Hawker Hunter

bgcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3" align="center" style="border-bottom:3px solid"|Hawker Hunter
olspan="3" align="center"|300px
A privately-owned Hawker Hunter, photographed in England in 2003.
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Description
ole colspan="2"|multi-role fighter (FGA.9)
rew colspan="2"|one
irst Flight colspan="2"|20 July 1951
ntered Service colspan="2"|July 1954
anufacturer colspan="2"|Hawker
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Dimensions
ength 45 ft 11 in 14.00 m
ingspan 33 ft 8 in 10.26 m
eight 13 ft 2 in 4.01 m
ing Area 349 ft² 32.42 m²
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Weights
mpty 13,010 lb 5,902 kg
oaded 18,000 lb 8,165 kg
aximum Takeoff 24,600 lb 11,158 kg
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Powerplant
ngines colspan="2"|Rolls-Royce Avon 207
hrust 10,150 lb 45.15 kN
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Performance
aximum Speed 710 mph 1,144 km/h
ombat Radius 443 miles 713 km
erry Range 1,840 miles 2,961 km
ervice Ceiling 50,000 ft 15,240 m
ate of Climb 8,000 ft/min 2,438 m/min
ing Loading 51.6 lb/ft² 251.9 kg/m²
hrust/Weight colspan="2"|0.56:1
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Avionics
vionics colspan="2"|ranging radar
gcolor="#87CEEB" colspan="3"|Armament
uns colspan="2"|4x 30mm ADEN cannon, 135 rpg
ombs colspan="2"|7,400 lb (3,357 kg)
issiles colspan="2"|AIM-9 Sidewinder, AGM-65 Maverick
ockets colspan="2"|SNEB 70mm rockets in 18-round pods
The Hawker Hunter was a British jet fighter aircraft of the 1950s. Considered by many to be the finest transonic fighter, the Hunter served for many years with the Royal Air Force, and was widely exported, serving with 19 air forces. A total of 1,927 Hunters were produced by Hawker Siddley and under license.

Development

The Hunter was developed in response to an Air Ministry specification issued in 1948. The P.1067 first flew on 17 July 1951, entering service as the Hunter F.1 in 1954. Extensive teething problems led to a succession of variants, leading to the definitive F.6' with a much more powerful Rolls-Royce Avon engine and revised wing. The F.6 and the subsequent FGA.9 fighter bomber were the basis for most exports. The Hunter had a swept wing with a 35 sweep, a single turbojet engine with intakes in the wing roots, and a high-mounted tailplane. It was armed with four 30mm ADEN cannon in a detachable pack in the nose, with underwing fittings for bombs and rockets. Later variants had improved wing design and more powerful engines. A trainer version with side-by-side seating for instructor and pupil was also produced. The Hunter is prized for its handling ability, and in mature versions is a versatile, robust, and reliable aircraft. The Hunter F.6 was retired from the fighter role in the RAF in 1963, with ground-attack versions serving through 1970. Some remained in use for training and secondary roles through the early 1990s. Hunter users included Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Iraq, India, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Rhodesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Belgium and Netherlands produced the Hunter under license. Perhaps the most enthusiastic Hunter user was Switzerland, which used the type from 1958 through 1994, upgrading it repeatedly in service and often choosing to retain it in lieu of newer aircraft.

Historical Appearances

The Hunters played an important role in the military coup that overthrew the socialist president Salvador Allende in Chile, on September 11, 1973, when Hawker Hunters of the Squadron No 7 of the Chilean Air Forces bombarded the presidential palace, Allende's house in Santiago and radio stations loyal to the goverment.

Units Using the Hunter

Royal Air Force

Related Content

Similar Aircraft: Dassault Super Mystre - F-86 Sabre - MiG-17

 

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