Hawker Sea Hawk (P.1040) FGA.6
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  It was finally withdrawn from front-line service in 1960, although a number of aircraft remained in support roles with the Fleet Requirements Unit at Hurn until 1969.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
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

 
 

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