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Tempest file photo [182]

Tempest

CountryUnited Kingdom
ManufacturerHawker Aviation
Primary RoleFighter
Maiden Flight2 September 1942

Contributor:

ww2dbaseWith a more efficient wing, a more aerodynamic nose, and a larger fuel tank, the design of these originally named Typhoon II fighters by Sidney Camm of Hawker Aviation was so welcomed by the British Air Ministry that specification F.10/41 was issued specifically to fit the design. They were renamed Tempest in Jan 1942, and the first Tempest prototype flew on 2 Sep 1942. The variation designated as Tempest V became the main production model, with the first one rolling off the production line on 21 Jun 1943. They were deployed to squadrons by Apr 1944, and by Jun 1944 they were already being regarded as an effective defensive weapon against German V-1 flying bombs; by the end of the war, they claimed 638 of the 1,846 flying bombs destroyed by aircraft. They were equally as effective against other targets; in Dec 1944, they claimed 52 German fighters and 89 locomotives at the loss of 20 Tempests. They also had a share of kills of German jets, leading to Luftwaffe pilot Hubert Lange's comment that the "Messerschmitt Me 262's most dangerous opponent was the British Hawker Tempest — extremely fast at low altitudes, highly-maneuverable and heavily-armed."

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Aug 2006

Tempest Timeline

2 Sep 1942 The first Hawker Tempest Mk V (HM595) aircraft flew for the first time. One of the fastest fighters of the war, the Tempest entered service in Apr 1944.
24 Jun 1944 56 Squadron at RAF Newchurch in Kent, England, United Kingdom received its first Tempest aircraft and underwent intensive training on flying them.
23 Sep 1944 A V-1 flying bomb over flew the town of Newmarket, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom and crashed near Burwell in Cambridgeshire. The pilot, at the rank of flight officer, of the 501 Squadron had been chasing the bomb and had reached overtaking speed when the engine of his Tempest aircraft seized up. He had seconds to gain a little height and turn to the west to avoid the marshlands and bale out. He saw the aircraft crash into a barn and explode whilst he landed in a cherry tree outside the Leather Bottle Inn. It was there that he was rescued by a Royal Engineer Officer before being held in a Police Station for 2 hours awaiting proper identification. The fault in the Tempest aircraft was traced to an air lock when fuel tanks were switched over.
12 Oct 1944 Robert Cole of No. 3 Squadron RAF, flying a Tempest V fighter, shot down a Me 262 jet fighter which was escorting bombers of German Kampfgeschwader 51. This was the first victory of a jet aircraft by a Tempest fighter. The German pilot, Unteroffizier Edmond Delatowski, bailed out and survived.

SPECIFICATIONS

Tempest V
MachineryOne Napier Sabre IIB liquid-cooled H-24 sleeve-value engine rated at 2,400hp
Armament4x20mm Mark II Hispano cannons, 2x227kg or 454kg bombs, 8x75mm rockets
Crew1
Span12.49 m
Length10.26 m
Height4.90 m
Wing Area28.00 m²
Weight, Empty4,195 kg
Weight, Loaded5,176 kg
Weight, Maximum6,190 kg
Speed, Maximum700 km/h
Rate of Climb23.90 m/s
Service Ceiling11,125 m
Range, Maximum2,465 km




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Steve Hogan says:
9 Jul 2009 08:29:04 AM

This photo is of a late model ,bubble canopy, Spitfire.... Not a TempestV
2. D.Hodgin says:
16 May 2010 11:58:46 AM

Photo is a Tempest, prototype with wing raditors.
3. Ajay says:
13 Jun 2011 04:03:54 PM

Correct :) with the old tail too.
4. Derrick says:
26 Jan 2016 10:54:58 PM

The picture is of a Tempest Mark 1. This model never went into production because of manufacturing difficulties with high altitude version of the Sabre engine, which had a three stage supercharger. Performance of this model at altitude was fabulous, being able to achieve 460 mph, at 30,000 feet.

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