The Hawker Fury and Sea Fury were monoplanes designed and built by Hawker Aircraft in the 1940s. These should not be confused with the earlier 1930s biplane design of the same name. The development of the Fury and Sea Fury began in late 1942 when Hawker Chief Designer Sydney Camm proposed a lighter version of the Tempest fighter. This led to the issuance of Specification F.2/43 in May 1943. Around the same time, Specification N.7/43 was introduced for a naval interceptor, and Camm realised that a single design could fulfill both requirements, leading to the unification of both specifications under F.2/43.
By the end of 1943, five flying prototypes, powered by various engines, including the Rolls-Royce Griffon and Bristol Centaurus, had been ordered. Confidence in the new design was high, and in April 1944, orders were placed for 200 RAF F.2/43 fighters, alongside an additional 200 navalised versions for the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), under Specification N.22/43.
The first prototype (NX798) of the F.2/43, fitted with a Bristol Centaurus XII engine and a four-bladed propeller, made its maiden flight on 1st September 1944. A second prototype (LA610), equipped with a Griffon 85 engine and a six-bladed contra-rotating propeller, followed a month later. The RAF version was named the Hawker Fury I, and the naval version the Hawker Sea Fury F.X. However, after completing two more Fury prototypes (NX802 and VP207), the RAF Fury order was cancelled due in the main to the end of the Second World War, when the RAF found themselves with an abundance of late-mark Spitfires and Hurricanes. Similarly, the Sea Fury order was reduced by half in January 1945.
Despite this, development of the Sea Fury continued, with the first semi-navalised example (SR661) making its first flight on 21st February 1945, followed by a fully navalised prototype (SR666) on 12th October 1945. The first production Sea Fury F.X (TF895) flew on 7th September 1946. After extensive trials, it was decided that the Sea Fury would also serve as a ground-attack aircraft, and thus the Sea Fury FB.11 was developed, with a total of 615 built. The Sea Fury F.X entered FAA service in September 1947, while the FB.11 followed in May 1948.
The Sea Fury was the Royal Navy's main single-seat fighter during the Korean War, where it achieved success in combat, downing a Soviet-built jet in August 1952. The Sea Fury remained in service with the Royal Navy until 1953, when it was replaced by the jet-powered Hawker Sea Hawk.
The two-seat trainer version, developed under Specification N.19/47, was first flown in January 1948 as the Hawker Sea Fury T.20. A total of 60 were built for the FAA, with additional variants for Iraq (Hawker Fury Trainer) and Pakistan (Hawker Fury T.61). The Netherlands became the first foreign operator of the Sea Fury, acquiring 10 Sea Fury Mk.Xs and 12 FB.11s in 1946. The Dutch manufacturer Fokker also built 25 additional FB.50s under license, and the aircraft were operated by the Dutch Navy until their replacement by Hawker Sea Hawks in 1959.
Iraq ordered 30 non-navalised Hawker Fury 1s (known as Baghdad Furies) in December 1946, with deliveries in 1947–48, and another 25 in 1951–53. Additionally, 5 two-seater trainers were delivered to Iraq. The Royal Canadian Navy received 37 Sea Fury FB.11s between 1948 and 1951, replacing them with American McDonnell Banshees in 1955, while Egypt operated 12 non-navalised single-seater Furies throughout the 1950s.
The largest foreign operator of the Hawker Sea Fury was Pakistan, which acquired the Hawker Fury second prototype (NX802) in March 1949. An order was then placed for 50 non-navalised FB.60's in 1950, followed by orders for another 37 during 1951–52, plus five T.61 two-seat trainers during 1953–54. Pakistan remained a major Sea Fury operator until 1963.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) equipped three front-line squadrons with Sea Furies, two of which saw service during the Korean War. The Sea Fury was withdrawn from RAN front-line service in 1954 but remained in a training support role until 1962. In 1957, Hawker Siddeley acquired surplus Sea Furies from the FAA, refurbishing them for resale. The Union of Burma Air Force purchased 18 FB.11s and 3 T.20s in 1958, and these served until 1968.
Cuba, having acquired 17 Sea Furies in 1958, initially used them against Fidel Castro's revolutionaries before transferring them to the Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria after Batista's overthrow. The aircraft later participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.
Although the Hawker Sea Fury was being withdrawn from FAA service by the late 1950s, in June 1958 the company negotiated a deal with Deutsche Luftfahrt Beratungsdienst (German Aviation Advisory Service), who operated a single-seater and 16 'de-navalised' two-seat aircraft as target-tugs until the mid-1970s. Painted a vivid scarlet overall, some five of the aircraft were lost during operations whilst survivors found their way into various museums and private buyers.
With its excellent aerodynamics and an ability to accept other powerful radial engines, some Hawker Sea Furies continue to fly, with a number active in the civilian air racing world.