Hawker Typhoon > WW2 Weapons

British fighter-bomber Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B
History, development, service, specifications, statistics, pictures, video and 3D model.

175 Sqn service crew and an armorer with two 500-pound bombs tend one of the earlier Mk 1B Typhoons with car-type doors and a rigid radio mast.

Fighter-Bomber Hawker Typhoon

Table of Contents

Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B
Type: British fighter-bomber.

The Hawker Typhoon was a British fighter-bomber aircraft used during World War II. Developed by Hawker Aircraft, it first flew in 1940 and was primarily designed to intercept low-flying enemy aircraft and provide ground support.

Overview

– Role: Fighter-bomber
– Manufacturer: Hawker Aircraft
– First Flight: 1940
– Introduction: 1941
– Crew: One pilot
– Powerplant: Powered by a Napier Sabre engine, the Typhoon was known for its speed and agility.
– Armament: It was armed with a combination of machine guns and cannons, and could carry bombs or rockets for ground attack missions.

Operational History:
The Typhoon saw extensive service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the latter part of the war, particularly in the European theater. It was effective against German armored vehicles and was a key component in the Allied strategy during the D-Day invasion and subsequent campaigns in France.

Legacy:
The Typhoon was recognized for its ruggedness and versatility, contributing significantly to the success of Allied air operations. It eventually led to the development of the Hawker Tempest, which further improved upon its design and capabilities.

Overall, the Hawker Typhoon remains a significant aircraft in aviation history, noted for its impact during a critical period of the war.

History

One of the main run of Mk 1B Typhoons with the neat and unobstructed sliding teardrop hoop from the 54 Squadron.

The Hawker Typhoon’s early life was almost total disaster. Though the concept of so big and powerful a combat aircraft was bold and significant, expressed in Specification F.18/37, the Griffon and Centaurus engines were ignored and reliance was placed on the complex and untried Vulture and Sabre. The former powered the R-type fighter, later named Tornado, which ground to a halt with abandonment of the Vulture in early 1941.
The N-type (Napier), named Hawker Typhoon, was held back six months by the desperate need for Hawker Hurricanes. Eventually, after most painful development, production began at Gloster Aircraft in 1941 and Nos 56 and 609 Squadrons at Duxford began to re-equip with the big bluff-looking machine in September of that year.

But the Sabre was unreliable, rate of climb and performance at height were disappointing and the rear fuselage persisted in coming apart.
There was much talk of scrapping the program, but, fortunately for the Allies, the snags were gradually overcome. In November 1942 the Hawker Typhoon suddenly sprang to favor by demonstrating it could catch and destroy the fastest fighter-bombers, like the Focke Wulf Fw 190, in the Luftwaffe which were making low-level hit-and-run raids.

In 1943 ‘Tiffy’ squadrons shot-up and blasted everything that moved in northern France and the Low Countries, and in the summer of 1944 the hundreds of Typhoons – by now thoroughly proven and capable of round-the-clock operation from rough forward strips – formed the backbone of 2nd Tactical Air Force attack strength, sending millions of cannon shells, rockets and heavy bombs into German ground forces and in a single day knocking out 175 tanks in the Falaise gap.

Gloster built 3,315 of the 3,330 Typhoons, the final 3,000-odd having a clear bubble hood instead of a heavy-framed cockpit with a car-type door on each side.

Animated 3D model Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B

Specifications Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B

Specifications:

Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B	Specification
Type	fighter-bomber
Power plant	one 2,180 hp Napier Sabre II 24-cylinder flat-H sleeve-valve liquid-cooled engine
Accommodation	1
Wing span	41 ft 7 in
Length overall	31 ft 11 in
Height overall	15 ft 3.5 in
Weight empty	8,800 lb
Weight loaded	13,250 lb
Maximum speed	412 mph
Initial climb	3000 ft / min.
Service ceiling	35,200 ft
Range	510 miles (with bombs), 980 miles (with drop tanks)

Armament:

Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B	Specification
in outer wings	Four 20 mm Hispano guns
external load	racks for eight rockets or up two 500 lb bombs

Service statistics:

Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B	figures
First flight	24 February 1940
Production delivery	27 May 1941
Final delivery	November 1945
Total production figure	3,330

Video from the action with Hawker Typhoon in video games

Mission with Hawker Typhoon and other British vehicles in a ‘Realistic Ground Battle’ of the free2play game War Thunder:

Who does not know the F2P tank and plane war game War Thunder can download it from here for free:

References and literature

Combat Aircraft of World War II (Bill Gunston)
Technik und Einsatz der Kampfflugzeuge vom 1. Weltkrieg bis heute (Ian Parsons)
Das große Buch der Luftkämpfe (Ian Parsons)
Luftkrieg (Piekalkiewicz)
Flugzeuge des 2. Weltkrieges (Andrew Kershaw)
Kampfflugzeuge (Bill Gunston)
Operation Barbarossa: the Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis, and Military Simulation, Volume I – IIIB (Nigel Askey)
The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II (Chris Bishop)
Krieg der Panzer (Piekalkiewicz)
Typhoon/Tempest in action (Jerry Scutts)

Hawker Typhoon