Hawker Seafury, Duxford 2011 ©Nigel Key
ROLE
Fighter.
FIRST FLIGHT
1 September 1944 (Fury). 21 February 1945 (Sea Fury).
The Hawker Fury was designed by Sidney Camm in 1942 and became a replacement to the Tempest.
The fuselage was similar to the Tempest but was constructed as a monocoque with a higher cockpit for improved visibility.
There were six prototypes ordered with two powered by Rolls Royce Griffon engines, two with Centaurus XXIIs, one with a Centaurus XII and one as a test structure.
The first Fury, 'NX798' flew on the 1st of September 1944 powered by a Rolls Royce Griffon 85 with a Rotol 4-bladed propeller.
The second Fury to fly was 'LA610' on 27th November 1944, which had a Griffon 85 and Rotol 6-blade contra-rotating propeller.
The Fury and the Sea Fury were closely interlinked with the next prototype being a Sea Fury, 'SR661', which first flew on the 21st February 1945.
This Sea Fury prototype had a "stinger"-type tail hook for arrested carrier landings, but lacked folding wings for storage.
The second Sea Fury prototype 'SR666' flew on 12 October 1945 and was powered by a Centaurus XV engine with a new, five-bladed Rotol propeller and was built with folding wings.
The last Fury prototype to fly was 'NX802' which flew on 25th of July 1945 powered by a Centaurus XV engine.
With the end of WWII in Europe, the RAF contract for the Fury was cancelled so development was turned to the Sea Fury leading to 'LA610' being fitted with a Napier Sabre VII engine.
The Napier engine produced 3,400 - 4,000 Hp and as a result the Sea Fury became the fastest piston-engine Hawker aircraft reaching a speed of some 460 mph.
PRODUCTION
The Hawker Fury was produced from 1945 to 1955, with 864 built.
ENGINE
Bristol Centaurus 18, producing 2,550 hp.
ARMAMENT
4 x Hispano 20mm cannon
2,000 lb (907 kg) Bomb/Rocket load
Previously, the Supermarine Seafire had been used as a carrier aircraft but was never completely suitable for carrier landings due to poor visibility and narrow track undercarriage. Consequently, the Sea Fury replaced it on most carriers.
The Sea Fury was issued to Squadron Nos. 736, 738, 759 & 778 of the Fleet Air Arm.
| Crew - 1 or 2 |
| Length - 34ft 8in (10.56m) |
| Wingspan - 38ft 4.75in (11.69m) |
| Height - 15ft 10in (4.81m) |
| Empty Weight - 8,977lb (4,090kg) |
| Max. Weight - 12,500lb (5,669kg) |
| Max. Speed - 460 mph (740 km/h) |
| Range - 760 miles (1,223 km) |
