Hawker Hurricane Mk IIB

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 3

Speed: 6

Maneuverability: 8

Firepower: 5

Climb Rate: 5

Ground Attack: 3

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds (True)						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	260	279	298	327	336@ 21928'	149 mph	1:28	4:12	8:33
mph WEP	268	287	305	334	342@ 21928'
kph	419	449	480	526	541@ 6700m	240 kph
kph WEP	432	461	491	537	551@ 6700m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: February 1942

Primary Guns: 2x Beresin (UB) 12.7mm machine guns with 250 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 2x ShVAK 20mm cannon with 100 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 2x 220 lb (100 kg) or 2x 551 lb (250 kg bombs) or 2x 317 lb (144 kg) drop tanks, plus 6x 33lb (15 kg) RS-82 rockets

Engine(s): 1x Rolls-Royce Merlin XX in-line rated for 1,460 hp at sea level (1,535 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 698 lbs (317 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 634 lbs (288 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 342 mph (550 kph) at 22,000 ft (6,706 m)

Ceiling: 35,600 ft (10,851 m)

Loaded Weight: 7,300 lbs (3,311 kg)

Wing Area: 257.5 sq ft (24 sq m)

Wing Loading: 28.3 lbs/sq ft (138.0 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Guns: The two 20mm and two 12.7mm guns give the Hurricane IIB a heavier armament than most native fighters and as good as that of the late-war Spitfires.

Weaknesses

Performance: By the time it got to Russia the Hurricane was easily outclassed by the newer Messerschmitt and the Focke-Wulf fighters.

History

In August 1941 No. 81 and 134 Squadrons of the RAF were combined to form 151 Fighter Wing. They and their planes, 12-gun Hurri-Bombers, were packed onto ships and were shipped to Vaenga, near Murmansk in northern Russia. Their task was to provide operational training to help convert Soviet pilots to the Hurricane.

After several months of training, including taking part in several bomber escort missions, the Wing packed their things and went back to England, leaving their Hurricanes for the Soviets. These were the first of about 3,000 Hurricanes (over 20% of the production line) that would be shipped to the Soviet Union under ìlend-leaseî.

While the planes were certainly welcome, the .303 armament was fairly useless when trying to shoot down bombers, even with twelve guns. To solve this problem, most of these Hurricanes were retro-fitted with a pair of 20mm ShVAK cannon with 100 rpg and a pair of 12.7mm Beresin machine guns with 250 rpg in place of the twelve Browning .303s. Additionally, rails were fitted under the wings to allow carriage of six RS-82 rockets, which combined with the two 250 kg. bombs to provide a good ground attack capability.

Sources

Scutts, Jerry; Hurricane In Action; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX;1986.

Bowyer, Chaz; Hurricane At War; Ian Allen Ltd., London; 1974.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Hawker Aircraft, Ltd.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II