How many hawker hurricanes were built

Technical Information: Wing Span Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Artifact No. Manufacturer Location. Manufacture Date.

Acquisition Date. Registration Number. The Hurricane's sturdy tubular construction allowed many machines to survive combat and return quickly to the fight. The sea borne invasion was called off and Hitler turned his attention east to plan the invasion of Russia. It had been a near thing for Britain. The RAF nearly ran out of pilots and serviceable aircraft. Mechanics patched together every Hurricane and Spitfire that could stagger back into the air but losses were terrific.

The Royal Air Force lost airplanes and pilots. Hurricane production figures reveal the airplane's critical importance to the RAF. Every week of the battle, Hurricane losses exceeded that of any other fighter type, yet the Air Ministry consistently ordered more Hurricanes built than any other type of fighters Spitfires, Blenheims, and Defiants.

As the Battle of Britain ended, Hawker continued to modify and improve the Hurricane. At the same time, several Hurricane squadrons learned night fighter tactics and many Hurricanes were modified to fly and fight in darkness and bad weather. Others were fitted with tropical filters and sent overseas to the Mediterranean.

After flight trials, Yugoslavian test pilot claimed the German engine was superior to the Merlin. Hurricanes also fought in Malta and the western desert of North Africa. These hastily modified sea-borne interceptors were nicknamed 'Hurricats. The new Merlin XX engine was only slightly larger than earlier versions, yet it generated 1, horsepower and a maximum speed in the Hurricane of kph mph. This new version was called the Hurricane II and a prototype first flew on June 11, A specification dating back to had called for a fighter armed with four 20mm cannons.

After initial test results proved successful, Hawker began building the Mark IIC in equipped with a very potent battery of four 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, and more than 4, examples of this Hurricane were built. Several other variants of the Hurricane appeared including the Mark IID with two 40mm cannons mounted under the wings.

The Mark IV Hurricane showed little difference from the Mark II series, but it had improved armor and universal wing mounts for various ground attack roles. Several other versions of the Hurricane were created including Sea Hurricanes designed for convoy escort and equipped with arresting hooks. Hawker built this fighter at the Langley factory, near Slough, Buckinghamshire, just six miles from what is now called Heathrow airport, early in It was part of the last RAF Hurricane order for about 1, aircraft.

The fighter was delivered to No. At some point the original engine was probably removed. Another Merlin XX was installed and the fighter was placed outdoors, opposite the guardroom. Sometime later, the entire airplane was painted silver. An RAF transport hauled the fighter to the U. Specialists at the Garber Facility began restoring the airplane in and finished the project eleven years later. The fighter is on display at the Steven F.

Udvar-Hazy Center. Related Content. Aircraft Air and Space Museum. Meanwhile there are about 45 Spitfires flying, with another 25 under restoration.

Ironically, as the Hurricane is also the more complex of the two and requires far greater skills and resources to restore, it costs significantly less than a Spitfire. The average WWII pilot had hours flight experience before going into combat.

With appropriate instruction, a competent Private Pilot Licence holder should be able fly a Hurricane within hours. As world leaders in Hurricane restoration, Hawker Restorations can advise you on a variety of investment options, including whole or part ownership, and of course on every aspect of operation and maintenance.