Hawker Typhoon and Tempest: A Formidable Pair

Product Description

With the technology of the Hurricane being at the end of the biplane combat aircraft era, there was an urgent requirement for a modern fighter with a capability ahead of the anticipated German fighter development for the Luftwaffe. The Hawker design team lead by Sydney Camm created the all-metal stressed skin structure Typhoon powered by the revolutionary Napier Sabre engine. Whereas the Hurricane had been developed in peacetime, the Typhoon was designed in wartime, when the urgency of the programme caused the development of both the airframe and engine to be accelerated, resulting in teething troubles not being fully solved when the aircraft entered service with the RAF. The much improved Tempest used the same engine and basic fuselage with thinner lamina flow wings, giving improved performance at altitude, and allowing the destruction of the V1s at low altitude. Both aircraft made a significant impact on the victory by the Allies in WW2, although their low level ground attack missions were extremely hazardous, and resulted in high pilot losses.

About the Author

Philip Birtles joined the de Havilland Aeronautical School as an engineering apprentice in September 1957. Following training, he joined John Cunningham– the chief test pilot as PA. Philip was then appointed deputy PR Manager at Hawker Siddeley Aviation, before moving to BAe Dynamics Group at Stevenage as PR Manager. A return was made to Hatfield with responsibility for customer acceptances for the BAe.146 airliner, until the factory closed in early 1994. Philip has written some 40 books on aerospace, his first one being published in 1980 and has been involved with the de Havilland Aircraft Museum for over 40 years.