW871, 20 Sqn RAF, c.1944 BN795, ‘Our John’, c.1944 KX248, ‘White 21’, 25th ZIAP, c.1944 Whilst the Hurricane was rolling off the production line, Sir Sydney Camm and the Hawker Company were already planning the replacement aircraft, the Hawker Typhoon. The Typhoon, powered by engine, became one of the most formidable ground of World War 2. By the end of the war the RAF were operating 18 Typhoon squadrons equipped with deadly rockets. Pressed into service on D-Day to turn back the tide of armour on the Normandy beaches the Typhoon (RAF nickname “Tiffy”) was instrumental in the liberation of Europe

DJ-S, c. 1943 PR-A c.1944 D-Day (with rockets) The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the conflict. Some of the assets of the Tempest V were its high cruising speed (nearly 400 mph using 1,420 hp), good acceleration, excellent climbing and diving speeds, especially at low to medium altitudes R-B, JN751, 150 , RAF, c.1944. SD-Y, EJ555, 501 Sqn RAuxAF, c.1944. SA-E, EJ627, 486 Sqn RNZAF, c.1944. J5-H, SN330, 3 Sqn RAF, c.1948. W2-X, EJ705, 80 Sqn RAF, c.1945. US-T, SN254, 56 Sqn RAF, c.1945. Technical Support & Troubleshooting Keep posted to www.firstclass-simulations.com for the latest info on Hawker Heroes including any updates that may be released. If your problem has not been addressed, or if you want to send any comments on Hawker Heroes, send an e-mail to [email protected] and our support team will respond as soon as possible. Credits Tempest, Fury & Hurricane: Firebug Studios Limited All Flight Dynamics & Typhoon Gauges: David Chester Typhoon model: Gary Ward Sounds: Mike Hambly Install: Richard Donaldson Documentation & Missions: Jane-Rachel Whittaker “Thanks to its 2,400 hp engine it had a considerable margin of excess power and its acceleration was phenomenal. It was pretty tricky to fly, but its performance more than made up for it...” - , 274 Squad on (Tempest) RAF outstanding performance making the THE HISTORY aircraft the fi rst operational fi ghter ever designed to exceed 200 MPH in of the level fl ight. With a climb rate of 2400ft Hawker Fury per minute and excellent handling

The Hawker Fury was the mainstay of British air defences during the early 1930’s. The aircraft took its fi rst test fl ight in 1929, although at that time the aircraft was dubbed the “Hawker Hornet”. The British requested that the aircraft be renamed with a title that suggested military aggression and power so the Hornet capabilities the aircraft was the marvel became the Fury with only the prototype of its day. In fact, such was the aerobatic retaining the original designation. performance of the aircraft that it was Certainly, the aircraft was something of rapidly pressed into service with air a hybrid of First World War and Second display teams. A Fury Mk1 was to win World War styles, as one might expect of a prestigious military speed prize at a an aircraft designed and entering service competition, fl ying over a triangular in the years between both confl icts. The course during an event in Zurich. The basic design was a single engine bi-plane aircraft also appeared before crowds in with superfi cial visual comparison to the in 1934, being fl own out by the aircraft in use during the earlier confl ict. RAF to take part in Canadian centennial Yet, this initial impression is misleading. celebrations. A closer inspection of the fuselage reveals This was an aircraft that offered superior an uncanny resemblance to the Hawker handling prowess in the air compared Hurricane which was to follow in the to other fi ghters in service which helped later war years, albeit with the dual wing ensure success in one-to-one dogfi ght confi guration. The aircraft was designed scenarios. The exceptional speed and utilising the latest in technology, offering manoeuvrability also proved useful in the a tubular steel and aluminium fuselage role of interdicting hostile bombers. with dumb-bell wing spars. This would In May 1931 the Fury entered full service become something of a trademark for with the RAF and equipped 43 Squadron Sydney Camm and his Hawker company initially with two other squadrons in the development of later aircraft following shortly thereafter. The updated throughout the war years. Fury II entered service in 1936. The The Fury was built for speed and the aircraft remained in front line service 520hp Rolls Royce Kestrel engine offered with the RAF until 1939 being replaced primarily by the Hawker Hurricane with many of the remaining aircraft being In Combat relegated to training duties. In all 118 aircraft served with the RAF. The Spanish adopted the aircraft where Whilst the Fury was not used in anger it fl ew in combat during the Spanish by the RAF, the story does not end there. Civil War, at one point fl ying for both This successful little fi ghter was exported protagonists in the confl ict! to a number of countries. The Kestrel On the 6th April 1941 a squadron of engine so beloved in RAF fl ight was Yugoslav Fury aircraft took to the air replaced for export by a range of options, to defend their country against German including an Armstrong Siddeley engine Messerschmitt 109 and 110 aircraft. (used in a single Norwegian aircraft), Unfortunately, against superior German Hispano-Suiza engines and Pratt and odds 10 of the Furies were immediately Whitney equipped aircraft. destroyed but not before 7 German In 1933 Sydney Camm had plans to aircraft were taken down, one by a create a Fury powered by brave Yugoslav pilot physically ramming a Rolls Royce Goshawk engine that his adversary! The other squadron would offer superior performance in a in Yugoslav service was used in bombing fi ghter role. Original plans were to retain and strafi ng advancing lines of German much of the Fury design, including a tanks. The South African airforce fi xed undercarriage. However, Rolls also deployed their Fury aircraft in Royce unveiled their plans for a new combat during 1941 in attacks against Merlin engine and the Fury monoplane Italian forces in East Africa. They were design was re-worked by Camm to take successful in infl icting spectacular advantage of the Merlin powerplant. damage in ground attack runs against The resulting aircraft became the iconic Italian held airfi elds. Hawker Hurricane! Fury Mk II Variants Single-seat fi ghter version. Powered by a 640 hp (477 kW) Rolls Royce Kestrel VI Hawker Hornet engine.[9] Single-seat fi ghter prototype. Powered by a Rolls Royce F.XIA and later by a Yugoslav Fury 480 hp (358 kW) F.XIS. Only one was Single-seat fi ghter made in . built. This aircraft was slightly smaller Powered by a 500 hp (373 kW) Hispano- and lighter than the Fury and considered Suiza 12 NB or a 720 hp (537 kW) by Hawkers as a separate type.[citation Petrel HFrs. needed] Persian Fury Fury Mk I Single-seat fi ghter for Persia (now Single-seat fi ghter version. Powered by a ). 16 aircraft powered by a Pratt & 525 hp (391 kW) Rolls Royce Kestrel IIs Whitney Hornet S2B1g radial driving piston engine. a three-bladed ordered in January 1933.[10] A further six aircraft Intermediate Fury powered by a 550 hp (410 kW) Single-seat fi ghter prototype. Mercury VISP radial with two-bladed propeller ordered in May 1934, with High Speed Fury several Hornet powered Furys re- Single-seat prototype which was engined.[11] developed into the Fury Mk II. Norwegian Fury A trial aircraft for . Powered by Specifications a 530 hp (395 kW) Armstrong-Siddeley Crew: One Panther IIIA radial. Length: 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m) Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m) Operators Height: 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) Hellenic Air Force Wing area: 250 ft² (23.2 m²) Norway Empty weight: 2,734 lb (1,240 kg) Norwegian Air Force (operated one Loaded weight: 3,609 lb (1,637 kg) aircraft only) Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Kestrel IV Persia (now Iran) V12 engine, 640 hp (477 kW) Maximum speed: 223 mph at 16,500 ft (360 km/h at 5,030 m) Range: 270 mi (435 km) Service ceiling: 29,500 ft (8,990 m) United Kingdom - Royal Air Force :- Rate of climb: 2,600 ft/min (13.2 m/s) No. 1 Squadron RAF : 14.4 lb/ft² (21.5 kg/m²) No. 25 Squadron RAF Power/mass: 0.177 hp/lb (0.291kW/kg) No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 43 Squadron RAF No. 73 Squadron RAF Armament No. 87 Squadron RAF Guns: 2 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers Mk Yugoslavia IV machine guns. Provision for light bomb racks under the .

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Hawker Heroes © 2009 First Class Simulations. Published by First Class Simulations. PO Box 586 Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 6BY Tel: 01869 338428 Fax: 0870 132 1026 600 aircraft in July 1936 aiming for THE HISTORY delivery by March 1939. The Hurricane had earned the accolade of the fi rst of the monoplane to exceed 300MPH in level Hawker fl ight, the fi rst enclosed cockpit and Hurricane MK IID

Development of the Hawker Hurricane had commenced some fi ve years before the onset of hostilities of World War 2, as a replacement for the Hawker Fury biplane that became the mainstay of retractable also rounded the RAF Fighter Command. On the out the accolades. Squadron Leader J.W. winters day of November 6th 1935 the Gillan iced the cake by fl ying the aircraft prototype aircraft made a fi rst successful from Edinburgh to Northolt at an fl ight at the racing circuit in average speed of 408MPH on February Weybridge , home to the Hawker 10th 1938. Research Team. Little did anyone realise that the storm clouds of war were Not surprisingly, the RAF was keen to brewing and the aptly named Hurricane press these remarkable aircraft into would be pivotal to the defence of Britain service. However, the delivery of the and the liberation of the world from Nazi aircraft in these numbers was delayed tyranny. In fact, during these early days by some six months, due to issues with the aircraft had yet to be given a name the Merlin engine, which was resolved but was already turning heads with its by the introduction of an improved outstanding performance. Merlin G, offering greater reliability and a redesign of the troublesome cockpit In Februrary 1936 the still unnamed canopy. This delay of six months pushed prototype was demonstrated to the delivery to September 1939, the very military at the Aircraft and Armament month that hostilities with Germany Experimental Establishment at erupted pushing Great Britain and Martlesham Heath. The prototype the world into war after the German attained a speed of 315MPH at an invasion of Poland. Despite the delay in altitude of 16200ft and had an estimated delivering all 600 aircraft, by the 27th of service ceiling of 35,400ft. Suitably September the RAF had taken delivery impressed, after further demonstrations of 497 Hurricanes. Despite the delay in the Air Ministry made an order for delivering the requested 600 aircraft to the RAF Hawker had also managed Yet, the British military were continually to export 15 aircraft to Turkey, 15 to pressed by the might of German armour. Finland, 12 to Romania, and 1 to the ill- The Panzer divisions of the German fated country of Poland. Afrika Corps were seemingly invincible, being resistant to much of what the allies By early 1940 Hawker had manufactured could aim at these elite tanks. Such was a phenomenal 1,924 Hurricane aircraft. the despair that even fl atbed trucks were In an effort to boost production even hastily modifi ed to carry a large gun and further the , sent against the Panzers! The RAF came working to the original Hawker blueprint to the rescue with the Hurricane Mk IID had assembled 1,850 aircraft. being rushed into service. This version of the Hurricane had a very simple By the summer of 1940 the Battle of role, that of tank killer! The aircraft Britain raged and Hurricane crews found was initially equipped with 40mm Rolls themselves fi ghting a sterling defence Royce guns but these were superseded by of the realm. The Hurricane was the a devastating pair of high capacity 40mm primary response to the massive German Vickers guns. Two Browning .303 guns onslaught of 3500 and fi ghter were fi tted for aiming purposes. aircraft. In the air were 32 Hurricane squadrons as compared to only 19 This left the aircraft overly heavy and to squadrons of the Spitfi re. Over 3/5 of that end a large portion of the aircraft’s all the aircraft at the disposal of Fighter defensive armour plating was removed Command were Hawker Hurricanes. creating an aircraft with impressive Despite being massively outnumbered the fi re power but relatively weak defences. formidable Hurricane and her valiant This led to a standard tactic of attacking pilots were to give the a bloody swiftly swooping on enemy armour nose in Britain’s fi nest hour. from a high altitude, diving from 5000ft and accelerating to 254MPH, using the fi rst combat operator of the aircraft. the Brownings to fi nd the target before The results of equipping 6 Squadron unleashing the Vickers to deadly effect. was immediately impressive. On the The 40mm Vickers gun was able to 26th October 1942 the aircraft of the destroy an enemy Panzer tank with just squadron were to destroy 16 of Rommel’s two direct hits, dramatically helping Panzer tanks. This was followed on the to turn the tide of war against the Axis 22nd March 1943 with the destruction of powers. So effective was the aircraft 32 tanks in just 3 hours! against armour that they were dubbed This success led to the operations of “The Flying Can Openers” by the RAF! this remarkable version of the Hawker Hurricane being expanded. It saw service in Burma during the latter years of the war, infl icting heavy damage against In Combat Japanese vehicles and even was operated by the Russian Air Force against Axis The Mk IID was allocated to 6 Squadron ground vehicles. of the Royal Air Force which became Specifications Mk IID

Service Date: September 1941 Ext Fuel Capacity: none Primary Guns: 2x Browning 0.303” Maximum Speeds: 254 mph (409 kph) at (7.7mm) machine guns with 334 rpg in sea level, 290 mph (467 kph) at 12,000 ft wings (3,658 m), 316 mph (509 kph) at 19,000 ft Secondary Guns: 2x Vickers ‘Class S’ (5,791 m) 40mm cannon with 15 rpg in wings Ceiling: 33,500 ft (10,210 m) Ordnance: none Loaded Weight: 8,100 lbs (3,674 kg) Engine(s): 1x Rolls-Royce Merlin XX in- Wing Area: 257.5 sq ft (23.9 sq m) line rated for 1,460 hp at sea level (1,535 Wing Loading: 31.5 lbs/sq ft (153.7 kg/ hp with WEP) sq m) Int Fuel Capacity: 698 lbs (317 kg)

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Hawker Heroes © 2009 First Class Simulations. Published by First Class Simulations. PO Box 586 Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 6BY Tel: 01869 338428 Fax: 0870 132 1026 fi nalised and the Air Ministry awarded a THE HISTORY contract for two initial prototypes. At the time with factories working non-stop to of the keep pace with the war effort there was Hawker serious concern about the availability Tempest Mk V

The Hawker Typhoon had proved itself to be an able fi ghter aircraft but Sidney Camm and his design team felt that a revision of the design would push performance even further.

Impressed by the new laminar wing of aircraft engines. The initial two design that had recently been introduced prototypes ordered were stretched to six, in the USA with the P-51 Mustang a with a different engine in each! This gave group of Hawker engineers under the the Mk I (aircraft HM599) with a Sabre leadership of Camm investigated the IV, two Mk IIs (LA602 and LA607) with potential for adding this technology to the Centaurus IV, MK III (LA610) with the Typhoon. Research and development a Griffon IIB, Mk IV (LA614) with a tests found that it was possible to fi t Griffon 61 and the Mk V (HM595) with a new wing to the aircraft that was the Sabre II. substantially thinner. This new aircraft was to become the Typhoon 2, but was The MK V prototype was actually the re-designated the Tempest. fi rst to fl y on September 2nd 1942. The framed canopy of the original Typhoon The mindset of treating the Tempest as a was retained but this was later to be whole new aircraft allowed the Hawker amended to a new . team to add further enhancements. One The predicted diffi culties in securing such enhancement was a new landing powerplants led to the MK V becoming gear. This had the dual advantage of the production model with Sabre II offering greater stability on landing engines. On the 21 June 1943 the aircraft and raising the body of the aircraft to went into full production with the fi rst accommodate a new four blade propeller example rolling off the line. design. The thinning of the wing also required the fi tting of a new style of Certainly, the constant tinkering with the much thinner tyre. design had created a whole new aircraft in the Tempest, leaving behind much of By October 1941 the new design was the Typhoon legacy. The results were impressive, with the Tempest offering based on that used in captured enemy signifi cantly enhanced performance. FW-190 aircraft that Hawker had been However, pilots of the day soon found able to evaluate. that the Typhoon was something of a wild stallion that needed taming. Yet, the sheer power and vitality of the In Combat aircraft quickly won over fi ghter pilots. “Thanks to its 2,400 hp engine it had a The Tempest had a distinguished combat considerable margin of excess power and history, being initially deployed to 3 and its acceleration was phenomenal. It was 56 Squadrons RAF and 486 pretty tricky to fl y, but its performance Squadron (the only non-RAF operator). more than made up for it” said Pierre By the end of 1944 the British aircraft Clostermann a French fi ghter ace fl ying were based at RAF Newchurch, under with the RAF. the command of . That performance translated to a cruising speed of nearly 400 MPH, good Initially these aircraft were used for high acceleration and impressive rates of altitude fi ghter sweeps but were soon climb and dive. This made the Tempest assigned to “Ranger” operations. These an adept fi ghter, but the design extended daring missions took the Tempest deep much further than that with the aircraft into enemy territory in attacks against being an able performer in ground attack ground vehicles and long range anti- roles. The aircraft was equipped to carry shipping operations. up to 2000lb of ordnance, including 500lb and 1000lb bombs and rockets. Hawker The initial role of the Tempest was also developed a custom 45 gallon drop to change dramatically when Hitler tank that extended the penetrative range launched a devastating wave of attacks of the aircraft on combat missions. utilising the V1 fl ying bomb. The V1 Further combat capability was achieved rocket was to create havoc on British by a re-working of the aircraft windows, shores creating signifi cant loss of life and offering much greater visibility during sapping morale. The excellent handling combat. Interestingly, the design was characteristics of the Tempest saw the aircraft rushed into service against this The Tempest crews found themselves in new menace. The skill and bravery support of of the pilots coupled to the incredible in 1944 helping the allies secure a capabilities of the Tempest proved bridgehead in the . At the highly successful. Often a V1 would be commencement of the operation the nudged in-fl ight by the Tempest to divert aircraft would fl y from forward air bases the rocket harmlessly into the sea in in the UK but as the campaign continued an amazing feat of airmanship. It was RAF squadrons were relocated to bases also found that attacking these fl ying in the Netherlands itself. The successes bombs at a distance of 300 yards would were staggering, with 52 German fi ghters shield the aircraft from the effects of and 89 trains destroyed in the December the explosion. In a single day 13 were 1944. Axis regrouping in January 1945 destroyed. took a heavy toll on the Tempest with 47 crew lost in that month. The Germans decided to launch more V1 rockets during the hours of darkness The German Luftwaffe introduced the to overcome the daylight attacks by the new jet powered Messerschmitt ME-262 Tempest pilots. Roland Beamont devised and this was to form dangerous prey for an unusual method of dealing with this the Tempest. Hubert Lange, a ME-262 diffi culty. He advised his crews to fl y pilot, said: “the Messerschmitt ME-262’s behind the V1 rocket and gently climb most dangerous opponent was the British from below until the Tempest was in the Hawker Tempest — extremely fast at rocket slipstream. The V1 jet exhaust at low altitudes, highly-manoeuvrable and the rear of the rocket would then shine heavily-armed” brightly to the Tempest pilot who could immediately open fi re for a kill. It is The Tempest pilots referred to the believed that this technique developed attacks on the ME-262 as the “Rat by Beamont saved many civilians from Scramble”. Rather than attack the becoming casualties of this deadly rocket. powerful jets in traditional dog fi ghts In fact, 800 of the 1,846 V1 rockets into the air a new tactic was employed. destroyed during the War were credited The RAF crews would allow the ME-262 to Tempest pilots! Tempest pilot to remain airborne and would fl y their Squadron Leader J Berry found himself Tempest aircraft to the operating base the V1 ace with sixty destroyed! of the German jet at Rheine-Hopsten airfi eld. When the jet was in fi nal approach for landing and at its most Specifications vulnerable the Tempests would open fi re and destroy the aircraft. The Germans, Crew: One naturally, responded with a massive Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.26 m) array of ground to air fortifi cations at Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.49 m) Rheine-Hopsten with over 150 guns to Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m (tail down)) protect the runway approaches! This Wing area: 302 ft² (28 m²) led to the loss of 7 Tempest aircraft in a Empty weight: 9,250 lb (4,195 kg) single week. The RAF imposed a policy Loaded weight: 11,400 lb (5,176 kg) of discontinuing ground attacks but this Max takeoff weight: 13,640 lb (6,190 kg) was overturned only a few days later. Powerplant: 1× Napier Sabre IIA or IIB On 12th October 1944 Beamont was shot or IIC liquid-cooled H-24 sleeve-valve down and sat out the remainder of the engine:, 2,180 hp (1,625 kW) Sabre IIA war as a German POW, with the control at + 9 lb/in² boost at 7,000 ft (2,133 m), of the Tempest squadrons being handed 4,000 rpm [25] to Wing Commander J.B Wray. Wray led Propellers: Four-bladed Rotol or de the aircraft in intensive air superiority Havilland propeller missions which would be the mainstay of the Tempest for the remaining days of Performance World War 2. Maximum speed: 432 mph (695 km/h) Sabre IIA at 18,400 ft (5,608 m), Sabre Ironically as the war drew to a close IIB 435 mph at 19,000 ft (700 km/h at Rheine-Hopsten airfi eld would fall into 5,791 m) allied hands in April 1945 and would Range: 740 mi (1,190 km) itself become the base for Tempest 1,530 mi (2,462 km) with 90 gal (409 l) operations. On the 19th of April one of drop tanks these aircraft with F/O Walkington at the Service ceiling: 36,500 ft (11,125 m) controls shot down a hitherto unknown Rate of climb: 4,700 ft/min (23.9 m/s) aircraft. This later turned out to be one Wing loading: 37.75 lb/ft² (184.86 kg/m²) of the few He-162 aircraft to take to the Power/mass: 0.21 hp/lb (0.31 kW/kg) air. One of the Luftwaffe’s secret jets had been destroyed further cementing the Armament reputation of the Tempest. 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Mark II Hispano , 200 rpg 2 × 500 lb (227 kg) or 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs 8 × 3 in (76.2 mm) RP-3 rockets (post- Second World War) Provision for 2 × 45 gal (205 l) or 2 × 90 gal (409 l) drop tanks.ft (153.7 kg/sq m)

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Hawker Heroes © 2009 First Class Simulations. Published by First Class Simulations. PO Box 586 Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 6BY Tel: 01869 338428 Fax: 0870 132 1026 major difference was that the Vulture THE HISTORY powered aircraft employed a ventral radiator whilst the Sabre aircraft utilised of the a “chin” radiator. The aircraft were Hawker developed in parallel but the simpler TYPHOON

Even before the Hawker Hurricane had taken to the air, Sydney Camm and the Hawker Company were already spending much of 1937 considering the replacement aircraft. The aim was to create a massive new fi ghter, which would in fact be the heaviest and most design of the “Type R” aircraft ensured powerful single seat warplane yet built. that it was the aircraft that was fi rst In January 1938, two months after ready to fl y. Originally dubbed the the debut of the Hurricane, Hawker “Tornado” the aircraft took its maiden received a formal specifi cation from the fl ight in October 1939. The “Type R” Air Ministry. They were looking for a aircraft soon ran into trouble during fi ghter with at least 20% performance fl ight tests experiencing compressibility improvement over the Hurricane. Camm effects. The root of the problem was had envisaged powering the aircraft diagnosed as the ventral radiator so with the Napier Sabre engine but the Air development continued only with the Ministry requested that a prototype also “Type N” aircraft and the Rolls Royce be equipped with the Rolls Royce Vulture prototype aircraft was destroyed. engine. As such, the aircraft design started to come to fruition based around The fi rst production Typhoon with the two prototypes utilising each engine type. Napier 2200hp engine was completed and The tenders were formally accepted on fl own on May 21 1941. The aircraft was April 22nd 1938 and on August 30th both rushed into full production and entered variants were offi cially ordered. The squadron service in September 1941 Sabre equipped and Vulture equipped to counter the menace of the German aircraft became known as the “Type N” Focke-Wulf 190. Unfortunately, the and “Type R” respectively. aircraft was not properly completed before being entering service and Despite the differences the team at early examples suffered a wide range Hawker aimed for as much uniformity of teething troubles. In the fi rst nine as possible, with both versions of the months of combat more Typhoons were aircraft being remarkably similar. The lost to structural failures than to enemy action! At one point it was estimated an air interception fi ghter the aircraft that for every sortie one Typhoon would was to fi nd its niche in an altogether be lost due to aircraft failure. This was unexpected quarter. On November 17th especially prevalent in the tail structure 1942 Wing Commander Roland Beament which was not withstanding the stresses (later to command Tempest Squadrons) of high performance manoeuvring led an audacious night-time raid using especially during steep dives. Often the the Typhoon against enemy targets in entire tail section would shear under the Northern . It was immediately stresses and detach from the rest of the found that the aircraft excelled in a aircraft. An immediate strengthening ground attack role, strafi ng enemy program was started by Hawker but it airfi elds, shipping and ground transport. took some time before the problem was eradicated. This led to trials with 2x250lb bombs, then 2x500lb bombs and fi nally to Despite these initial diffi culties the carrying 2x1000lb bombs for offensive Typhoon rapidly acquitted itself with operations against ground targets. distinction in combat. After the success of these trials it was determined that the Typhoon would be equipped with 8 rockets, 4 on each wing. The aircraft suddenly found its niche, In Combat proving to be incredibly potent in this confi guration. The Typhoon was initially based at RAF Manston in an effort to counter the FW- During the D-Day landings and the 190 raids into the UK. Spitfi re aircraft subsequent Battle of Normandy the had proved only marginally successful aircraft would make repeated runs but the Typhoon soon made its impact against Axis armour and vehicles. At felt. On a single day fi ve FW-190 aircraft Avranches 137 tanks were destroyed by were downed by in a single sortie by the Typhoon helping the Allies secure Typhoon pilots. their push into France and Belgium. Unfortunately, from some angles the Yet, for the aims of Hawker and the Typhoon would resemble the German Air Ministry to utilise the Typhoon as Focke-Wulf 190 and suffered friendly fi re losses. This was resolved by painting and 80 tons of bombs during those black and white stripes under the wings sorties. leading to all Allied aircraft fl ying over Normandy to carry this recognition. On the 24th November 1944 Typhoons took part in an attack against a building The rocket equipped Typhoons would in Dordrecht where senior members of often be called into combat to assist the German 15th Army were meeting. ground forces in one of the fi rst examples The attack was a success for the allies of well coordinated support. RAF with 17 staff offi cers and 55 other offi cers personnel would travel with the army on killed. Dwight D Eisenhower credited the ground and would direct Typhoon the RAF Typhoon contribution as the fi re using a direct radio link. The deciding factor in the success. technique was referred to as operating a “cab rank” as Typhoons would wait in The Typhoon also undertook numerous line to be called into action by ground rocket attacks against enemy maritime forces. forces. On the 3rd May 1945 the Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland This system worked well and on the 7 were sunk in 4 separate attacks by RAF August 1944 the German counter attack Typhoons. at Mortaine was repulsed by Typhoons, resulting in the loss or damage of 81 Despite initially being designed for air- enemy vehicles and allowing Patton’s to-air combat and enduring a raft of army to move forward. In the Vire teething troubles the Hawker Typhoon region where the British Army was had matured into one of the most under sustained assault 294 sorties were formidable ground attack aircraft ever to fl own by Typhoons in a single day. The take to the skies! Typhoons fi red a massive 2,088 rockets Performance Specifications Maximum speed: 405 mph (650 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,485 m) Crew: One speed: 88 mph () IAS with fl aps up Length: 31 ft 11.5 in (9.73 m) Range: 610 mi (980 km) Wingspan: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m) Service ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,400 m) Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m) Rate of climb: 2,630 ft/min (13.4 m/s) Wing area: 249 ft² (23.13 m²) Wing loading: 45.8 lb/ft² (223.5 kg/m²) Empty weight: 9,800 lb (4,445 kg) Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (0.33 kW/kg) Loaded weight: 11,400 lb (5,170 kg) Max takeoff weight: 13,980 lb (6,340 kg) Powerplant: 1× Napier Sabre IIC liquid- Armament cooled H-24, 2,260 hp (1,685 kW) 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannons 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs 8 × RP-3 (60 lb/27 kg) unguided air-to- ground rockets

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