Hawker Sea Fury

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For the earlier biplane fighter, see Hawker Fury

Sea Fury
Sea Furies of the Royal Canadian Navy
Type	Naval fighter-bomber
Manufacturer	Hawker
Designed by	Sidney Camm
Maiden flight	21 February 1945
Retired	1955 (FAA) 1956 (RCN)
Primary users	Fleet Air Arm Royal Australian Navy Royal Canadian Navy Pakistan Air Force
Number built	860
Developed from	Hawker Tempest

The Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Fleet Air Arm by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.

Contents 1 Design and development 1.1 Naval conversion 2 Operational service 2.1 Korean War 2.2 Later service 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Specifications (FB 11) 6 Surviving aircraft 7 References 8 External links 9 Related content

[edit] Design and development

The Hawker Fury was an evolutionary successor to the successful Hawker Typhoon and Tempest fighters and fighter-bombers of the Second World War. The Fury was designed in 1942 by Sidney Camm, the famous Hawker designer, to meet the RAF’s requirement for a lightweight Tempest II replacement. Developed as the "Tempest Light Fighter", it used modified Tempest semi-elliptical outer wing panels, bolted and riveted together on the fuselage centerline. The fuselage itself was similar to the Tempest, but fully monocoque with a higher cockpit for better visibility.^[1] The Air Ministry was sufficiently impressed by the design to write Specification F.2/43 around the concept.^[2]

[edit] Naval conversion

In 1943, the design was modified to meet a Royal Navy request (N.7/43) for a carrier-based fighter. Boulton-Paul Aircraft were to make the conversion while Hawker continued work on the Air Force design. The first Sea Fury prototype flew on 21 February 1945, powered by a Bristol Centaurus XII engine. The first prototype had a "stinger"-type tailhook for arrested carrier landings, but lacked folding wings for storage.^[2] The second prototype was powered by a Centaurus XV turning a new, five-bladed Rotol propeller and was built with folding wings. Specification N.7/43 was modified to N.22/43, now representing an order for 200 aircraft. Of these, 100 were to be built at Boulton-Paul.

Both prototypes were undergoing carrier landing trials when the Japanese surrendered in 1945, ending development of the land-based Fury; work on the navalized Sea Fury continued. The original order to specification N.22/43 was reduced to 100 aircraft, and the Boulton-Paul agreement was cancelled. The first production model, the Sea Fury F X (Fighter, Mark X), flew in September 1946. Problems arose with damaged tailhooks during carrier landings; after modifications, the aircraft were approved for carrier landings in the spring of 1947.

[edit] Operational service

The Royal Navy’s earlier Supermarine Seafire had never been completely suitable for carrier use, having a poor view for landing and a narrow-track undercarriage that made landings and takeoffs "tricky". Consequently, the Sea Fury F X replaced it on most carriers.^[3] Sea Furies were issued to Nos. 736, 738, 759 and 778 Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.

The F.X was followed by the Sea Fury FB.XI fighter-bomber variant, later known as the FB.11, which eventually reached a production total of 650 aircraft. The Sea Fury remained the Fleet Air Arm’s primary fighter-bomber until 1953 and the introduction of the Hawker Sea Hawk and Supermarine Attacker.

[edit] Korean War

The FB 11 served throughout the Korean War as a ground-attack aircraft, flying from the Royal Navy light fleet carriers HMS Glory, HMS Ocean, HMS Theseus, and the Australian carrier HMAS Sydney.^[4] On 8 August 1952, FAA pilot Lt. Peter Carmichael downed a MiG-15 jet fighter in air-to-air combat (though some sources claim a second MiG was downed^[5]) when his mixed flight of Sea Furies and Fireflies was engaged by eight MiG-15s.^[2] During the engagement, one Firefly was badly damaged while the Sea Furies were able to escape unharmed. A similar encounter the next day led to the Sea Fury fighters using their superior manoeuverability to escape another MiG-15 "bounce" although one Sea Fury had to limp home to HMS Ocean.

[edit] Later service

Sea Fury FB.11s entered service with the fighter squadrons of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in August 1951. Units equipped were No. 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835 and 1836 squadrons, No. 1832 being last to relinquish the type in August 1955.

The Sea Fury Mk 50 export variant proved popular, being purchased by Australia, Canada, Germany, Iraq, Egypt, Burma, Pakistan and Cuba. The Netherlands bought 24 aircraft, then acquired a licence for production of 24 more Mk 50s at Fokker. Cuban Sea Furies saw action during the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The final production figures for all marks reached around 860 aircraft.

[edit] Variants

• Fury Mk I : Single-seat land-based fighter version for the Iraqi Air Force. Unofficially known as the Baghdad Fury, 55 built.
• Fury Trainer : Two-seat training version for the Iraqi Air Force, five built.
• Sea Fury F.Mk 10 : Single-seat fighter version for the Royal Navy.
• Sea Fury FB.Mk 11 : Single-seat fighter-bomber for the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Canadian Navy.
• Sea Fury T.Mk 20 : Two-seat training version for the Royal Navy.
• Sea Fury F.Mk 50 : Single-seat fighter version for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
• Sea Fury FB.Mk 51 : Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
• Sea Fury FB.Mk 60 : Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the Pakistan Air Force.
• Sea Fury T.Mk 61 : Two-seat training version for the Pakistan Air Force.

[edit] Operators

•  Australia
•  Burma
•  Canada
•  Cuba
•  Egypt
•  Germany
•  Iraq
•  Netherlands
•  Pakistan
•  United Kingdom
•  Morocco

[edit] Specifications (FB 11)

Data from The Flightline^[6]

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 34 ft 8 in (10.6 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft 4¾ in (11.7 m)
• Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m)
• Wing area: 280 ft² (26 m²)
• Empty weight: 9,240 lb (4,190 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 12,500 lb (5,670 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Bristol Centaurus XVIIC 18-cylinder twin-row radial engine, 2,480 hp (1,850 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
• Cruise speed: 390 mph (625 km/h)
• Range: 700 mi (1,127 km) with internal fuel; 1,040 mi (1,675 km) with two drop tanks
• Service ceiling: 35,800 ft (10,900 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,777 ft/min (30,000 ft [9,200m] in 10.8 minutes)
• Wing loading: 44.6 lb/ft² (161.2 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.198 hp/lb (441 W/kg)

Armament

• Guns: 4× 20 mm Hispano cannon
• Rockets: 12× 3 in (76 mm) rockets or
• Bombs: 2,000 lb (908 kg) of bombs

[edit] Surviving aircraft

Because production continued until well after the end of the Second World War and aircraft remained in Royal Navy service until 1955, dozens of airframes have survived in varying levels of condition. A number of Sea Furies are airworthy today, with around a dozen heavily modified and raced regularly at the Reno Air Races as of 2006. Still more remain as static displays in museums worldwide.

[edit] References

• Darling, Kev. Hawker Sea Fury (Warbird Tech Vol. 37). North Branch, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 2002. ISBN 1-58007-063-9.
• Mackay, Ron. Hawker Sea Fury in action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1991. ISBN 0-89747-267-5.
• Sturtivant, Ray and Ballance, Theo. The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. London: Air-Britain, 1994. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
• Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam, 1977. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.

[edit] External links

• Two photographs of the Griffon-engined Hawker Fury I, LA610 - for the second picture click on the Another view link.
• Photographs of the same Hawker Fury I, LA610, re-engined with Centaurus & Sabre

[edit] Related content