Hawker Typhoon MK1B
Hawker Typhoon
Mk.IB R7698
W/Cdr Denys Gillam
No.266 (Rhodesian)Sqn RAF
The first outwardly visible change to the Typhoon occurred when
the canopy was changed to a clear view rear section instead of
the solid fairing - although entry was still through a car-style
door. At the same time the armament was upgraded to four 20mm
cannon. The Typhoon of W/Cdr Gillam shows these changes. Also
note his rank pennant on the fuselage in front of the canopy.
At the time that the first Hawker Hurricane rolled out of the
factory in 1937, Hawker started thinking of a successor. They
wanted to create a more advanced fighter to replace the Hurricane
when the time wasd there. The design team, headed by Sydney Camm,
thought up a fighter that was very close to the F.18/37
requirement of the British Air Ministry. This requirement was
looking for an advanced fighter, powered by the Rolls Royce
Vulture X-type or the Napier Sabre H-type engine, and heavier
armament in the way of 4 × 20 mm cannons. Hawker decided that 12
× 0.303 inch (7.7 mm) guns would also increase the firepower by
50%, so they included that option as well.Two airframe variants
were developed, the R-type (for the Rolls Royce Vulture engine),
and the N-type (for the Napeir Sabre engine). These were to be
named the 'Tornado' and Typhoon' respectively.The design
emphasized on strength and maintainability, instead of elegance,
and was also one of the first design to have a 'bubble'-like
cockpit like also seen on the North American P-51D or the
Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
Specifications:
Hawker Typhoon MK1b
Dimensions:
Wing span: 41 ft. 7 in. (12.67 m)
Length: 31 ft. 11 in. (9.73 m)
Height: 15 ft. 4 in. (4.67 m)
Weights:
Empty: 8,840 lb (4010 kg)
Operational: 13,980 lbs max
Performance:
Maximum Speed: 412 m.p.h. (663 km/h) @ 19,000 ft. (5,791 m) clean
Service Ceiling: 35,200 ft. (10,729 m); clean
Range: 570 miles (917 km)
980 miles with two 216 gallon (818 liter) auxiliary tanks.
Powerplant:
1x Napier Sabre IIA rated at 2180 Hp
Armament:
4 x 20 mm Hispano MkII fixed forward fireing cannons, 140 rounds
each, 8 x 60 rockets instead of bombs or 2 x 1000 or 500 lb bombs
