Hawker Sea Hurricane

Carrier-Borne Fighter Aircraft

United Kingdom | 1941

"The Hawker Sea Hurricane of World War 2 was a forced navalization of the successful, war-winning, land-based Hawker Hurricane monoplane fighter."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IIC Carrier-Borne Fighter Aircraft.

1 x Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V-12 piston engine developing 1,280 horsepower.
Propulsion

314 mph
505 kph | 273 kts
Max Speed

34,501 ft
10,516 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling

750 miles
1,207 km | 652 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IIC Carrier-Borne Fighter Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

32.3 ft
9.83 m
O/A Length

40.0 ft
(12.20 m)
O/A Width

13.1 ft
(4.00 m)
O/A Height

5,769 lb
(2,617 kg)
Empty Weight

7,740 lb
(3,511 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Hawker Sea Hurricane Carrier-Borne Fighter Aircraft .

INITIALLY:
8 x 7.7mm Colt-Browning machine guns in wings (four per wing element.

LATER:
4 x 20mm Hispano cannons in wings (two per wing element).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Hawker Sea Hurricane family line.

Sea Hurricane Mk IA - Initial Conversion Model appeaing in 1941; provision for catapult launching; machine gun armament.

Sea Hurricane Mk IB - Fitted with carrier arrestor gear in addition to catapult equipment; machine gun armament.

Sea Hurricane Mk IC - Fitted with 4 x 20mm cannons in place of machine guns.

Sea Hurricane Mk IIB - Versions of the Mk IC when fitted with Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines; machine gun armament; limited production.

Sea Hurricane Mk IIC - Versions of the Mk IC when fitted with Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines; 4 x 20mm cannons; limited production.

Sea Hurricane Mk XIIA - Canadian production/conversion of Hurricane Mk XIIA land fighter.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/26/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

When the need arose for British shipping to be protected from air attack during World War 2, the land-based Hawker Hurricane was selected for conversion into the "Sea Hurricane". Work was handled by the General Aircraft Limited company which took a Hurricane Mk I model fighter and added some 80 modifications to the design, making them adaptable for service about specially-modified Merchant Fleet and Naval Auxiliary vessels. Additional service found later Sea Hurricane marks fielded from Royal Navy escort carriers. 250 Mk I fighters were initially converted to the "Sea Hurricane Mk IA" standard and their appearance was first marked in 1941. Pilots were taken from the ranks of the Royal Air Force despite the aircraft's naval-centric combat role.

These early Sea Hurricanes were outfitted with "catapult spools" used for catapult-launching the aircraft from ships that did not have deck facilities built into their design (unlike an aircraft carrier). As such, Sea Hurricanes could be launched from these ships but not recovered in turn, leaving airmen to manage their fuel stores wisely and find an Allied base in which to land on or simply bail out of their aircraft in the hopes that they would be picked up by passing Allied vessels and not the enemy.

The Sea Hurricane Mk IB then introduced carrier deck arrestor equipment while it still retained the catapult spool function. The combination gear enabled the aircraft to operate from both merchant vessels and carrier decks without additional work added. The Mk IB appeared across 340 total conversions.

The Sea Hurricane Mk IC followed and contained the equipment of the Mk IB variant but introduced the all-cannon wing of its land-based Hurricane brethren (4 x Hispano cannons, two per wing). Their Rolls-Royce Merlin III series engines of 1,400 horsepower were also altered for improved service at lower altitudes, making this mark a more potent form. Service entry of the type was during February of 1942 and 400 conversions were added.

The Sea Hurricane Mk IIC was next in line with its uprated Rolls-Royce XX engine of 1,460 horsepower. These were further evolved over-water warfighters by way of specialized naval radio kits installed. They also retained the all-cannon wing of the Mk IC variant. These Mk IICs went on to serve aboard Royal Navy carriers once carriers became more available in the numbers required.

The Sea Hurricane Mk XIIA was a Canadian-built Hurricane Mk XIIA land-based model though converted to the Sea Hurricane standard. Canada also contributed over 1,400 land-based versions to the Hurricane 14,000+ total during the war.

Sea Hurricanes served in quantity for a good portion of the war, from their inception in 1941 up until 1943 to which then more dedicated naval fighter types were becoming available to the British including Supermarine Seafires (naval conversions of the classic Spitfire) and American Grumman F4F Wildcats.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hawker Sea Hurricane. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1,390 Units
Contractor(s): Hawker - UK

[ United Kingdom ]

1 / 1

Going Further...
The Hawker Sea Hurricane Carrier-Borne Fighter Aircraft appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)