Hawker Tempest F Mk V Series II

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: 8

Maneuverability: 6

Firepower: 8

Climb Rate: 8

Ground Attack: 4

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	378	403	408	431	432@ 18373'	190 mph	1:00	2:53	6:08
mph WEP	392	416	421	n/a	436@ 18373'
kph	608	649	657	694	695@ 5600m	305 kph
kph WEP	631	669	678	n/a	701@ 5600m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: June 1944

Primary Guns: 2x Hispano Mk.V cannon with 200 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 2x Hispano Mk.V cannon with 200 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 2x 250 lb (113 kg) or 535 lb (242 kg) or 910 lb (413 kg) bombs or 2x 324 lb (147 kg) drop tanks

Engine(s): 1x Napier Sabre IIB in-line rated for 2,200 hp at sea level (2,420 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 1222 lbs (554 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 648 lbs (294 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 392 mph (631 kph) at sea level, 435 mph (700 kph) at 17,000 ft (5,182 m)

Ceiling: 36,000 ft (10,973 m)

Loaded Weight: 11,400 lbs (5,171 kg)

Wing Area: 302 sq ft (28.1 sq m)

Wing Loading: 37.7 lbs/sq ft (184.0 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Speed: Capable of more than 400 mph on the deck the Tempest was one of the few planes fast enough to catch the German V-1 flying bombs.

Firepower: The four 20mm Hispano cannons come with an ample supply of ammunition and pack are equally effective against planes and tanks.

Energy Retention: Despite the large chin radiator, the Tempest retains energy quite well.

Climb Rate: The powerful Napier engine gives the Tempest an excellent climb rate up to 18,000 feet.

Weaknesses

Handling: The Tempest shares similar low-speed handling problems with its sister plane, the Typhoon.

High Level Performance: Above 20,000 feet, the Tempest is totally outclassed by most of its contemporaries.

History

During testing of the Typhoon it was found that the large, thick wing it used was susceptible to compressibility as speeds started to approach 500 mph. To compensate for this problem a thinner wing was designed.

Being so thin the new wing could no longer hold fuel tanks as the thicker wing could. So a new fuel compartment was designed into the fuselage, which resulted in it being extended by twenty-one inches in length. To compensate for changes in lateral stability, the tailplane and fin were also increased in size.

Originally designated the Typhoon II the name of the plane was soon changed to the Tempest V, the Tempest II being a version powered by an eighteen-cylinder Bristol Centaurus engine. The Tempest V Series I was fitted with Hispano Mk II cannon, which protruded slightly from the wing. But the Series II was fitted with the shorter Hispano Mk V cannon, which fit entirely within the wings.

Being the fastest plane in the RAF inventory at low altitudes, the Tempest was drafted into service to help defend England from the V-1 flying bombs. By war's end Tempests had destroyed over 800 "doodle-bugs" with about fifty-five pilots being able to claim to be "Diver" aces.

Sources

Green, William; Famous Fighters of the Second World War; Hannover House, Garden City, NY; 1960.

Scutts, Jerry; Tempest/Typhoon In Action; Squadron/Signal Publications; Carrollton, TX; 1990.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Hawker Aircraft, Ltd.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II