Hawker Sea Fury

With the success of the Hawker Tempest thoughts turned to an improved aircraft meeting the Specification F.6/42 requirements which would make the plane lighter and smaller than the Tempest. However the plane impressed the Air Ministry so much that a dedicated specification of F.2/43 was written around the design and with the Royal Navy (RN) also interested in the plane the design was modified to meet RN Specification N.7/43. Hawker would work on the Royal Air Force (RAF) design named the Fury and Boulton Paul would undertake the conversion of the aircraft to naval standards, named the Sea Fury.

Six prototypes had been ordered by the end of 1943 and one was kept back to be used as a test airframe, two would be powered by the Rolls-Royce Griffon with another two powered by the Bristol Centaurus XXII and the final prototype would have the Bristol Centaurus XII engine. It was the Hawker Fury prototype that would be the first to fly when on the 1st September 1944 it took to the skies, this was followed a couple of months later by the Griffon powered prototype which flew on the 27th November 1944, although the Napier Sabre VII engine would replace the Rolls-Royce Griffon later on.

During April 1944 production contracts were placed for 200 Hawker Furys for the RAF and 200 Hawker Sea Furys for the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), of which 100 would be built by Boulton Paul. As the Second World War ended the RAF cancelled their ordered but development of the Sea Fury would continue. The first Sea Fury Prototype flew on the 21st February 1945 powered by the Bristol Centaurus XII and featured non-folding wings and an arrester hook and it wouldn't be for another eight months until the first fully navalised Hawker Sea Fury prototype flew when a Bristol Centaurus XV engined plane flew on the 12th October 1945.

During January 1945 the Boulton Paul contract for 100 Sea Furys had been cancelled which left 100 on order. Half of these were completed as Mk X fighters and the first one flew on the 7th September 1946 and the third was sent to HMS Victorious during late 1946 early 1947 for trials. After these trials were concluded the Sea Fury entered service with Nos. 778, 802, 803, 805 and 807 Squadrons. The following year in May 1948 802 Squadron became the first to receive the Hawker Sea Fury Mk FB.11 out of the 615 to be built. A small number of these would serve with the Royal Australian and Royal Canadian Navies.

To late to see service in World War 2 the Hawker Sea Fury, along with the Fairey Firefly, would provide the 'heavy attack' element for the RN, and would prove itself to be just as good if not superior as the enemy jets it faced. In fact a Sea Fury shot down a MiG-15 on the 9th August 1952, one of the few propeller planes to shoot down a jet aircraft.

By the time production ended 860 Hawker Sea Furys had been built and it was the last propeller fighter to serve with the RN and would stay in service until the mid 1950's. A number of Sea Furys were also converted to T.20 two-seat trainers during the latter part of 1950 to help reserve pilots get experience on the type as it replaced their Supermarine Seafire aircraft.