Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Single-seat fighter

Power Plant:

One 10,150 lbst Rolls Royce Avon 207 turbojet

Specifications:

Armament:

Four 30 mm Aden cannon in removable pack under nose; up to 454 kg (1,000 lb) bombs on four underwing pylons; provision for up to twenty-four 76 mm (3 in) rockets; Firestreak or Sidewinder air-to-air missiles

History:

Following the cessation of hostilities in World War II, Hawker initiated design of a private project single-seat fighter (known as the P.1067) powered by a 6,500 lbst Rolls Royce AJ65 axial-flow turbojet and fitted with two 30 mm Aden cannon. Subsequently a specification was issued to meet the new type, and three prototypes were ordered, two with Rolls Royce Avon turbojets, and one with an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet. Even before the first prototype had flown, orders were placed for 400 examples, 200 with the Avon and 200 with the Sapphire, for the Royal Air Force (RAF), the latter model to be built by Armstrong Whitworth.

The prototype WB188 flew for the first time on 20 July 1951 at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, followed by WB195, both with Avon engines, the first Sapphire powered aircraft being WB202. WB188 made its first public appearance at the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire in September 1951. Following the advent of the MiG 15 in Korea, and the outclassing of aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor, work proceeded apace on the Hunter, the first production F.1 (WT555) flying at Dunsfold in Surrey on 16 May 1953.

Production of the Hunter was undertaken by Hawker at Kingston in Surrey and Armstrong Whitworth at Coventry in Central England. In mid 1954 aircraft were being delivered to RAF Fighter Command units. First unit equipped was No 43 Squadron at Leuchars in Scotland. Production continued with delivery of aircraft to first-line squadrons and operational training units, and the Empire Test Pilots School.

Some problems were suffered with the Avon-powered aircraft and the F.4 and F.5 were developed with new engine variants, and an increase in fuel capacity to 1,882 litres (414 Imp gals). The F.8 was the first to see combat, being involved in the restoration of International Control of the Suez Canal following the take-over by Egypt in July 1956.

Some ten British Hunter squadrons were equipped with the Hunter F.4, six of these being based in Germany. In 1955 the F.6 appeared, being able to carry bombs, rocket pods and fuel tanks under the wings, entering service in 1956, and 19 Squadrons were so equipped. The Indian Air Force operated the F.6 during a number of conflicts with Pakistan. Ex-RAF Hunters were refurbished and supplied to a number of air forces.

In 1968 the Republic of Singapore Air Force obtained twelve FGA.74s, followed soon thereafter with a further 22 FGA.74Bs, entering service in 1973 with Nos 140 (Osprey) and 141 (Merlin) Squadrons at Tengah, these aircraft being capable of operating with AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.

Over the years the Hunter was quite often involved in wars between Israel and surrounding nations. In the United Kingdom the type equipped a number of aerobatic teams, including No 111 Squadron ‘Black Arrows’ with up to 22 aircraft; No 54 with the ‘Black Knights’; and No 43 with the ‘Fighting Cocks’. A Royal Navy (RN) team was known as the ‘Blue Herons’; and other teams were formed by the Air Forces of Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden.

Hunter production comprised 139 F.1s, followed by 45 F.2s with the Sapphire engine. Only one F.3 was completed, this having a 9,600 lbst Avon RA.7 engine with re-heat. This aircraft set a world speed record of 1,170.9 km/h (727.6 mph) in September 1953. The F.4 had increased fuel capacity, and 365 examples were delivered, the first (WT701) flying on 20 October 1954 with an Avon 115 engine. The F.5 was virtually a Sapphire-powered F.4, 105 being built. The F.6 had the 10,500 lbst Rolls Royce Avon 200 engine and 416 were built. By 1958 the Hunter equipped all RAF day fighter squadrons in Europe and some in the Mediterranean.

Underwing stores could be carried, and the type continued in service until replaced by the English Electric Lightning in 1962. The type was also built in some numbers in two-seat side-by-side trainer variants. Final models with the RAF were the FGA.9 and FR.10, which were modified F.6s, the former being equipped with a braking parachute and mountings for drop tanks, and the latter having three nose-mounted cameras.

The Hunter saw service in large numbers with the air forces of Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, The Netherlands, India, Jordan, Peru, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Chile, Iraq, Lebanon, Qatar, Rhodesia, and Saudi Arabia. A very successful fighter, the Hunter continued in service with a number of air forces up into the late 1980s.

In 1989 a Hawker Hunter, de Havilland Sea Vixen and Gloster Meteor F-8, which had been on display at Sentosa Island in Singapore, were recovered by the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra where have been refurbished and placed on display. The Hunter, an F.4 (XF311), was originally delivered to No 5 Maintenance Unit, RAF, on 10 January 1956. It subsequently served with No 130 Squadron at Bruggen, West Germany until the unit was disbanded in 1957. Eventually it became an instructional airframe (A2566) at ‘HMS Condor’ at Arbroath in Scotland, being supplied to the Singapore Air Force Technical College in January 1970.

Probably the first Hunters seen in this region were Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft which regularly visited Australia for exercises, on a number of occasions operating from RAAF Williamtown, NSW. The last deployment of the type was in late 1984 when eight Hunters flew to Australia and operated from Williamtown. The RSAF units had commenced operating in Australia in 1982 and over the years Northrop F-5E/F Tiger IIs, Douglas F-4 Skyhawks and Hawker Hunters operated from Williamtown, usually staying on each occasion for four to six months. Because of that country’s small size and highly congested airspace due to civil air traffic, the two Governments agreed to allow the RSAF to base aircraft in Australia and conduct navigation exercises and training.

In the 1990s the Swiss Air Force retired the type and a number were presented to museums around the world. Others have been refurbished to become warbirds. A number of ex-RAF aircraft have been privately flown in the United Kingdom and the United States.

After the Republic of Singapore Air Force retired the type in the late 1990s a Brisbane, QLD company obtained the remaining stocks of Hawker Hunters, some 21 aircraft being available. Some 47 aircraft had been delivered to the RSAF between 1970 and 1973 comprising FGA.74s, FR.74As, and T.75s. These 21 aircraft were imported to Queensland where they were placed on the market for sale. A number were sold overseas but a number have also remained in this region.

A few have appeared on the Australian Civil Aircraft Register, including: FR.74BS VH-FRH/VH-FGA (c/n 54RU-3313) and FR.74BS VH-JGP (c/n 41H-670802). The first example to fly was FR.74A ZK-JIL (c/n 517 – ex XJ689, G-9-327, RSAF 517) in April 2000. A number were purchased by Pacific Hunter Aviation of Brisbane.  FR.74BS VH-FRH was flown to and was placed on display at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Museum at Albion Park, NSW.

One of the 21, an FR.74B, was operated by the Singapore Air Force as 526. This aircraft, as G-BABM, was operated by Hawker Siddeley as its demonstrator and toured a number of countries around the world in attempts to sell the type. It was shown at the 1976 Farnborough Air Show. This aircraft was obtained in 1995 by a Queensland operator and work commenced in 2014 to restore it to its 1970s colour scheme of sand and brown upper surfaces and azure blue lower surfaces. When completed it was placed in a museum at Caboolture with a spare Avon 207C engine beside it.

In the United Kingdom a private company, Hawker Hunter Aviation, had a fleet of 12 Hunters, a Buccaneer S.2B and a Sukhoi SU-22 Fitter. This organisation was set-up to simulate enemy aircraft in military exercises, being able to supply aircraft on wet or dry lease at a fraction of the cost of current air force front-line assets. This work included aerial combat training and high-speed photo chase and radar calibration. The fleet of Hunters comprised 10 ex-Swiss Air Force Hunter F.58s and two ex-RAF Hunter T.7s being based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.