The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter that was used by the RAF and many other countries before and during World War II.
Wings
- Type: Low-wing cantilever monoplane with a parallel chord and thickness center-section and tapering outer sections.
- Structure:
- Centre-section: Constructed in one piece with girder spars, tubular strut drag bracing, and non-stressed metal covering.
- Outer wings: Pin-jointed to the center-section, featuring two spars with double webs at inboard ends and single webs towards the tips. The gun-bay is diagonally braced, with a fully stressed-skin type construction outboard, reinforced by two light auxiliary spars, flanged plate ribs, and lateral stringers. Covered with flush-riveted stressed-metal skin, especially on the leading-edge.
- Control Surfaces: Fabric-covered ailerons and hydraulically-operated split flaps between the ailerons and fuselage.
Fuselage
- Construction: Rigidly-braced rectangular structure of steel and aluminum-alloy square-ended tubing, assembled with flat-plate fittings and hollow rivets. The structure is faired to an oval section, with the forward part covered by detachable metal panels and the aft part by fabric over light wooden formers.
Tail Unit
- Type: Cantilever monoplane type.
- Components:
- Fin: Attached to the fuselage by two fin-posts.
- Tailplane: Fixed with adjustable trimming-tabs in each aerodynamically-balanced elevator.
- Rudder: Aerodynamically and statically balanced. All parts have an all-metal framework and are covered with fabric.
Landing Gear
- Type: Retractable type.
- Configuration: Two Vickers shock-absorber struts, hinged at the ends of the center-section front spar, retract inward and slightly backward via Dowty hydraulic rams. The wheels are retracted between spars. A back strut slides on a guide at right angles to the wing span. Features Dunlop wheels and pneumatic brakes. Non-retractable tail-wheel unit by Dowty or Lockheed.
Power Plant
- Engine: Rolls-Royce Merlin twelve-cylinder Vee liquid-cooled engine.
- Propeller: Rotol or de Havilland three-blade constant-speed airscrew.
- Fuel System: Main tanks located in the center-section between spars with an additional gravity tank in the fuselage, protected by self-sealing rubber. Ducted radiator under the fuselage below the cockpit. Oil tank situated in the leading edge of the center-section on the port side, with the oil-cooler integrated into the main radiator.
Accommodation
- Cockpit: Enclosed, situated over the wing with a sliding canopy and a quick-release mechanism for emergency exit. An additional emergency escape panel is located on the side of the fuselage between the upper longeron and the canopy. The cockpit is equipped with front and rear armor protection and a bullet-proof windshield.
Armament and Equipment
- Armament Options:
- Eight Browning .303 in. machine guns
- Twelve Browning .303 in. machine guns
- Four 20 mm Hispano cannons
- Two 40 mm guns with two .303 in. machine guns
- All armament configurations are wing-mounted.
- Ordnance: Wing racks for two 250 or 500 lb. bombs, auxiliary fuel tanks, or rails for eight rocket projectiles.
- Equipment: Includes night-flying equipment, landing lights in the leading-edge of outer wing sections, navigation lights, oxygen equipment, and radio.
Dimensions
- Span: 40 ft. (12.2 m)
- Length: 32 ft. 3 in. (9.84 m)
- Height: 13 ft. 1.5 in. (4 m)
- Wing Area: 257.5 sq. ft. (23.92 sq. m)
- Track: 7 ft. 10 in. (2.38 m)