The Hurricane’s story begins in the early 1930s, when RAF brass and designer Sydney Camm at Hawker Aircraft sketched out a monoplane evolution of their biplane fighter, the Fury. Despite reluctance toward monoplanes, Hawker pressed on—adding retractable gear and fitting the new Rolls-Royce Merlin engine—so that by late 1934 the Air Ministry had ordered the “Interceptor Monoplane.” Its prototype first flew on 6 November 1935. Into production by June 1936, the Hurricane entered service in December 1937. Its steel-tube-and-fabric construction let front-line squadrons handle repairs themselves, speeding its build-up to 18 squadrons by September 1939. When war broke out it proved a workhorse—dogfighting Bf 109s over Dunkirk, earning its stripes in every major theatre from North Africa’s deserts to the skies over Malta. As the conflict raged the Hurricane evolved: some models carried bombs or rockets for ground-attack, others gained stronger armour and cameras for night interception. The Royal Navy even flew Sea Hurricanes—fitted with arrestor hooks—for convoy escort and carrier operations. By production’s end in July 1944 some 14 487 Hurricanes had rolled off British and Canadian lines, with a handful built under licence in Belgium and Yugoslavia. Though often overshadowed by the Spitfire, the Hurricane claimed 60 percent of German losses during the Battle of Britain, proving that innovation and solid design make legends of those who fly them.

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Hawker Hurricane