Hawker Aircraft Hurricane

Single Piston

The Hawker Hurricane was Britain's first monoplane fighter and the RAF's most numerous aircraft during the Battle of Britain, claiming more enemy kills than the more celebrated Spitfire during that pivotal campaign. Designed by Sydney Camm and entering service in 1937, the Hurricane combined a traditional fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage with modern features like retractable landing gear and eight wing-mounted Browning machine guns, making it rugged, easy to repair in the field, and devastatingly effective against bomber formations. Powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine producing around 1,030 horsepower, the Hurricane could reach 340 mph in level flight and climb to 20,000 feet in under nine minutes, performance that proved adequate against Luftwaffe bombers and competitive with Bf 109 fighters below 15,000 feet. Over 14,500 Hurricanes were built in multiple variants including fighter-bombers, tank-busters with 40mm cannon, and naval Sea Hurricanes, serving on every front from the deserts of North Africa to the Arctic convoys and Burma. Today a handful of airworthy examples remain in private hands and with historic flight organizations, representing one of the most important combat aircraft in aviation history. SkyMeter has tracked 10 flights across 2 airframes and 1 operators over routes.