Hawker Tempest
| Hawker Tempest | |
|---|---|
 Hawker Tempest Mk V |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane , fighter-bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
September 2, 1942 |
| Commissioning: |
January 1944 |
| Number of pieces: |
1,702 |
The Hawker Tempest was a World War II- era fighter aircraft made in the UK . Manufacturer was the Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Co. The low- wing aircraft was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1944 .
The advancement of the Hawker Typhoon was used as a fighter and fighter-bomber and was one of the fastest propeller-driven fighter planes of the war at low and medium altitudes. Due to its high speed, it was mainly used against the jet-powered German Me 262 and the " retaliation weapon " V1 . In addition to almost 700 V1, the RAF units were able to shoot down at least 20 Me 262s and at least one Heinkel He 162 with this model .
One of the most famous allied fighter pilots, the Frenchman Pierre Clostermann , achieved a large part of his successes with this model.
history
Sidney Camm , Hawker Aircraft's chief designer , soon abandoned efforts to improve the Hawker Typhoon and went on a new design, which was ready in October 1941. This was initially still called Typhoon Mk. II , but was renamed in January 1942, as a heavily modified aircraft had emerged in the course of further development. The most important innovations were elliptical wings of smaller thickness.
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The prototype completed its maiden flight on September 2, 1942.
The RAF immediately ordered 400 Tempest Mk. I , which were to be equipped with the Saber IV engine. Since delivery was repeatedly delayed - the first engine was delivered on February 24, 1943, series production could not have started until mid-1944 - Camm decided to start series production with the Saber IIb . This type was named Tempest Mk. V and was mass-produced from June 21, 1943. The series production of the Tempest Mk. I was never started again. It remained with only one built Mk. I , the 750 km / h significantly faster than was the Mk. V .
The Tempest Mk. II was to be manufactured in parallel . It had a Bristol Centaurus IV radial engine . Although it had a lower output of 2000 hp , it was more reliable and easier to maintain.
An order for 500 pieces was placed in September 1942. However, Hawker Aircraft had no more capacity and so the order was passed on to the Gloster Aircraft Company , which is part of the Hawker Siddeley Group . Since Gloster was busy developing the Meteor , the order was soon canceled.
Production was finally taken over by the Bristol Airplane Company , which did not deliver the first aircraft until October 4, 1944. Therefore, the Mk. II no longer took part in combat operations, production went back to Hawker after the end of the war. The Mk. II was flown in squadrons of the British Air Force of Occupation in occupied Germany.
By far the most important version for military service was the Mk. V. From the summer of 1944 it established itself as the most powerful allied fighter and fighter-bomber at medium and low altitudes.
A total of 1395 Tempest were built:
- 1 Mk. I
- 452 Mk. II (136 as a fighter and 316 as a fighter-bomber)
- 800 Mk. V
- 142 Mk. VI (drive: Saber V , with 2340 hp a little weaker, but more economical and more reliable than Saber IIb )
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data of the Hawker Tempest Mk. V |
|---|---|
| Length: | 10.26 m |
| Wingspan: | 12.50 m |
| Wing area: | 28.06 m² |
| Drive: | a 24-cylinder H-engine Napier Saber IIB with 2420 hp |
| Top speed: |
|
| Crew: | 1 man |
| Service ceiling: | 11,000 m |
| All-up weight: | 5,220 kg |
| Range: | 2,445 km |
| Armament: | four 20 mm automatic cannons Hispano-Suiza HS.404 |
Users
User states
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Station locations in Germany
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2. Tactical Air Force (2 TAF) / British Air Force of Occupation (BAFO)
- B. 155 / Dedelstorf , June to November 1945, Tempest V ( 33rd , 174th , 222nd and 274th Squadron )
- B. 152 / RAF Fassberg , October 1945 to November 1947, Tempest V / II ( 16th , 26th , 33rd and 174th Squadron )
- Y.99 / RAF Gütersloh , November 1947 to July 1949, Tempest II ( 16th , 26th and 33rd Squadron )
- B. 158 / RAF Lübeck , July 1945 to September 1945, Tempest V ( 486th ( RNZAF ) Squadron )
- B.109 / Quakenbrück , April to August 1945, Tempest V ( 33rd , 222nd and 274th Squadron )
- B. 116 / RAF Wunstorf , April 1946, Tempest V / II ( 26th Squadron )
Airfields that were occupied by New Zealand's 486th Squadron during the war are not listed; From the beginning of April 1945 B.112 / Hopsten , B.150 / Hustedt and B.118 / Celle were only used for a few days .
See also
Web links
