Encyclopedia - Hawker Hunter

In 1948 the RAF was looking for replacements for the ageing Gloster Meteor and de Havilland Vampire fleets. They issued two operational requirements; one for a two-seat all-weather radar-equipped aircraft, and one for a single-seat fighter. The first requirement led to the de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen and the Gloster Javelin, and the second led to the unpopular Supermarine Swift and the Hawker P.1067, to be renamed later as the Hawker Hunter.

The prototype Hunter made its maiden flight on 20 July 1951 with Squadron Leader Neville Duke at the controls. Even before the first flight an initial order for 113 aircraft were placed by the RAF. The Hunter had some teething problems, with the Rolls Royce Avon engine surging and flaming out when the guns were fired. The wing-mounted airbrakes caused the aircraft to pitch down when deployed before being moved to under the fuselage.

Introducing a superior armament load to the Meteor and the Vampire, the Hunter soon formed the backbone of the RAF Fighter Command. The controls were power-operated, and sported an electrically operated variable-incidence tailplane. The cockpit was pressurized by engine bleed air and was equipped with a Martin-Baker ejection seat. It was able to sustain Mach 0.95 in the high altitude cruise, and in a 30 to 40 degree dive able to break the sound barrier. The Hunter entered service with 43 Squadron in July 1954, and was only replace by the British Aerospace Hawk in 1985.

Operators include : Chile, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Singapore, Somali Republic, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

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