Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane


The British Hawker Hurricane was a World War II fighter aircraft. It was produced by Hawker Aircraft and used by the RAF. It was introduced in 1937 and up until 1944. A total of 14,533 were made. It incorporated the Merlin powerplant, which was a liquid cooled V12 made by Rolls Royce, an engine also used in the Spitfire as well. Compared to the Spitfire, this lesser known British Fighter was said to have been responsible for a majority of air victories in the Battle of Britain.

The aircraft was designed to use as many of the existing tooling and manufacturing equipment that was already available. The Hawker Hurricane saw action in just about every World War II theater, from the Battle of France to North Africa. It was used at Malta, in Russia to SE Asian countries like Burma, Malaysia and Dutch West Indies.


The Hurricane Hawker was a durable aircraft, was easy to maintain and saw service throughout World War II. Although there are many of the aircraft still in museums, it is believed that only 12 original Hurricane Hawkers are airworthy today.

The Hurricane MK.IIC weighed 5,745 lbs empty and 7,670 lbs loaded. The Hurricane Hawker had a maximum speed of 340 mph, a rate of climb of 2,780 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 36,000 feet. The Hurricane had a range of 600 miles.


The Hawker Hurricane was armed with four 20 mm autocannons manufactured by Hispano Suiza. The Hawker could carry up to 2, 250 lb bombs or 500 lb bombs.