
Hawker Sea Hawk (P.1040) FGA.6
The Hawker Aircraft Sea Hawk has its origins in the Hawker P.1040 single seat jet fighter prototype. The P.1040 used a single Rolls-Royce Nene engine mounted in the centre fuselage with wing root intakes and a bifurcated jet pipe exhausting at the trailing edge wing roots.
The prototype P.1040 (VP401) was flown for the first time on 2nd September 1947.
Although it was not considered a sufficient advance over the De Havilland DH100 Vampire and Gloster Meteor for it to be selected for RAF service, it was subsequently adapted for naval operations against specification N.7/46.
Two ‘navalised’ prototypes were built and flown (with folding wings and arrester hooks), these being firstly (VP413) first flown at Farnborough 3rd September 1948, and followed by (VP422) which flew at again at Farnborough 17th October 1949.
The type was eventually ordered into production as the Hawker Sea Hawk F.1 with the first 35 aircraft being built by Hawker Aircraft at Kingston and all subsequent aircraft being built by Sir WG Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd at Baginton and Bitteswell.
It operated as a single-seat fighter for Fleet protection and in its later variants (Hawker Sea Hawk FB,3, FGA.4, FB.5 and FGA.6) it took on a ground-attack role, equipped with under-wing bombs and unguided rockets.
The first production Hawker Sea Hawk F1 (WF143) was flown on 14th November 1951 albeit with with a 39 ft (12m) wingspan and a tailplane of increased area.
The type finally entered Royal Naval service in 1953, although it was progressively replaced by the Vickers Supermarine 525 Scimitar and De Havilland DH110 Sea Vixen. It was finally withdrawn from front-line service in 1960, although a number of aircraft remained in support roles with the Fleet Requirements Unit at Hurn until 1969.
The Hawker Sea Hawk was well-liked in naval service and was involved in intensive ground attack operations against Egyptian airfields during the Suez Crisis of October & November 1956. It was exported to a number of nations, being operated by the navy's of the Netherlands, West Germany and India.
Production eventually comprised three prototypes and 520 production aircraft.

Hawker Sea Hawk Mk1 on ground with folded wings
The last front line Hawker Sea Hawk Squadron (No.806) was disbanded in December 1960 with just a few remaining in 'second line' service until the mid-1960's.
Variants
P.1040 3 Built |
Prototypes |
Sea Hawk F.1 95 Built |
Production fighters powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene Mk 101 engine - 35 by aircraft Hawker Aircraft at Kingston-upon-Thames with subsequent production by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft at Baginton, Coventry) |
Sea Hawk F.2 40 Built |
Production fighter with powered ailerons, built by Armstrong Whitworth. |
Sea Hawk FB.3 116 Built |
Fighter-bomber variant with stronger wing for external stores |
Sea Hawk FGA.4 97 Built |
Fighter/Ground attack variant |
Sea Hawk FB.5 50 Conversions |
FB3 fitted with the Nene Mk 103 |
Sea Hawk FGA.6 86 Built / 15 Conversions |
FGA4 with the Nene Mk 103 |
Sea Hawk Mk 50 22 Built |
Export variant based on the FGA.6 for the Royal Netherland Navy |
Sea Hawk Mk 100 32 Built |
Export variant for the West German Navy, similar to FGA.6 but fitted with taller fin and rudder. |
Sea Hawk Mk 101 32 Built |
All-weather export variant for the West German Navy, as Mk 100 but fitted with a search radar in an underwing pod |
Specification
Powerplant | One 5,200 lbst Rolls-Royce Nene 103 engine |
Span | 39ft 0in |
Maximum Weight | 13,220 lbs |
Capacity | Single Pilot |
Maximum Speed | 600 mph |
Range (full load) | 480 miles |
Number built
Prototypes | 3 |
Production Aircraft | 520 |
Survivors
Sea Hawk P.1052
(VX272)
|
Fleet Air Arm Museum (stored), RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset www.fleetairarm.com |
Sea Hawk F.2
(WF225)
|
HMS Sea Hawk (Gate Guard), RNAS Culdrose, Helston, Cornwall www.royalnavy.mod.uk |
Sea Hawk F.2
(WF259)
|
National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, East Lothian, Scotland www.nms.ac.uk/flight |
Sea Hawk FB.3
(WM913)
|
Newark Air Museum, Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire www.newarkairmuseum.org |
Sea Hawk FB.3
(WN105)
|
Private Owner, Birlingham, Hereford & Worcester
|
Sea Hawk FB.3
(WN108)
|
Ulster Aviation Society, Langford Lodge airfield, Antrim, Northern Ireland www.ulsteraviationsociety.org |
Sea Hawk FB.5
(WM983)
|
Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg, Netherlands
|
Sea Hawk FB.5
(WM961)
|
Caernarfon Air World, Caernarfon Airport, Llandwrog, Gwynedd, Wales www.airworldmuseum.com/ |
Sea Hawk FB.5
(WM969)
|
Imperial War Museum, Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire www.iwm.org.uk |
Sea Hawk FB.5
(WM994)
|
Privately owned, USA
|
Sea Hawk FB.5
(XE489)
|
Gatwick Aviation Museum, Charlwood, Surrey www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV828)
|
De Kooy NAS (on display within the base), Netherlands |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV865)
|
Luftwaffenmuseum, Berlin-Gatow, Germany www.mhm-gatow.de |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV795)
|
Dunsfold Park, Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey www.dunsfoldpark.com |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV797)
|
Midland Air Museum, Coventry, Warwickshire |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV798)
|
Parkhouse Aviation (stored), Booker Aerodrome, Buckinghamshire |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV826)
|
Malta Aviation Museum, Ta' Qali, Malta www.maltaaviationmuseum.com |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV856)
|
Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset www.fleetairarm.com |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(WV908)
|
Royal Navy Historic Flight, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset www.royalnavyhistoricflight.org.uk |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(XE327)
|
Luftfahrtausstellung Museum, Hermeskeil, Germany www.flugausstellung.de |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(XE340)
|
Montrose Air Station Museum, Montrose, Tayside, Scotland www.rafmontrose.org.uk |
Sea Hawk FGA.6
(XE368)
|
Private Owner, Walney Island, Cumbria
|
Sea Hawk Mk.100
(6667)
|
BDRT, Nordholz AB, Germany
|
Sea Hawk Mk.100
(IN174)
|
RBI (Gate Guard), Kowdiar, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
|
Sea Hawk Mk.100
(IN188)
|
INS Vikrant, Bombay, India www.mumbai77.com |
Sea Hawk Mk.100
(IN234)
|
Naval Aviation Museum, Goa, India www.navalaviationmuseumgoa.com |
Sea Hawk Mk.100
(IN235)
|
Indian Institute of Technology, Adyar, Chennai, India
|
Sea Hawk Mk.100
(IN238)
|
Aeronauticum Nordholz, Germany www.aeronauticum.de |
Sea Hawk Mk.101
(6686)
|
Internationales Luftfahrt-Museum, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany www.luftfahrtmuseum.com |
Sea Hawk Mk.101
(6707)
|
Eggebek AB (displayed), Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
|
Sea Hawk Mk.101
(IN240)
|
Vishakapatnam (pole mounted), India
|
Sea Hawk Mk.101
(IN244)
|
Naval Armament Depot (Gate Guard), Marmagoa, Goa, India www.indiannavy.nic.in |
Sea Hawk Mk.101
(IN246)
|
INS Vikrant, Bombay, India
|
Sea Hawk Mk.101
(IN252)
|
Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Chennai, India www.mitindia.edu |
Sea Hawk Mk.101
|
National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, Pune, India www.nda.nic.in |