Hawker Hunter F.51 (F.4)
Following the moderate success of the Hawker Sea Hawk naval attack aircraft, Hawker began work on a version with a more powerful engine and swept wings, the P.1052, in 1948. While promising, work on the P.1052 and the more advanced P.1081 never progressed beyond the prototype stage. Hawker saw potential in the design and famous British aircraft designer Sydney Camm began reworking it as the P.1067 to fufill the RAF’s requirement for a day interceptor. This first flew in July 1951 as the Hunter, and subsequent prototypes used either the Rolls-Royce Avon or Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire engine.
While abysmally short-ranged, the Hunter displayed superb maneuverability and transonic speed, and so was placed in production as the Hunter F.1 (Avon engine) and F.2 (Sapphire engine). Some problems were quickly identified: besides its short range, the intakes did not pull in enough air for the Avon engine (the Sapphire did not share these problems) and it had a tendency to flame out. Both versions shared problems with ejected shells striking and damaging the fuselage at high speed, canopy fogging, and problems with the ventral airbrakes. Hawker went back to the drawing board and produced the Hunter F.3, with an improved Avon, revised airbrakes, and a more pointed nose for improved aerodynamics; this was followed by the F.4 with a slightly larger wing, more fuel capacity, and blisters under the nose to collect spent shells. Finally, the design culminated with the Hunter F.6, which incorporated all the improvements of the F.4, had a redesigned wing with dogtooth leading edges for improved performance, and finally fixed the Avon’s problems with a new compressor and fuel system.
The Hunter F.6—subsequently modified as the FGA.9 to carry air-to-ground ordnance, as the English Electric Lightning replaced it as an interceptor—proved to be every bit as successful as Camm had hoped. Fast and very maneuverable, even if the range problem was never wholly solved, the Hunter was also reliable and rugged. 23 air forces would eventually adopt the Hunter. The RAF used it in Aden (Yemen) against separatist insurgents, while Pakistani-flown Iraqi Hunters and Jordanian Hunters proved to be the only real challenge to Israeli Mirage IIIs before and during the Six-Day War of 1967. The air force using the Hunter most extensively was India’s, who used it in both the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars, mainly in the ground attack role, where it excelled.
The Hunter also was exceptionally long-lived, remaining in service into the 21st Century with a few air forces. India did not retire their Hunters until 2002, while Swiss Hunters (refitted to carry both AIM-9 Sidewinders and AGM-65 Maverick missiles) stayed in frontline service until replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet in 1996. As recently as 2007, Lebanon put its stored Hunters back into service. The RAF, the original customer, still flies three Hunters as research aircraft. Finally, there are 36 Hunters flying with private companies as warbirds, research aircraft, and aggressors.
The Royal Danish Air Force was supplied with 30 Hunter F.51s, which were identical to the RAF's Hunter F.4s. E-407 spent its career with 724 Squadron, mostly at Aalborg, from 1958 to 1973, when Denmark retired its Hunters. It returned to the UK, and was displayed at East Midlands Airport for many years. In the late 1990s, E-407 was bought by an American warbird collector based in Fargo, North Dakota; it was placed on display at Bonanzaville USA's Eagles Air Museum and restored in 2002.
Though in its later career E-407 wore the overall dark green applied to most RDAF aircraft, when it was first delivered to the RDAF, it wore an attractive green and gray scheme over white, similar to the RAF's camouflage scheme at the time; this has been accurately reproduced on this excellent restoration. 724 Eskadrille's crest is carried on the nose.
Finding a Hunter anywhere in the United States is rare; this may be one of only two on display (though several others still serve as aggressors), the other being at Pima. Finding E-407 in the kitschy Bonanzaville USA museum was a surprise. Other than needing to be cleaned (the aircraft is pretty dusty), it is in excellent condition.
Hawker Hunter F.51 (F.4)
Following the moderate success of the Hawker Sea Hawk naval attack aircraft, Hawker began work on a version with a more powerful engine and swept wings, the P.1052, in 1948. While promising, work on the P.1052 and the more advanced P.1081 never progressed beyond the prototype stage. Hawker saw potential in the design and famous British aircraft designer Sydney Camm began reworking it as the P.1067 to fufill the RAF’s requirement for a day interceptor. This first flew in July 1951 as the Hunter, and subsequent prototypes used either the Rolls-Royce Avon or Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire engine.
While abysmally short-ranged, the Hunter displayed superb maneuverability and transonic speed, and so was placed in production as the Hunter F.1 (Avon engine) and F.2 (Sapphire engine). Some problems were quickly identified: besides its short range, the intakes did not pull in enough air for the Avon engine (the Sapphire did not share these problems) and it had a tendency to flame out. Both versions shared problems with ejected shells striking and damaging the fuselage at high speed, canopy fogging, and problems with the ventral airbrakes. Hawker went back to the drawing board and produced the Hunter F.3, with an improved Avon, revised airbrakes, and a more pointed nose for improved aerodynamics; this was followed by the F.4 with a slightly larger wing, more fuel capacity, and blisters under the nose to collect spent shells. Finally, the design culminated with the Hunter F.6, which incorporated all the improvements of the F.4, had a redesigned wing with dogtooth leading edges for improved performance, and finally fixed the Avon’s problems with a new compressor and fuel system.
The Hunter F.6—subsequently modified as the FGA.9 to carry air-to-ground ordnance, as the English Electric Lightning replaced it as an interceptor—proved to be every bit as successful as Camm had hoped. Fast and very maneuverable, even if the range problem was never wholly solved, the Hunter was also reliable and rugged. 23 air forces would eventually adopt the Hunter. The RAF used it in Aden (Yemen) against separatist insurgents, while Pakistani-flown Iraqi Hunters and Jordanian Hunters proved to be the only real challenge to Israeli Mirage IIIs before and during the Six-Day War of 1967. The air force using the Hunter most extensively was India’s, who used it in both the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars, mainly in the ground attack role, where it excelled.
The Hunter also was exceptionally long-lived, remaining in service into the 21st Century with a few air forces. India did not retire their Hunters until 2002, while Swiss Hunters (refitted to carry both AIM-9 Sidewinders and AGM-65 Maverick missiles) stayed in frontline service until replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet in 1996. As recently as 2007, Lebanon put its stored Hunters back into service. The RAF, the original customer, still flies three Hunters as research aircraft. Finally, there are 36 Hunters flying with private companies as warbirds, research aircraft, and aggressors.
The Royal Danish Air Force was supplied with 30 Hunter F.51s, which were identical to the RAF's Hunter F.4s. E-407 spent its career with 724 Squadron, mostly at Aalborg, from 1958 to 1973, when Denmark retired its Hunters. It returned to the UK, and was displayed at East Midlands Airport for many years. In the late 1990s, E-407 was bought by an American warbird collector based in Fargo, North Dakota; it was placed on display at Bonanzaville USA's Eagles Air Museum and restored in 2002.
Though in its later career E-407 wore the overall dark green applied to most RDAF aircraft, when it was first delivered to the RDAF, it wore an attractive green and gray scheme over white, similar to the RAF's camouflage scheme at the time; this has been accurately reproduced on this excellent restoration. 724 Eskadrille's crest is carried on the nose.
Finding a Hunter anywhere in the United States is rare; this may be one of only two on display (though several others still serve as aggressors), the other being at Pima. Finding E-407 in the kitschy Bonanzaville USA museum was a surprise. Other than needing to be cleaned (the aircraft is pretty dusty), it is in excellent condition.