046b - Inside the Hawker Hurricane

CLASS: Fighter

YEAR OF DESIGN: 1936

LENGTH: 32 feet 3 inches

WINGSPAN: 40 feet 0 inches

MAX AIRSPEED: 340 MPH

CEILING: 36, 000 feet

TYPICAL ARMAMENT

4 x 20 mm wing-mounted Cannons

 [Usually equipped with 300 rounds each].

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2 x wing-mounted 500-pound bombs

Alternatively, some Hawker Hurricanes were fitted with a slew of 12 7.7 mm machine guns. Although many pilots preferred the Mark II 20mm Cannons, an array of 12 machine guns equipped with incendiary bullets could easily light much bigger planes on fire.

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The Hawker Hurricane was a very advanced fighter for its time. Built in 1936, many aviation experts believed that the monoplane was still no match for the versatility of biplanes in dogfights. However, the enormous gain in airspeed proved that the age of the biplane was over, especially in the air of China during the Japan-China War.

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Although the Hawker Hurricane made its name in the air over London during the Battle of Britain, the few fighter divisions equipped with Hurricanes in the Pacific Theatre found the fighter featured both light and relatively durable wings. Constructed with treated fabric over a stiff wood and metal frame, the Hurricanes wing shape may have been the precursor to the A6M “Zero” and Ki-43 “Oscar”, both of which the Hurricane would face numerous times in the Pacific War.

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As the Hurricane usually came out the victor with its heavy cannons, it was used more often for bomber interception and pursuit. It became an invaluable weapon in the British, Australian, and Dutch arsenals through the first half of the War.

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