Hawker Sea Fury
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- For the earlier biplane fighter, see Hawker Fury
| Sea Fury | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Canadian Navy Sea Furies | |
| Type | fighter-bomber |
| Manufacturer | Hawker |
| Designed by | Sidney Camm |
| Maiden flight | 1945-02-21 |
| Introduced | 1947 |
| Retired | 1955, FAA |
| Primary users | Fleet Air Arm Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Number built | 860 |
The Sea Fury was a fighter aircraft developed for the British Fleet Air Arm by Hawker during World War II. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve the Royal Navy, it was also the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.
Contents |
[edit] Development
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 Sidney 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, and with a higher cockpit for better visibility.<ref name=jane>Bridgman, Leonard, ed. “The Hawker Fury and Sea Fury.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. 127. ISBN 1-85170-493-0.</ref> The Air Ministry was sufficiently impressed by the design to write Specification F.2/43 around the concept.<ref name=goebel>Goebel, Greg. The Hawker Typhoon, Tempest, & Sea Fury. Air Vectors. Retrieved on 2006-04-07.</ref>
[edit] Naval conversion
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 February 21, 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.<ref name=goebel/> 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 the spring of 1947.
[edit] Service
The Royal Navy’s earlier Supermarine Seafire had never been completely suited for carrier use, having a narrow-track undercarriage, and the Sea Fury F.X replaced it on most carriers.<ref name=fleet>Hawker Sea Fury aircraft profile. Aircraft Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945. Retrieved on 2006-03-23.</ref> The F.X was followed by the Sea Fury FB.XI fighter-bomber variant, later known as the FB.11, which eventually reached production of 650 aircraft. It remained the Fleet Air Arm’s primary fighter-bomber until 1953 and the introduction of the Hawker Sea Hawk.
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.<ref name=unlim>Sea Fury History. Unlimited Air Racing.</ref> On August 8, 1952, British pilot Peter Carmichael downed a MiG-15 jet fighter in air to air combat (though some sources claim a second MiG<ref name=acig>UN Air-to-Air Victories during the Korean War, 1950-1953. Air Combat Information Group Journal.</ref>) when his flight of four Sea Furies was engaged by eight MiGs.<ref name=goebel/> During the engagement two other MiGs were damaged; all of the Sea Furies returned unharmed.
The last squadron of Royal Navy Sea Furies was deactivated in 1955. The Sea Fury Mk 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 Mk. 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.
[edit] Variants
- Fury Mk I : Single-seat land-based fighter version for the Iraqi Air Force. Unofficially known as the Baghdad Fury.
- Fury Trainer : Two-seat training version for the Iraqi Air Force.
- Sea Fury F.Mk 10 : Single-seat fighter version for the Royal Navy.
- Sea Fury FB.Mk 11 : Single-seat fighter-bomber for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Canadian Navy.
- Sea Fury T.Mk 20 : Two-seat training version for the Royal Navy.
- Sea Fury F.Mk 50 : Single-seat fighter version for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
- Sea Fury FB.Mk 51 : Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
- Sea Fury FB.Mk 60 : Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the Pakistan Air Force.
- Sea Fury T.Mk 61 : Two-seat training version for the Pakistan Air Force.
[edit] Operators
- Australia, Burma, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, Iraq, Netherlands, Pakistan, United Kingdom.
[edit] Specifications (FB.11)
Data from The Flightline<ref name=flightline>Hawker Sea Fury. The Flightline - Military Aviation Archives. Retrieved on 2006-03-23.</ref>
General characteristics<h3>
- 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)
<h3>Performance<h3>
- 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: 2,777 ft/min (14.1 m/s)
- Wing loading: 44.6 lb/ft² (161.2 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.198 hp/lb (441 W/kg)
<h3>Armament<h3>
- Guns: 4× 20 mm Hispano cannon
- Rockets: 12× 3 in (76 mm) rockets or
- Bombs: 2,000 lb (908 kg) of bombs
[edit] Surviving aircraft
Because production continued until well after the end of World War II – and because aircraft remained in Royal Navy service until 1955 – dozens of airframes have survived in varying levels of repair. 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 in unflyable condition in museums around the world.
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External link
- Two photographs of the Griffon-engined Hawker Fury I, LA610 - for the second picture click on the Another view link.
[edit] Related content
Related development<h3>
<h3>Comparable aircraft<h3>- CAC Kangaroo
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190
- F8F Bearcat
- Lavochkin La-9
- Martin-Baker MB5
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
- Supermarine Seafang
it:Hawker Sea Fury ja:シーフューリー (戦闘機) pl:Hawker Sea Fury pt:Hawker Sea Fury
