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Hobby Boss 81777 HURRICANE Mk.I 1:48 |
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| The Hurricane Mk.I was a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft was powered by a single Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and had a maximum speed of over 320 mph (515 km/h). The Hurricane first flew in November 1935 and entered service with the RAF in December 1937.
The fighter was designed as a monoplane successor to the RAF’s earlier biplane fighters such as the Gloster Gauntlet. The Hurricane was rapidly procured prior to and during World War II and formed the backbone of the RAF fighter force which fought against the Luftwaffe.
The Hurricane started the air war over the English Channel and southern England in July 1940. It was soon found that it could face Messerschmitt Bf 109s, which were previously considered to be superior to all other fighters in service, on roughly equal terms.
By the end of 1940, Hurricanes were in widespread use by the RAF and played a vital role in defending Great Britain from the Luftwaffe. The Hurricane was also in widespread use throughout the North African, Mediterranean, and Italian theatres, as well as occasionally seeing action in Northern Europe. It was gradually replaced as a front-line fighter from 1941 onwards by the superior but more complex Supermarine Spitfire. |
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