9/20/2010
Warbirdfare
The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied this requirement. Other external events in 1940 prolonged the gestation of the Typhoon.
Nicknamed the Tiffy in RAF slang, the Typhoon's service introduction was also plagued with problems, and for several months the aircraft faced a doubtful future. However, in 1941 the Luftwaffe brought the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 into service. As the only fighter in the RAF inventory capable of catching the Fw 190 at low altitudes, the Typhoon secured a new role as a low-altitude interceptor. In addition, the Typhoon won the support of pilots such as Roland Beamont. Through their dedication the Typhoon established itself in roles such as night-time intruder and a long-range fighter. From late 1942 the Typhoon was equipped with bombs; from late 1943 ground attack rockets were added to the Typhoon's armoury. Using these two weapons, the Typhoon became one of the Second World War's most successful ground-attack aircraft.
Even before the new Hurricane was rolling off the production lines in March 1937, Sydney Camm had moved on to designing its replacement. This was to be a large fighter designed around the large and more powerful 24 cylinder Napier Sabre engine. The work proved useful when Hawker received Specification F.18/37 from the Air Ministry in January 1938 which asked for a fighter based on either the Sabre or the Rolls-Royce Vulture engine. Both engines used 24 cylinders and were designed to be able to deliver over 2,000 hp (1,491 kW); the difference between the two was primarily in the arrangement of the cylinders — an H-block in the Sabre and an X-block in the Vulture.
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 31 ft 11.5 in (9.73 m)
- Wingspan: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
- Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.66 m)
- Wing area: 279 ft² (29.6 m²)
- Empty weight: 8,840 lb (4,010 kg)
- Loaded weight: 11,400 lb (5,170 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 13,250 lb (6,010 kg)
- Powerplant: 3 or 4-blade de Havilland or Rotol propeller× Napier Sabre IIA, IIB or IIC liquid-cooled H-24 piston engine, 2,180, 2,200 or 2,260 hp (1,626, 1,640 or 1,685 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 412 mph with Sabre IIB & 4-bladed propeller (663 km/h) at 19,000 ft (5,485 m)
- Stall speed: 88 mph (142 km/h) IAS with flaps up
- Range: 510 mi (821 km)
- Service ceiling: 35,200 ft (10,729 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,740 ft/min (13.59 m/s)
- Wing loading: 45.8 lb/ft² (223.5 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (0.33 kW/kg)
Armament
- 4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon
- 8 × RP-3 unguided air-to-ground rockets.
- 2 × 500 lb (227 kg) or 2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
** Hawker Typhoon - Warbird Fare
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