Aviation / Aerospace

Hawker Siddeley HS.1200

4th Generation Fighter Design Study [ 1976 ]

The Hawker Siddeley HS.1200 was just one of many design studies that preceded the development of the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/03/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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A myriad of design studies preceded what would eventually become the Eurofighter "Typhoon", a 4th Generation multirole fighter currently serving in the inventories of Britain, Germany, and Italy among others. Hawker Siddeley, longtime aircraft manufacturer for the British aviation cause, delved into a slew of design studies during the Cold War period (1947-1991) that included both conventional and some far-reaching design ideas. One entry into the realm of 4th Generation Fighter design, appearing around the mid-1970s, became the "HS.1200" which was, itself, a sub-series of studies all with the intent of creating Britain's / Europe's next fighter.

The HS.1200-6 was an offshoot of the HS.1200 product brochure and was centered on the Rolls-Royce RB.409-50R engine for power. The engine promised total thrust with reheat of 17,310lb while dry thrust running was rated around 9,710lb. The aircraft was of single-engine design with the powerplant buried within the middle-aft section of the fuselage. Similar to the General Dynamics F-16 "Fighting Falcon" of the same period, the British aircraft could feature a single ventral air intake aspirating the engine within and a single exhaust port at the rear of the fuselage. The cockpit was seated out and over the intake behind a well-pointed nosecone housing radar. The canopy, like the F-16, would have a reclined seating position and excellent vision out-of-the-cockpit for its single crewman.

The wing mainplanes were drawn up with near-straight trailing edges and swept-back leading edges (just as in the F-16) with wingtips sporting missile launchers. Furthermore, the members were blended to the body for extreme streamlining of the design to promote better form at the high speeds expected of this fighter. Unlike the F-16, however, was the intended use of twin vertical tail fins, these straddling the engine at the rear. The horizontal planes, bookending the engine exhaust nozzle, were set well-aft in the design. Ventral strakes were added to the aft-section of the fuselage for additional control. A retractable, wheeled tricycle undercarriage rounded out the physical characteristics of this aircraft.

Internally, the aircraft would have a standard armament arrangement involving 2 x 30mm ADEN automatic cannons providing an inherent - and hefty - frontal punch against enemy aircraft (including bombers). Beyond this armament, the aircraft was to carry short-ranged Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) at the wingtip mounts and six total (three per wing member) underwing hardpoints for additional AAMs or air-to-ground air-launched / air-dropped ordnance.

Performance specifications (estimated) included a maximum speed of between Mach 1.2 and Mach 1.3. The aircraft's service ceiling was to reach close to 40,000 feet.

Finalized dimensions of the HS.1200-6 were an overall length of 44 feet with a wingspan measuring 32.5 feet. Weight was to reach 22,000lb when fully equipped for Air-to-Air (A2A) combat (2 x AIM-9 "Sidewinder" AAMs with internal cannons and fuel load).

Design study HS.1200-7 was to switch power to the RB.246-06 engine for improved performance. A redesign of the intake opening as well as enlarged surfaces of the aircraft on the whole were also planned for this entry - resulting in a top speed estimate of about Mach 1.45.

In any case, the HS.1200 was not advanced into any viable form despite being promoted and submitted by the company. The subsequent HS.1201 was a completely different proposed fighter form and is detailed elsewhere on this site.

Specifications

Service Year

1976

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

1

Production

0
UNITS

Hawker Siddeley - UK

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United Kingdom (abandoned)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

44.0 ft
(13.40 m)

Width/Span

32.5 ft
(9.90 m)

MTOW

22,046 lb
(10,000 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Hawker Siddeley HS.1200-6 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Rolls-Royce RB.409-50R afterburning engine developing 9,710lb of thrust dry and 17,310lb of thrust with reheat.

Max Speed

1,059 mph
(1,705 kph | 921 kts)

Ceiling

40,026 ft
(12,200 m | 8 mi)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Hawker Siddeley HS.1200-6 production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

STANDARD, FIXED:
2 x 30mm ADEN internal automatic cannons in wing roots.

OPTIONAL:
2 x AIM-9 "Sidewinder" short-ranged Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) on wingtipmounts.

Six underwing hardpoints for the carrying of additional AAMs, air-launched / air-dropped air-to-ground ordnance, or jettisonable fuel stores for increased range.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a short-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of an aircraft air-to-surface missile

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an aircraft external fuel tank

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 8

HS.1200 - Base Project Designation.

HS.1200-6 - Variant powered by RB.409-50R afterburning engine.

HS.1200-7 - Revised intake with enhanced airframe surface areas and uprated RB.409-50R engine; increased performance specs.

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