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Hawker Hurricane (Army Co-Op, Ground Attack)

40 x Mk III
10 x Mk IV

Mk IV are conversions (by CAC) of Mk IIs fitted with two 40mm Vickers ‘S’ guns in under-wing pods and onle 4 x 30cal MGs in the wings, with no provisions for other weapons.

Hurricane Mk III:
Dimensions; 40/ 31.5/ 12.11/258 sq ft;
Power: 1x 1030hp RR Merlin I;
Max speed 316mph at 17,750ft;
Range 450 miles
Service ceiling 36,000ft.
Armament: 4x 20mm Oerlikon, 1,000lb bombs and rockets

Hawker Henley MkII

Hawker Henley; designed by Sidney Camm to Spec P4/34 for a dive-bomber which was subsequently abandoned after prototype trials it has been modified for Spec B.1/36. The crew of two are carried in enclosed cockpits, the radio operator operates a twin .303in Vickers mount. Four 250lb bombs can be carried (two internal and two underwing) and hydraulic dive brakes are fitted. 1937 200 Mk II armed with four 20mm cannon based on Hurricane Mk II wings which entered service in1938.

Dimensions; 47.10/ 36.5/ 14.7 ft;
Power: 1x 1,030hp RR Merlin II;
Max speed 316 mph at 15,800ft,
Range 900 miles
Service ceiling 28,000ft.

Australian Aviation AA-6 Dragonfly (Coastal Attack)

Crew: 1
Length: 32 ft
Wingspan: Front 27 ft Rear: 45
Height: 11 ft
Wing area: 70 ft² and 200 ft²
Empty weight: 8,000 lb
Loaded weight: 10,000 lb
Powerplant: 2× Rolls Royce Kestrel 700 hp each

Performance

Maximum speed: 300 mph
Range: 1,000 miles
Armaments: 1x40mm cannons and 4x0.3 cal MGs

In 1942 problems began manifesting among the RAAF's Hawker Tornadoes. A weak rear fuselage and engine problems with the RR Vulture lead to the grounding of the fleet twice in the year. In the meantime the Hawker Hurricanes and Henleys where getting long in the tooth and obsolescent. As a result the RAAF began looking for a replacement for all three in the ground-attack fighter-bomber role. The RAAF had liked the performance of the Tornado, and liked the Centaurus engine on the Bristol Buckinghams. In therefore approached Hawker in 1943 with a request for a new aircraft based on the new Tempest fuselage but using the Tornado/Typhoon wing (for superior takeoff/landing and low speed performance ) and the Centaurus engine.

In 1943 Australia ordered 150 of a new ground-attack variant of the Tempest to replace the RAAF’s Hurricanes, Typhoons and Henleys. The wing of the Typhoon is married with the fuselage of the Tempest and a Bristol Centaurus radial engine fitted. The first prototype flew in May 1943 and deliveries from Armstrong Whitworth began during the summer of 1944.

Dimensions; 41.7/ 34.5/ 14.6/ 283 sq ft; 1x 2,470hp Bristol Centaurus VIII; max speed 417mph at 19,000ft; range 620 miles (internal fuel) and 1,500 miles (with drop tanks); loaded weight 11,800lbs; MTOW 13,640lbs; rate of climb 3,920 ft/min and service ceiling 35,200ft. Armament: 4x
20mm Orkileon FFB cannon and 2x 500-1,000lb bombs or 8x 3in RPs or 2x 40mm Vikckers 'S' gun pods underwing. Two 45 or 90 gallon drop tanks or two supply canisters can also be fitted instead of bombs.