Hawker Demon
Hawker Demon | |
---|---|
Demon Mk I. |
|
Type: | Fighter plane |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
Commissioning: |
1933 |
Production time: |
1932-1937 |
Number of pieces: |
302 |
The Hawker Demon was a British biplane - fighter aircraft of the 1930s.
history
The excellent performance of the Hawker Hart bomber, introduced into the Royal Air Force in 1930, prompted the British Aviation Department to request a comparable interceptor . The first prototype from 1931 consisted of the Hart airframe with reinforced armament and a more powerful engine. Although it had the expected flight characteristics, it turned out to be unfavorable that the gunner was exposed to the icy airstream without protection. The introduction of a windshield with no adverse effect on flight performance made some changes necessary, which were implemented in the second production lot.
Series production started in 1932 and in April 1933 the first copies were delivered to the 23rd squadron of the RAF. A particularly interesting version of the Demon Mk I was the Turret Demon from 1936, which was armed with a hydraulically controlled machine-gun stand in the rear cockpit. A total of 234 Hawker Demon were produced, which served in the fighter squadrons of the British and Australian Air Force until 1938, when the majority were replaced by the Hawker Henley . In 1939 the Demon was declared unsuitable for the front and finally withdrawn from use. Nevertheless, a few examples remained in service as target tug planes until 1944.
After an elaborate restoration that took over 18 years, the Demon with the registration number K8203 flew for the first time in almost 70 years on June 23, 2009. The currently only airworthy Demon bears the markings of No. 64 Squ. and belongs to Demon Displays Ltd.
production
The Hawker Demon was built in series by two companies (Hawkers, Kingston; Boulton Paul, Wolverhampton).
Approval of the Hawker Demon by the RAF:
Manufacturer | version | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hawker | Hawker Hart Fighter | 6th | 6th | ||||||
Hawker | Mk.I | 21st | 56 | 77 | |||||
Boulton Paul | Mk.I | 10 | 62 | 72 | |||||
Hawker | Turret Demon | 49 | 10 | 59 | |||||
Boulton Paul | Turret Demon | 24 | 24 | ||||||
total | 6th | 0 | 21st | 56 | 49 | 10 | 96 | 238 |
Acceptance of the Hawker Demon by the RAAF:
Manufacturer | version | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hawker | Mk.I | 18th | 36 | 9 | 1 | 64 |
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data |
---|---|
crew | 2 |
length | 9.01 m |
span | 11.35 m |
height | 3.17 m |
Wing area | 32.2 m² |
Empty mass | 1511 kg |
Max. Takeoff mass | 2022 kg |
Engine | a liquid-cooled 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine , 430 kW (585 hp) |
Top speed | 293 km / h at an altitude of 5000 m |
Flight duration | 2.30 h |
Service ceiling | 8475 m |
Armament | two Vickers machine guns at the front, one Lewis machine gun at the rear |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ News, Airplane Monthly , September 2009, p. 5
- ↑ James J. Halley: The K File. The Royal Air Force of the 1930s , Tunbridge Wells, 1995, p. 157 ff.
- ↑ ADF Serials. Retrieved June 16, 2019 .