The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originated from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk was the company's first jet aircraft.

Following acceptance in the RN, the Sea Hawk proved to be a reliable and sturdy workhorse. A considerable number were also produced for the export market and were operated from aircraft carriers in Dutch and Indian service. The last operational Sea Hawks, operated by the Indian Navy, were retired in 1983.

Design and development

Origins

Towards the end of the Second World War, Hawker's design team had become increasingly interested in developing a fighter aircraft that took advantage of the newly developed jet propulsion technology. Prior to this, Hawker had been committed until late 1944 to the production and further development of its piston-powered aircraft, such as the Hurricane, Tempest and Typhoon, to meet the wartime demands for these aircraft. On 1 September 1944, the first prototype of the company's latest fighter aircraft, the Hawker Fury/Sea Fury, conducted its maiden flight; it was this aircraft that would serve as the basis for Hawker's first jet-powered aircraft.

The design team studied the potential adaption of the aircraft, having opted to use the Rolls-Royce Griffon-powered Fury prototype as the starting point. The absence of wing fuel tanks also meant a thinner wing could be adopted without the penalty of reduced range; to ease manufacture, the elliptical wingform of the Fury was discarded in favour of a straight tapered wing design. Official interest had also cooled by the expression of doubts voiced by Rolls-Royce Limited on the viability of the bifurcated jet pipes that the design used. Like the piston-powered Fury it had been derived from, Hawker remained keen to promote the P.1040 to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and to the Navy. Three days later, VP401 flew to Farnborough to continue trials. A month after the first flight, the existence of the P.1040 was revealed to the general public. Early flight trials encountered aerodynamically related teething problems, such as airframe vibrations and tail buffeting, which led to a redesign of the rear jet pipe fairings and the addition of a bullet-shaped anti-shock body on the tail. The Nene 2/Mk.101 for production aircraft would have a higher take-off thrust.

thumb|Forward view of a P.1040 prototype VP401, 1947–1948

On 31 August 1948, a naval prototype, VP413, equipped with folding wings, catapult spools and armament, conducted its first flight. VP413 was quickly subjected to a series of deck assessment trials using a mock-up deck at Boscombe Down. Other changes included the addition of fixtures for rocket-assisted take-off gear (RATOG) and hard points plumbed for external drop tanks. On 22 November 1949, Hawker received an initial production contract for 151 aircraft named Sea Hawk. This flight was the final phase of the flexible deck project and was the only launch of an aircraft from the slotted tube catapult developed from the slotted tube launchers used for the V-1 flying bomb. Although the trials were successful, the project was abandoned when the introduction of more powerful engines obviated the need radically to adapt the design to the concept of combat aircraft without undercarriages. After a few flights were made in 1950, the rocket engine blew up during a test and although repaired, the airframe was scrapped soon after.

Production

Immediately following the receipt of the first order in November 1949, Hawker set about establishing a manufacturing line for the Sea Hawk at their Kingston facility. The issuing of a 'Super-Priority' status for the Sea Hawk by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1951, served to speed up production considerably as well as aid the supply of vital materials for its manufacture. Prior to the transfer, 35 Sea Hawk F1, the initial production standard, were completed at Kingston.

In 1950, it was acknowledged that the Nene 101 engine was transitional powerplant; upon availability of the 4 per cent more powerful Nene 103, the Admiralty quickly ordered many of its Sea Hawk FB 3 and FGA 4 to be re-engined. The next variant of the Sea Hawk was developed into a fighter-bomber, the FB 3, and differed only slightly from its predecessors; its structure being strengthened to allow it to carry a wider array of equipment and weaponry on its four hard points, these included rockets, bombs, napalm, mines, reconnaissance cameras, external drop tanks and fixtures for RATOG.

thumb|right|Sea Hawks of 898 Squadron at RNAS Brawdy, in 1954.

Unlike its rival, the Supermarine Attacker, which had been the first jet aircraft to enter service with the FAA, the Sea Hawk had a tricycle undercarriage rather than a tail-wheel, making it easier to land on carriers, it was also Hawker's first aircraft to incorporate a nose-wheel undercarriage.

thumb|A Royal Navy Sea Hawk with [[Tailhook extended in 1985]]

During service evaluations of the Sea Hawk, Australian and Canadian naval pilots flew the aircraft leading to official suggestions that the aircraft would be chosen by the two countries. Both nations were also interested in new American-built naval aircraft; only a handful of Sea Hawks were transferred to either nation, some operating from the flight deck of the Australian Majestic-class aircraft carrier , though these did not enter full squadron service.

In 1956, shortly after the termination of the Sea Hawk production line, the Federal Republic of Germany placed an order for 68 aircraft to equip the Bundesmarine, the West German navy, considering them good value for money. The Bundesmarine had a requirement for a day fighter-bomber and one with an all-weather capability; 34 aircraft of each variant were ordered, the Mk 100 limited to good weather, and the Mk 101 equipped with a pod-based EKCO-built search radar for sea reconnaissance in all weathers. The last export customer was India which ordered 24 new Sea Hawks and 12 refurbished ex-FAA Mk 6s in 1959, following up with 30 additional airframes reconstructed from West German stocks, among others.

Sea Hawks launched many attacks upon Egyptian shore-based targets, often against massed anti-aircraft fire, resulting in several aircraft being severely damaged. The Suez Crisis was to be the last Sea Hawk combat operation with the Royal Navy, as new strike aircraft such as the de Havilland Sea Vixen and the Supermarine Scimitar were introduced after the conflict. In 1961, the Sea Hawks that served on her were moved ashore when the Dutch commitment to NATO was changed to maritime patrol using ASW aircraft; by October 1964 they had been taken out of service.

In Indian Navy service (beginning in 1960) Sea Hawks were used aboard the aircraft carrier , ex-HMS Hercules and saw service during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In the latter war, Sea Hawks sank about a dozen vessels, comprising Pakistan Navy gunboats and cargo ships, in East Pakistan waters (now Bangladesh) without losing an aircraft. They were supported by Breguet Alizé aircraft which sank three gunboats. The Sea Hawk was withdrawn from Indian Navy service in 1983, being replaced by the far more capable BAE Sea Harrier.

Retirement

thumb|Two Sea Hawk FGA.6 of the [[Fleet Requirements Unit at Bournemouth (Hurn) Airport in 1967]]

The Sea Hawks in Fleet Air Arm service began being removed from first line service in 1958, the year in which the Supermarine Scimitar and de Havilland Sea Vixen entered service, both of which types would eventually replace the Sea Hawk. The last front line Sea Hawk squadron, No. 806, disbanded at RNAS Brawdy on 15 December 1960, ending a very brief operational career for the Sea Hawk. Most Sea Hawks in second line service were withdrawn by the mid-1960s. The last operational Royal Navy Sea Hawks were FGA.6 flown by the Airwork Limited managed "black" Fleet Requirements Unit based at Bournemouth (Hurn) Airport which retired the type in 1969.

Variants

;P.1040

  • VP401 prototype first flown at Boscombe Down on 2 September 1947, later converted to a P.1072
  • VP413 navalised prototype to specification N.7/46 first flown at Farnborough 3 September 1948.
  • VP422 second-naval prototype first flown at Farnborough 17 October 1949.

;Sea Hawk F1

:Production fighters powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene Mk 101 engine; 95 built (35 by Hawker Aircraft at Kingston upon Thames, the remainder and all subsequent production by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft at Baginton, Coventry)

;Sea Hawk F2

:Production fighter with powered ailerons; 40 built by Armstrong Whitworth.

;Sea Hawk FB 3

:Fighter-bomber variant with stronger wing for external stores; 116 built.

;Sea Hawk FGA 4

:Fighter/Ground attack variant; 97 built.

;Sea Hawk FB 5

:FB3 fitted with the Nene Mk 103; 50 conversions.

;Sea Hawk FGA 6

:FGA4 with the Nene Mk 103; total of 101 (86 new-build, the remainder converted from FB3 and FGA 4 examples).

;Sea Hawk Mk 50

:Export variant based on the FGA 6 for the Royal Netherlands Navy; 22 built.

;Sea Hawk Mk 100

:Export variant for the West German Navy, similar to FGA 6 but fitted with taller fin and rudder; 32 built

;Sea Hawk Mk 101

:All-weather export variant for the West German Navy, as Mk 100 but fitted with a search radar in an underwing pod; 32 built.

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Production

  • 90 F.1s ordered 4 November 1949
  • 5 F.1s ordered 18 January 1951
  • 40 F.2s ordered 4 November 1949
  • 21 FB.3s ordered 4 November 1949
  • 95 FB.3s ordered 18 January 1951
  • 85 FGA.4s ordered 1 June 1951
  • 107 FGA.4s ordered 5 June 1953 (12 FGA.4s the later 95 completed as FGA.6s)
  • 46 FGA.4s ordered 20 July 1954 cancelled
  • 22 FB.50s ordered 12 January 1956 for Dutch Navy

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Operators

Surviving aircraft

thumb|A Sea Hawk on static display at Jawahar BalBhavan, [[Trivandrum]]

thumb|WV908 in flight, 2010

thumb|WV908 on landing approach

Thirty-six complete Sea Hawks (plus eight cockpit sections) are known to survive , mainly in a variety of locations in the United Kingdom, though others are located abroad, including in Germany, Malta, the Netherlands and India. One Sea Hawk, WV908, remained airworthy as part of the Royal Navy Historic Flight until 2010. In June 2022, it was announced that, after several years in storage at RAF Shawbury, WV908 would be restored to flying condition at Yeovilton.

  • WF225 (Sea Hawk F 1) is displayed as 'gate guardian' at RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), England.
  • WF259 (Sea Hawk F 2) is stored at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, Scotland.
  • WM913 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed at the Newark Air Museum, Newark, England.
  • WM961 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed at Caernarfon Air World, Caernarfon, Wales.
  • WM969 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed in Hangar 3 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England.
  • WN108 (Sea Hawk FB 5) is displayed by the Ulster Aviation Society at Maze Long Kesh, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
  • WV797 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.
  • WV826 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Malta Aviation Museum, Ta'qali, Malta.
  • WV856 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England.
  • WV865 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Luftwaffe Museum, Gatow, Germany.
  • WV908 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) was airworthy with the Royal Navy Historic Flight, Yeovilton, England until 2010.
  • XE327 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at Hermeskeil, Germany.
  • XE489 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at the Gatwick Aviation Museum, Charlwood, England.
  • XE368 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is located on a private farm in Market Harborough pending restoration.
  • 118 (Sea Hawk Mk 50) is displayed at De Kooy, the Netherlands.
  • 131 (Sea Hawk Mk 50) is displayed at the Nationaal Militair Museum, Soesterberg, the Netherlands.
  • IN-154 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed in INS Garuda Naval Air Station, Cochin, Kerala, India
  • IN-172 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed in Cochin, Kerala, India.
  • IN-174 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is displayed at Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Museum Road, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
  • IN-188 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) was displayed at the INS Vikrant Museum, Mumbai, India. It's currently in storage.
  • IN-195 (Sea Hawk FGA 6) is stored at INS Garuda Naval Air Station, Cochin, Kerala, India
  • IN-235 (Sea Hawk Mk 100) is displayed at the Aeronautical Engineering Dept at Indian Institute Of Technology - Madras, Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India
  • IN-238 (Sea Hawk Mk.100) is displayed at Aeronauticum, Nordholz, Germany
  • IN-244 (Sea Hawk Mk 100) is displayed as a gate guardian in front of the Naval Armament Depot in the town of Marmagoa, Goa, India
  • IN-246 (Sea Hawk Mk 100) was displayed at the INS Vikrant Museum, Mumbai, India. It's currently in storage.
  • IN-xxx "Unknown Serial" is Displayed at National Defence Academy Khadakvasla, Pune, India. The Hawker Sea Hawk

|prime units?=imp

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General characteristics

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|crew=1

|length ft=39

|length in=8

|length note=

|span ft=39

|span in=0

|span note=

|height ft=8

|height in=8

|height note=

|wing area sqft=278

|wing area note=

|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->

|airfoil=

|empty weight lb=9278

|empty weight note=

|gross weight lb=13220

|gross weight note=

|max takeoff weight lb=16150

|max takeoff weight note=

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

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Powerplant

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|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Rolls-Royce Nene 103

|eng1 type=centrifugal-flow turbojet engine

|eng1 lbf=5200

|eng1 note=

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Performance

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|max speed mph=600

|max speed note=

|cruise speed mph=

|cruise speed note=

|stall speed mph=

|stall speed note=

|never exceed speed mph=

|never exceed speed note=

|range miles=480

|range note=

|combat range miles=

|combat range note=

|ferry range miles=

|ferry range note=

|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->

|ceiling ft=44500

|ceiling note=

|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->

|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->

|glide ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->

|climb rate ftmin=5700

|climb rate note=

|time to altitude=

|lift to drag=

|wing loading lb/sqft=48

|wing loading note=

|fuel consumption lb/mi=

|power/mass=0.38

|more performance=<!--

  • Take-off run:
  • Take-off distance to :
  • Landing run:
  • Landing distance from : -->

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Armament

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|guns= 4 × Hispano Mk.V cannon with 200 rpg

|hardpoints=6 underwing

|hardpoint capacity=

|hardpoint bombs=4 × bombs

|hardpoint rockets=20 × RP-3 "60 lb" (27 kg) unguided rockets or 16 × unguided rockets

|hardpoint other=&nbsp;or 2 × drop-tanks

|avionics=

See also

Notes

Bibliography

  • Badrocke, Mike. "Hawker's First Jet: Database, Hawker Sea Hawk." Aeroplane, September 2002.
  • Brown, Eric, Captain. "The Sea Hawk ...Epitome of Elegance." Air International, Volume 23, no. 6, December 1982.
  • Buttler, Tony. Hawker Sea Hawk (Warpaint No.29). Denbigh East, Bletchley, UK: Hall Park, 2001. .
  • Green, William, ed. "Hawker Sea Hawk: Fighter A-Z." Air International, Volume 23, no. 1, July 1982.
  • Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Great Book of Fighters. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. .
  • Hannah, Donald. Hawker FlyPast Reference Library. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing Ltd., 1982. .
  • James, Derek N. Hawker, an Aircraft Album No.5. New York: Arco Publishing Company, 1973. . (First published in the UK by Ian Allan in 1972)
  • James, Derek N. "Type History: Database, Hawker Sea Hawk." Aeroplane, September 2002.
  • Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. London: Putnam, 1979. .
  • Mason, Francis K. Hawker Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam, 1991. .
  • Mason, Francis K. The Hawker Sea Hawk. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1966.
  • Ovčáčík, Michal and Karel Susa. Hawker Sea Hawk. Praha-Strašnice, Czech Republic: Mark I Ltd., 2001. .
  • Smith, John T. Wrath of a Mythical Monster: Westland Wyvern Operations in the Suez Campaign. Air Enthusiast No 74 Mar/Apr 1998.
  • Taylor, John W.R. "Hawker Sea Hawk." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. .
  • Wixey, Ken. "Sea Hawk" Aircraft Modelworld August 1985.
  • Thunder and Lightnings
  • Sound of a Sea Hawk flypast
  • "Sea Hawk" a 1949 Flight article