Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Hawker Sea Fury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the earlier biplane fighter, see Hawker Fury
| Sea Fury | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 VR930 with wings folded, at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. Owned by the Royal Navy Historic Flight, previously aircraft of the UK Fleet Air Arm. | |
| Type | Naval fighter-bomber |
| Manufacturer | Hawker |
| Designed by | Sydney Camm |
| Maiden flight | 21 February 1945 |
| Introduced | October 1945 (FAA) 1947 (RCN) |
| Retired | 1955 (FAA) 1956 (RCN) |
| Primary users | Royal Navy Royal Australian Navy Royal Canadian Navy Pakistan Air Force |
| Produced | 1945 - 1960 |
| Number built | 860 |
| Developed from | Hawker Tempest |
The Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Navy by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built, and the last ever propeller-driven fighter to shoot down a jet-powered fighter.
Contents |
The Hawker Fury was an evolutionary successor to the successful Hawker Typhoon and Tempest fighters and fighter-bombers of the Second World War. The Fury was designed in 1942 by Sydney Camm, the famous Hawker designer, to meet the RAF’s requirement for a lightweight Tempest II replacement. Developed as the "Tempest Light Fighter", it used modified Tempest semi-elliptical outer wing panels, bolted and riveted together on the fuselage centerline. The fuselage itself was similar to the Tempest, but fully monocoque with a higher cockpit for better visibility.[1] The Air Ministry was sufficiently impressed by the design to write Specification F.2/43 around the concept.[2]
In 1943, the design was modified to meet a Royal Navy request (N.7/43) for a carrier-based fighter. Boulton-Paul Aircraft were to make the conversion while Hawker continued work on the Air Force design. The first Sea Fury prototype flew on 21 February 1945, powered by a Bristol Centaurus XII engine. The first prototype had a "stinger"-type tailhook for arrested carrier landings, but lacked folding wings for storage.[2] The second prototype was powered by a Centaurus XV turning a new, five-bladed Rotol propeller and was built with folding wings. Specification N.7/43 was modified to N.22/43, now representing an order for 200 aircraft. Of these, 100 were to be built at Boulton-Paul.
Both prototypes were undergoing carrier landing trials when the Japanese surrendered in 1945, ending development of the land-based Fury; work on the navalized Sea Fury continued. The original order to specification N.22/43 was reduced to 100 aircraft, and the Boulton-Paul agreement was cancelled. The first production model, the Sea Fury F X (Fighter, Mark X), flew in September 1946. Problems arose with damaged tailhooks during carrier landings; after modifications, the aircraft were approved for carrier landings in spring 1947.
The Royal Navy’s earlier Supermarine Seafire had never been completely suitable for carrier use, having a poor view for landing and a narrow-track undercarriage that made landings and takeoffs "tricky". Consequently, the Sea Fury F X replaced it on most carriers.[3] Sea Furies were issued to Nos. 736, 738, 759 and 778 Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.
The F.X was followed by the Sea Fury FB.XI fighter-bomber variant, later known as the FB 11, which eventually reached a production total of 650 aircraft. The Sea Fury remained the Fleet Air Arm’s primary fighter-bomber until 1953 and the introduction of the Hawker Sea Hawk and Supermarine Attacker.
The FB 11 served throughout the Korean War as a ground-attack aircraft, flying from the Royal Navy light fleet carriers HMS Glory, HMS Ocean, HMS Theseus, and the Australian carrier HMAS Sydney.[4] On 8 August 1952, FAA pilot Lieutenant Peter "Hoagy" Carmichael Royal Navy downed a MiG-15 jet fighter in air-to-air combat, thus becoming the one of the few prop-driven fighter aircraft to shoot down a jet powered fighter. (A A-1 Skyraider shot down a MiG-17 in Vietnam on 20 June 1965, but the Skyraider is classified as an attack bomber.) Indeed, some sources claim a second MiG was downed,[5] although most accounts do not mention this; either way, this is often cited as the only successful engagement by a British pilot in a British aircraft in the entire Korean War.[2] The engagement occurred when his mixed flight of Sea Furies and Fireflies was engaged by eight MiG-15s, during which one Firefly was badly damaged while the Sea Furies were able to escape unharmed. A similar encounter the next day led to the Sea Fury fighters using their superior manoeuverability to escape another MiG-15 "bounce" although one Sea Fury had to limp home to HMS Ocean.
Sea Fury FB 11s entered service with the fighter squadrons of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in August 1951. Units equipped were No. 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835 and 1836 squadrons, No. 1832 being last to relinquish the type in August 1955.
The Sea Fury F.50 export variant proved popular, being purchased by Australia, Canada, Germany, Iraq, Egypt, Burma, Pakistan and Cuba. The Netherlands bought 24 aircraft, then acquired a licence for production of 24 more F.50s at Fokker. Cuban Sea Furies saw action during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The final production figures for all marks reached around 860 aircraft.
- Fury I
- Single-seat land-based fighter version for the Iraqi Air Force. Unofficially known as the Baghdad Fury, 55 built.
- Fury Trainer
- Two-seat training version for the Iraqi Air Force, five built.
- Sea Fury F10
- Single-seat fighter version for the Royal Navy.
- Sea Fury FB11
- Single-seat fighter-bomber for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Canadian Navy.
- Sea Fury T20
- Two-seat training version for the Royal Navy.
- Sea Fury F50
- Single-seat fighter version for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
- Sea Fury FB51
- Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
- Sea Fury FB60
- Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the Pakistan Air Force.
- Sea Fury T61
- Two-seat training version for the Pakistan Air Force.
- Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm
- 723 Squadron RAN
- 724 Squadron RAN
- 725 Squadron RAN
- 816 Squadron RAN
- 817 Squadron RAN
- 851 Squadron RAN
Because production continued until well after the end of the Second World War and aircraft remained in Royal Navy service until 1955, dozens of airframes have survived in varying levels of condition. A number of Sea Furies are airworthy today, with around a dozen heavily modified and raced regularly at the Reno Air Races as of 2006. Still more remain as static displays in museums worldwide.
Data from The Flightline[6]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 34 ft 8 in (10.6 m)
- Wingspan: 38 ft 4¾ in (11.7 m)
- Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m)
- Wing area: 280 ft² (26 m²)
- Empty weight: 9,240 lb (4,190 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 12,500 lb (5,670 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Bristol Centaurus XVIIC 18-cylinder twin-row radial engine, 2,480 hp (1,850 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
- Cruise speed: 390 mph (625 km/h)
- Range: 700 mi (1,127 km) with internal fuel; 1,040 mi (1,675 km) with two drop tanks
- Service ceiling: 35,800 ft (10,900 m)
- Rate of climb: 30,000 ft (9,200m) in 10.8 minutes
- Wing loading: 44.6 lb/ft² (161.2 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.198 hp/lb (441 W/kg)
Armament
- Guns: 4× 20 mm Hispano Mk V cannon
- Rockets: 12× 3 in (76 mm) rockets or
- Bombs: 2,000 lb (908 kg) of bombs
- Notes
- ^ Jane 1946, p. 127.
- ^ a b c Goebel, Greg. "The Hawker Typhoon, Tempest, & Sea Fury." Air Vectors. Hawker Typhoon, Tempest, & Sea Fury Access date: 7 April 2006.
- ^ "Hawker Sea Fury aircraft profile." Aircraft Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945. [1] Access date: 23 March 2006.
- ^ "Sea Fury History." Unlimited Air Racing. [2] Access date: 9 March 2007.
- ^ "UN Air-to-Air Victories during the Korean War, 1950-1953." Air Combat Information Group Journal. UN Victories during the Korean War Access date: 9 March 2007.
- ^ "Hawker Sea Fury." The Flightline - Military Aviation Archives. [3] Access date: 23 March 2006.
- Bibliography
- Darling, Kev. Hawker Sea Fury (Warbird Tech Vol. 37). North Branch, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 2002. ISBN 1-58007-063-9.
- Jane, Fred T. “The Hawker Fury and Sea Fury.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0.
- Mackay, Ron. Hawker Sea Fury in action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1991. ISBN 0-89747-267-5.
- Sturtivant, Ray and Ballance, Theo. The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. London: Air-Britain, 1994. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam, 1977. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.
- Two photographs of the Griffon-engined Hawker Fury I, LA610 - for the second picture click on the Another view link.
- Photographs of the same Hawker Fury I, LA610, re-engined with Centaurus & Sabre
Related development
Comparable aircraft
- CAC Kangaroo
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190
- F8F Bearcat
- Lavochkin La-9
- Martin-Baker MB 5
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
- Supermarine Seafang
Designation sequence
Typhoon - Tempest - Fury - Sea Fury - Sea Hawk - P.1052
Related lists
|
|
|
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents |
Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |