(^48) UNITED KINGDOM
The need for speed
The British public regarded the Hunter with great pride, buoyed by its high-pro le exploits.
None had been greater than the capture of the world air speed record by the modi ed rst
P1067 prototype WB188. It had been converted to become the sole Hunter F3 (the F1 being
the Avon-engined rst production mark, and the F2 the Sapphire-powered derivative). WB188
was duly readied for a record attempt, which would also hopefully show that the Hunter was
truly able to perform in accordance with the original requirements. The alterations rendered
WB188 far from standard – it had an afterburning Avon and a streamlined airframe with a
pointed nose – but who cared when it secured the record for Britain? Neville Duke did so o
the South Coast on 7 September 1953, setting the new benchmark at 727.6mph. The record
only stood for a few weeks, but was a great
achievement nonetheless.
Above and left: For a brief 19-day period in
September 1953 Neville Duke was the fastest
man on earth, having gained the world’s
absolute speed record of 727.6mph over a
1.89 mile (3km) course.
But all was not well. It is no exaggeration to
say that the early Hunter F1s, as delivered to the
Central Fighter Establishment and Leuchars-
based No 43 Squadron in July 1954, were all
but useless to the RAF as ghters. Over a year
had elapsed since the inaugural ight of the
rst production-standard F1, during which time
some of the type’s glitches were ironed out, but
by no means all. Service pilots were soon to
discover this. The Hunter’s range was woefully
short and, worse still, the Avon engine would
often surge if the guns were red.
The need for more power from the Avon
was only truly addressed with the Hunter F6,
the rst ‘big-engine’ mark. It was the Avon 200
series that gave the extra grunt. At last, here
was a de nitive production Avon-powered
Hunter mark with something like the desired
performance. Range and endurance were
further improved, too. The F6 prototype ew
on 22 January 1954, and deliveries to No 74
Squadron started during 1956.
RAF Hunters served around the world
in numerous ‘trouble spots’. Some of these
aircraft would nd themselves back on foreign
shores once their UK service was over, as many
hundreds were refurbished and sold on to
overseas customers. Indian, Iraqi, Omani and
Rhodesian Hunters went into action during the
1960s and 1970s, and notched up some notable
successes for what was by now an outmoded
ghter aircraft.
No con rmed air-to-air kill was ever scored
by an RAF Hunter. However, the same could
not be said of their counterparts with other
air arms. Indian Air Force Hunter F56s ew
against Pakistani F-86 Sabres during the 1965
Indo-Pakistan war, and acquitted themselves
Hawker Hunter F6
Max speed: 715mph (1,150km/h)
Engines: One Rolls-Royce Avon
207 turbojet
Power: 10,140lb thrust
Length: 45ft 11in (14m)
Wingspan: 33ft 8in (10.26m)
Height: 13ft 2in (4.01m)
Armament: 4 x 30mm Aden
cannon, plus four
underwing hardpoints
able to carry up to
7,400lb of stores
(bombs/rockets) and/or
tankage
Max T/O weight: 17,750lb (8,050kg)
Max range: 1,900 miles (3,060km)
with external tanks
Above right: Painted in duck egg blue, the Hunter
prototype WB188 (later to become sole scarlet
F3) rst took to the skies in July 1951 before
creating a sensation two months later when it
appeared at the Farnborough Air Show.
Right: Showing o the type’s famous planform,
Hunter F6 XF432 had a slightly nomadic career.
Following delivery to the RAF it served with
No 208 Squadron for just over a year from March
1958 before it was converted into a ghter
reconnaissance FR10 in November 1960. It
then saw service with Nos 2 and 4 Squadrons
before it was returned to Hawker Siddeley to be
rebuilt to FR74B standard to become a company
demonstrator. Eventually it found its way into
the service of the Singapore Air Force before
nally being retired in 1995.
Below right: Hawker Hunter F1 WT587 of No 43
Squadron based at RAF Leuchars.
well despite their lack of missile armament and
other shortcomings. Iraq’s Hunters were in the
fray when hostilities between Israel and various
Arab countries broke out again in 1973, and
claimed further aerial victories.
The long-lasting con ict between
government forces and guerrillas in Rhodesia
included some notable actions by Rhodesian
Air Force examples, while Chilean Air Force
pilots ew Hunters in the 1973 coup that
deposed Salvador Allende. This is merely a
snapshot of the role played by Hunters in
military con icts for the best part of 30 years,
during which the type’s ruggedness and
versatility continued to see it through even
when it was outclassed by more modern
combat jets.
The word ‘legend’ is over-used, but, when
applied to the Hunter, entirely apposite.
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
#1