Hurricane MK 2V fighter cockpit arrangement. Thesis: Hawker Hurricane aircraft. Shvak cannon in the wing of the Hurricane Mk.II fighter of the USSR Air Force

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and primarily built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although its fame was eclipsed by the Supermarine Spitfire, the aircraft achieved fame during the Battle of Britain, where it accounted for 60% of all RAF victories, plus served in all major theaters of World War II.
The Sea Hurricane Mk IA is a Hurricane Mk I modified by General Aircraft Limited.


As always, I use information from sites
http://www.airwar.ru
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki
and other sources I found on the Internet and literature.

By the beginning of World War II, the British Royal Navy found itself without modern carrier-based fighters. The Sea Gladiator biplanes were already completely obsolete, and the Blackburn Roc two-seat monoplanes with turret armament were too slow and clumsy.
Other English deck ships - the two-seat monoplanes "Blackburn Skua" and "Fairey Fulmar" - also did not differ in speed. With the outbreak of hostilities, there was simply no time to create an entirely new machine, and the British decided to adapt land fighters for deck service - the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.

The Spitfire was superior to the Hurricane in speed and maneuverability, but work on the naval version of the Hurricane was the first to begin at the end of 1940. Serial production of high-speed Spitfires was just beginning and there were very few of them to fight Luftwaffe aircraft.
The Hurricane had been in production for a long time and it was not difficult to allocate several dozen or hundreds of vehicles for the fleet. In addition, the Hurricane, with its robust truss structure, was more suitable for catapult launches and rough deck landings.

The British gained their first experience of operating a Hawker fighter from the deck back in May 1940 during the Norwegian campaign. A Hurricane from No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was sent aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious to the shores of Norway. The ground vehicles themselves took off from the deck and landed at the Norwegian Bardufoss airfield, from where they subsequently carried out combat missions.
After the quick capture of Norway by Wehrmacht units, the British had to urgently evacuate from their bases. The remaining ten Hurricanes of 46 Squadron were to return home again on the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious. It is very difficult to land land planes on the deck without a arresting hook. Only on the second attempt was it possible to do this with great difficulty on the night of June 7, 1940, when the planes landed on an aircraft carrier in a very strong headwind.

They no longer dared to repeat the risky takeoff and landing of land vehicles on an aircraft carrier, even when HMS Glorious came under fire from the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on the same day. The battle turned out to be unequal, and soon HMS Glorious sank to the bottom along with all the planes.
The actions of the Royal Navy against Kriegsmarine ships off the coast of Norway once again confirmed the urgent need for a modern naval fighter. For actual use on ships, Hawker specialists simultaneously began work on two deck versions of the Hurricane.

In addition to the classic deck with a brake hook, they developed a version that, with the landing gear retracted, was supposed to take off from a primitive truss catapult using powder accelerators. They were going to equip some of the ships for Atlantic convoys with ejection Hurricanes so that they could defend themselves at sea from an attack by Goering’s aces.

Fifty RAF Hurricane Mk.Is at Hamble were quickly converted to the ejection version with minor structural reinforcements. The aircraft received the official designation Sea Hurricane Mk.IA, although later the ejection vehicles were also called "Harriket" or simply "Katafayter". "Katafayter" is a catapult fighter that takes off from any ship that has a catapult. He can only land on land if it is close. If it is far away, the car becomes “disposable”; the pilot is obliged to abandon it after running out of fuel. It was believed that after the destruction of one enemy bomber or reconnaissance aircraft, the idea would pay for itself. The second way is traditional basing on aircraft carriers.

35 merchant ships of different types and sizes were prepared for ejection vehicles, which became known as CAM class ships (Catapult Aircraft Merchantman - Merchant ship with ejection aircraft).
The ships were equipped with a simple truss catapult, and several military ships were equipped with the same Harriket launch system. Interestingly, the pilots for the ejection fighters on the merchant ships were sent from the Royal Air Force, while the Katafayter warships were flown into the air by naval pilots from the Royal Navy. Another difference between military ships and merchant ships was the presence on board of two fighters, which were launched in turn.

Merchant ships with catapult installations were supposed to be part of convoys as ordinary transporters, while simultaneously serving as mini-aircraft carriers. When enemy aircraft appeared, the Sea Hurricane, with its engine roaring at full throttle and flaps extended, was fired from a 21.3 m long catapult, accelerating with the help of powder accelerators to 120 km/h with an overload of 3.5 g. After an air battle, the pilot could only land at a regular airfield.
Naturally, this was not possible at sea far from land bases. Therefore, the pilot could only parachute next to his ships and wait for help. For this purpose, all ejection vessels had a rescue team, which was always ready to come to the aid of the Harriket crew on an inflatable motor boat.

Thus, the Sea Hurricane Mk.IA was practically a one-time fighter, but the military considered that it would be justified if the pilot could shoot down at least one enemy aircraft. And the British had no other way to protect their Atlantic convoys from Luftwaffe attacks at the beginning of the war - there was a catastrophic shortage of small escort aircraft carriers.

From the beginning of the development of the ejection Sea Hurricane Mk.1A, all the shortcomings of the machine were visible and the military understood perfectly well that a full-fledged fighter was needed for operation on aircraft carriers. Therefore, at the same time, Hawker engineers worked on a modification of the Sea Hurricane 1B (our side) with a brake hook and components for launching from an aircraft carrier’s deck catapult.

Operation on ships meant increased loads, so the most important components of the land vehicle had to be strengthened, and the radio equipment had to be replaced in accordance with naval standards. To simplify the design and speed up serial production, the aircraft was not equipped with a folding wing. Subsequently, because of this, on most aircraft carriers (primarily escort ones), the Sea Hurricane could not be stored in hangars, which complicated their operation.

At the General Aircraft Limited plant, more than 300 land-based Hurricane Mk.Is were converted into deck-based Sea Hurricane Mk.1Bs, which began to enter service with British aircraft carriers from the beginning of 1941.

In addition to aircraft carriers, Sea Hurricanes have become the main defense weapon for MAC class transport ships (Merchant Aircraft Carrier). Unlike the CAM class ships with a truss catapult, these ships had a flight deck laid on top of the superstructures, from which several Sea Hurricanes could take off and land like an airplane.
On such small aircraft carriers there were no aircraft elevators or hangars. Therefore, Sea Hurricanes stood on the deck in any weather and, naturally, problems arose with corrosion from salt spray and with the operation of vehicles in the cold waters of the Barents Sea.

By the beginning of the war, the land-based Hurricane was no longer considered a new fighter, having first taken flight back in 1935. The relatively low speed characteristics and weak armament, consisting only of rifle-caliber machine guns, rightly aroused criticism from the military.

Naturally, similar shortcomings were inherited by the deck-based Sea Hurricane Mk.IB. Therefore, along with the operation of the first versions of the naval fighter, the Hawker company was working on modifications with more powerful engines and reinforced cannon armament. But more on that another time.

The Sea Hurricane cannot be called a successful carrier-based aircraft, because the naval version was created when its land prototype itself already looked outdated. Low speed, weak armament, poor visibility from the cockpit and short flight range reduced the effectiveness of the fighter.

Modifications with cannon armament and a more powerful engine could not radically improve the situation, but only slowed down the final decommissioning of the rapidly aging aircraft. But it was the Sea Hurricane that remained the main armament of the Royal Navy aircraft carriers until the British acquired more modern carrier-based fighters Supermarine Seafire and Grumman F6F Hellcat.

This is the cabin equipment

Traces on the sides from the exhaust pipes, still a flying plane.

Rotol RX5/5 propeller with Jablo RA.4067 blades

Main racks

The Sea Hurricane aircraft was a single-seat, single-engine, low-wing aircraft of mixed design with a retractable landing gear.

The fuselage is a truss structure, a welded truss, made of steel pipes, with internal cable braces. The motor frame was an integral part of the farm. Plywood frames were mounted on the frame, in the recesses of which slats - stringers - were attached. The front part of the fuselage had duralumin sheathing, the rear part had fabric skin.

In the forward part of the fuselage there was an engine with units, behind it there was a gas tank, in the middle part of the fuselage there was a pilot’s cabin with a plexiglass multi-blanket canopy.

To access the cabin, the canopy was moved back. Behind the cabin there was a developed gargrot that completely blocked the view to the rear. There was a radiator in the fairing bath under the cabin. Behind the armored back were a battery, a radio station and oxygen cylinders.

The landing gear has a tail wheel, the main struts are retracted into a common niche by turning towards the axis of the aircraft. When retracted, the landing gear niche is partially covered by flaps. The harvesting drive is hydraulic. The tail strut is non-retractable. self-orienting.

The wing was two-spar; there were three more auxiliary spars in the consoles. Structurally, it consisted of a center section, which was integral with the fuselage, and two detachable consoles. The wing housed weapons, fuel tanks, main landing gear niches and headlights. Ailerons are aluminum, covered with fabric. The flap drive is hydraulic.

The tail unit is single-spar, with a duralumin frame and fabric covering. Under the fuselage, to improve stability on course, there was an additional narrow keel - a ridge. The rudders had horn compensation and were equipped with trimmers.

The propulsion system is a 12-cylinder in-line piston liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce "Merlin" engine of various series with a three-blade constant-speed propeller De Havilland or Rotol.

And now he’s already in the preliminary stage and the assistants are removing the chocks from under his wheels.

The cabin is closed.

The plane is ready for takeoff.

Take-off run, raised the tail wheel

A little more and in the air.

The brake hook at the tail of the aircraft is visible.

Photo 36.

And now he is already flying in tandem with the Gloster Gladiator

Photo 38.

Photo 39.

Photo 40.

Photo 41.

Photo 42.

Photo 43.

Photo 44.

Photo 45.

Photo 46.

Photo 47.

Photo 48.

In the rays of the setting sun

Photo 50.

Photo 51.

Aaand diverge

Photo 53.

Photo 54.

Photo 55.

Passing by the stands

Photo 57.

Photo 58.

Photo 59.

Photo 60.

Landing

On a straight line

A little more and alignment

Photo 64.

and he keeps flying and flying

Landing available

And he also turns around and walks past us into the parking lot.

Photo 68.

In total, about 14,583 Hurricanes were built in various modifications. I have not found how many aircraft similar to ours were built.

This pilot flies more than one plane in this show.

Our aircraft is equipped with a Merlin III (RM 1S) engine with a take-off power of 880 hp. at 3,000 rpm and a combat power of 1,310 hp. at 3,000 rpm at 2,743 m (9,000 ft) with 100 octane gasoline and 1.86 at (+ 12 psi) boost (5-minute limit). This is a modification of the Merlin II with a universal propeller hub, allowing the installation of de Havilland and Rotol propellers. Later, similar engines on the Sea Hurricane aircraft developed 1,440 hp. at 3,000 rpm, with 2.14 at (+ 16 psi) boost at an altitude of 1,676 m (5,500 ft). When using 87-octane gasoline, the power figures were the same as those of the Merlin II. The first production Merlin III was delivered on July 1, 1938.

Our Z7015 aircraft was built in Canada by Canadian Car and Foundry as the Hawker Hurricane Mk.1A and made its first flight on January 18, 1941. After being shipped to England and briefly stored, she was transferred to General Aircraft for conversion to Sea Hurricane 1B. She then entered service on 19 July on HMS Herron (RNAS Yeovilton) from where she was assigned to 880 Squadron based at St Merrin on 29 July. 1941. And together with her he went to the Orkney Islands. On October 7, the squadron left the islands to continue service on HMS Indomitable. Somewhere during the flight, our aircraft was damaged and therefore did not begin service. On April 5, 1942, our aircraft was taken to David Rosenfield ltd in Barton (Manchester) for restoration. On 7 December 1942, after restoration, it was transferred to the Naval Fighter School (759) on HMS Heron and in the autumn of 1943 transferred to Loughborough College as a training aircraft.

In 1961, Z7015 along with the Spitfire AR501 were traded for the Jet Provost prototype from the Shuttleworth collection. They were going to be brought into flying condition for participation in the film about the Battle of Britain, but the work turned out to be too ambitious. It was only in January 1986 that the team was able to complete the restoration of the Spitfire after two unsuccessful attempts. And only on September 16, 1995, our plane made its first flight after restoration. At the moment it is the only flying aircraft in the world equipped with a Merlin III engine.

Performance characteristics (Hurricane Mk.IB)
Crew: 1
Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.84 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
Height: 13 ft 1½ in (4.0 m)
Wing area: 257.5 ft² (23.92 m²)
Empty weight: 4670 lb
Loaded weight: 6800 lb
Engine: 1 × Rolls-Royce Merlin III (RM 1S) liquid V-12, 1,030 hp.
Max speed: 296 mph at 16300 ft
Range: 600 mi (965 km)
Altitude: 36,000 ft (10,970 m)
Rate of climb: 2,780 ft/min (14.1 m/s)
Weapons:
Guns: 8 × 0.303 in Browning machine guns

Hurricanes were the first Allied combat aircraft to arrive in the USSR. On August 28, 1941, 24 Hurricane IIB fighters took off from the deck of the Argus aircraft carrier and then landed at Vaenga airfield near Murmansk. The vehicles were part of the 151st wing (regiment) of the British Air Force, sent to help Soviet units in the Arctic. After some time, they were joined by 15 more Hurricanes, delivered by cargo ships to the Arkhangelsk port and assembled there by the British. Subsequently, these fighters were transferred to the 78th IAP of the Northern Fleet Air Force. This handful of Hurricanes was followed by a strong flow (more than 3000) of aircraft of this type, built by British and Canadian factories.

The Hurricane fighter began to be designed at the Hawker company under the leadership of chief designer Sidney Camm in 1933. Two and a half years later, the aircraft was tested and began mass production in October 1937. For its time it was certainly a progressive design. It included almost all the features characteristic of monoplane fighters of the so-called “new wave”, the first representative of which was the Soviet I-16 N.N. Polikarpova is a low-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. Of the new products of that time, Camm did not use only an all-metal structure with a load-bearing skin - the Hurricane had a fuselage frame made of steel pipes with internal braces (approximately the same design as our Yak-1). By the time it arrived in our country, the aircraft had undergone numerous changes. It was successively equipped with a ventral fin to improve spinning qualities, jet exhaust pipes, and a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller was replaced with a three-bladed automatic propeller. However, these modifications could not eliminate the gap between the Hurricane and its main opponent, the German fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109, which was revealed from the very beginning of World War II. The installation of a more powerful and high-altitude Merlin XX engine with a two-speed supercharger (instead of the Merlin) did not help either. III). Although the Hurricane was named one of the five most important aircraft types given priority in Britain in 1941, there was a clear tendency in production for these aircraft to be replaced by the more advanced Spitfires. Since the fall of 1941, the Hurricanes were gradually reoriented to the functions of fighter-bombers, attack aircraft and tactical reconnaissance aircraft; they were also used in secondary theaters of military operations far from the metropolis.

The British also considered the Soviet Union to be such a secondary theater. Following the “first signs” from the Argus, containers with more and more Hurricanes began to arrive on ships of northern convoys. Subsequently, these fighters entered our country through Iran. Total for 1941-1944 (Hurricanes were discontinued in 1944) the USSR received 3,082 fighters of this type (including 2,834 military aircraft). We were sent at least 210 vehicles of modification IIA, 1557 - IIB and similar Canadian X, XI, XII (manufactured by Canadian Car and Foundry and were partially equipped with American equipment), 1009-IIC, 60-IID and 30-type IV. Some of the Type IIA fighters were actually conversions of old Type I aircraft carried out by Rolls-Royce. In the fall of 1942, we also received one Sea Hurricane I (number V6881), the so-called “catafighter”. This aircraft ejected from the Empire Horn transport while covering the ships of convoy PQ-18 and landed in Arkhangelsk. 37 Hurricanes IIB of the 151st wing were officially transferred to the Soviet side in October 1941. And even before that, on September 22, 1941, by a commission of the Air Force Research Institute chaired by Colonel K.A. Gruzdev, the first Hurricane (number Z2899), delivered to our country “directly,” was accepted. The commission made its conclusion only on the basis of an inspection of the car, since only the next day instructions and descriptions were sent to the USSR. The report stated that the plane was far from new, it was shabby, it was missing a launch handle, a watch, and ammunition. This case was no exception - for the first batches of Hurricanes this was the norm. Specialists involved in the acceptance of British equipment noted that many fighters (unlike those arriving from the USA) needed refurbishment and repair. There were cars whose flight hours exceeded 100 hours. The Soviet workers who opened the boxes were especially outraged by even the unpainted Finnish swastika emblazoned on the sides and fuselages of some Hurricanes. Several reserve regiments and training units were involved in retraining pilots and manning Hurricane units. The first of these were the 27th Regiment, located in the Vologda area (Kadnikov airfield) and parts of the 6th Regiment, stationed in Ivanovo. At first, English pilot instructors, engineers and mechanics worked there.

The introduction of Hurricanes began in the north. There, from November-December 1941, the 72nd, 78th, 152nd and 760th regiments began combat operations, operating in Karelia and the Kola Peninsula. Their pilots mastered these machines with the help of naval aviation pilots trained by the British in the squadrons of the 151st wing.

The first cases of combat use of Hurricanes at the front revealed a large number of shortcomings. The biggest criticism was caused by the Hurricanes' armament - the 8-12 7.69 mm machine guns did not cause significant damage to armored German aircraft. Here is a typical example: in January 1942, three Hurricane IIBs from the 191st Regiment pursued a Junkers Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft for 10 minutes, continuously pouring fire on it, but never shot it down. The reliability of the weapons was also low. In the cold, the locks of the machine guns located in the wing often froze, and the aircraft was rendered unusable. The weakness of the weapons sometimes forced the pilots to resort to a ramming attack. So, on May 31, 1942, the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union Amet-Khan Sultan rammed a Junkers over Yaroslavl. The flight characteristics also did not cause much enthusiasm. According to tests carried out promptly at the Air Force Research Institute (the leading engineer was V.F. Bolotnikov, who participated in the acceptance of the first Hurricanes), in terms of speed, the Uragan - this is how the name of the fighter is translated into Russian - occupied an intermediate position between the I-16 and Yak-1. It was inferior to its main opponent in the North - the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E - in speed at low and medium altitudes (40-50 km/h) and in rate of climb. Only at altitudes of 6500-7000 meters did their capabilities become approximately equal. During a dive, the bulky Hurricane “parachuted,” which did not allow it to accelerate quickly. True, it could be credited with a small turning radius, which was achieved due to the low load on the wing, which made it possible to fight on horizontal planes. The Hurricane chassis was designed very poorly. Despite the fairly rear alignment, the fighter had a small hood angle - only 24°, taking into account braking (while according to the requirements of the Air Force Research Institute, at least 26.5° was required). It was even smaller in terms of ammunition and fuel consumption. When landing on the uneven ground of field airfields, the danger of crashing was very high. In this case, first of all, the wooden Rotol screw broke - unlike Soviet metal ones, it was practically impossible to repair. The Hurricane could also be turned off while taxiing. This fighter had an unpleasant tendency to raise its tail when the engine was running (a similar property was observed in Soviet Yaks). To protect the car from troubles, one or two mechanics were often placed on the rear of the fuselage. Sometimes they did not have time to jump off in time and involuntarily rose into the sky. The British also had such a case - in the 151st wing they crashed one of their Hurricanes in this way, killing two mechanics and wounding the pilot. The combat effectiveness of the Hurricanes was also declining due to a shortage of spare parts. The biggest shortage was wooden propellers. They not only broke during capping, cracked when hit by bullets, but were also damaged by stones sucked up during takeoff. At times, up to 50% of delivered aircraft were laid up due to propellers. Ultimately, in March-April 1942, the Soviet Union began producing spare blades for English propellers. At times, the Hurricane's loss of combat capability reached appalling levels. In the spring of 1942, due to the lack of a number of parts and components, only two of the 18 Hurricanes of the 488th IAP could take off. And in November 1942, the 122nd Air Force, covering Murmansk, could count on three combat-ready fighters out of its 69 aircraft. While mastering English cars, Soviet personnel were faced with unusual miles, feet and gallons marked on instrument dials. The “breaking” control knob was also unusual - all this took some getting used to.

However, Hurricane should not be seen only in a black light. This fighter also had certain advantages. Despite some bulkiness, the aircraft turned out to be simple and easy to fly. The load on the handle was small, and the steering trim was effective. The Hurricane easily and steadily performed various maneuvers, being quite accessible to moderately qualified pilots, which was important in wartime conditions. Our pilots also liked the spacious cabin with good visibility. A big plus was the complete radio coverage of the incoming Hurricanes (remember that on Soviet fighters of that time, transmitters were supposed to be installed on every third aircraft, but in reality this was not carried out). But the English radios were battery-powered (although batteries were also installed on the plane), and in winter, especially in the north, their charge was only enough for 1.5-2 hours of operation, no matter how our mechanics wrapped them up. It should be taken into account that a significant part of the Hurricanes arrived in the Soviet Union at the end of 1941 - beginning of 1942, when our country's Air Force was experiencing an acute shortage of aircraft. The industry evacuated to the East reduced their output and did not even cover the losses at the front. Worn-out aircraft, often already out of service, were removed from civil aviation, training units and flying clubs and sent to the front. Compared to the I-15bis and, especially, the I-5, the Hurricane was a miracle of modern technology. But even taking into account all the advantages, the result was clear - the Hurricane was significantly inferior to enemy fighters - both the old Bf 109E, which still remained the main one on the northern sector of the front, and even more so the new Bf 109F. Therefore, after receiving these machines, they began to remake them according to their own understanding, trying, if not to eliminate, then at least to mitigate the main shortcomings of the English fighter. Already in the fall of 1941, in the 78th IAP, at the suggestion of its commander B.F. Safonov, the received vehicles were converted for Soviet weapons. Instead of four Brownings, they installed two 12.7 mm BK machine guns with a supply of 100 rounds per barrel and added two holders for 50 kg bombs. Firepower was also increased with four rockets. In January 1942, in the 191st IAP on the plane N.F. Kuznetsov was supplied with two ShVAK guns. Similar work was carried out in other units, and 4-6 RS-82 missiles were installed everywhere. The weak armor protection of the English fighter also caused criticism. Therefore, standard armored backs were often removed and replaced with Soviet ones. This was first done directly in the regiments (on the same Kuznetsov’s plane, for example, they installed a backrest from a crashed I-16), and then in the factory when replacing weapons, which will be discussed later.

In the winter of 1941-42. There were already quite a large number of Hurricanes at the front. By December 1941, the Northern Fleet Air Force alone had 70 such fighters. At the beginning of 1942, the 67th, 429th and 488th IAP were added to the regiments operating in the north in the Moscow region. The counteroffensive near Moscow was the first major operation in which Hurricanes took part. This first winter of war caused a lot of trouble for the regiments operating British fighters. It was noted that the charging fittings of the pneumatic system were clogged with dirt and ice (for some vehicles they were located in the wheel hub), ruptures or clogging of hoses and tubes, and failure of on-board air compressors. Weapons and elements of on-board equipment froze. To combat this, additional drain valves were cut into the mains, ensuring complete drainage of the cooling mixture and oil in the parking lot, and the pipelines, accumulators and batteries were insulated. The Rotol propellers that were installed on some series of Hurricanes froze at low pitch when the propeller stopped (the oil froze). To avoid this, a felt cap was placed on the screw hub under the spinner. The radiators in the parking lot were plugged with special pillows, and during the flight they blocked part of the radiator with an ordinary board, the dimensions of which were recommended to be selected “experimentally.” A number of difficulties were associated with an attempt to operate Hurricanes with water in the cooling system instead of the standard glycol mixture. To do this, a number of changes had to be made to the system: they removed the thermostat, adjusted to “glycol” and did not allow liquid with a temperature below 85 0 C to enter the radiator, removed the shunt pipe (bypassing the radiator) and turned off a number of secondary circuits, such as heating carburetor Subsequently, we switched to domestic antifreezes, which were more frost-resistant.

The massive appearance of Hurricanes on the Soviet-German front occurred in the spring and summer of 1942. They were used by naval aviation in the Northern and Baltic fleets, air force regiments operating on the Karelian, Kalinin, Northwestern, Voronezh fronts and air defense units in various regions of the country. The shortcomings of the Hurricanes were costly for Soviet pilots. The losses were very great. For example, in March 1942, on the Northwestern Front, two regiments armed with British fighters were exsanguinated by the Germans in less than a week of fighting. At the same time, the 3rd Guards suffered very heavy losses. IAP of the Baltic Fleet Air Force while covering the Nevskaya Dubrovka bridgehead near Leningrad. Insufficient speed and poor vertical maneuver characteristics forced the battle formations to be compacted as much as possible and to fight fighters only on horizontal lines. There are known cases when, when German fighters appeared, Hurricanes formed a defensive circle and did not even try to attack. In the difficult year of 1942, about 8% of the fighters lost by our Air Force were Hurricanes, which exceeded their share in the total fleet. In the hands of skilled pilots, these machines achieved significant combat successes even in conditions of numerical superiority of the enemy. For example, in April 1942, four Hurricanes from the 485th IAP under the command of Lieutenant Bezverkhny boldly entered into battle with ten Bf 109s. The result of the battle: three Germans and two Hurricanes were shot down. On June 19, seven fighters from the same regiment, led by its commander G.V. Zimin, attacked 12 Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers over the Ramushevsky corridor, which were covered by 15 Messerschmitts. Ten German planes and one of ours were shot down. However, the skill and heroism of the pilots alone was not enough. In March 1942, the Soviet command decided to completely modernize the Hurricanes' weapons, bringing them in line with the requirements of the time. For comparative tests, three versions of the modified Hurricane were manufactured: with four 20-mm ShVAK cannons, two ShVAK and two heavy machine guns U BT (in the turret version, which, apparently, was due to a more convenient installation in the weapons bay) and finally with four drill collars. The latter option gave a gain in weight without compromising other characteristics, but the second one was accepted as the main one, which can be explained by the lack of large-caliber machine guns in the spring of 1942. The Hurricane's weapons modernization program also provided for the installation of bomb racks under the wings and six guides for the RS-82. Initially, it was planned that modifications to the Hurricane would be carried out in Gorky. But the local aircraft plant was fully loaded with Lavochkin fighters, so conversion to domestic weapons was carried out at Moscow aircraft plant No. 81 (pilots received the aircraft directly at the central airfield) and in the Moscow region, in Podlipki, in the workshops of the 6th IAP Air Defense. There, both aircraft newly received from the British and those that had already been at the front were finalized. Brigades from plant No. 81 also carried out this operation at airfields near Moscow in Kubinka, Khimki, Monino, and Yegoryevsk. At these bases, the 6th Air Defense Forces rearmed aircraft that could not be transported to the factory due to various malfunctions. New powerful weapons expanded the Hurricane's capabilities both in air combat and in operations against ground targets. It must be said that the Hurricane was quite often used as a fighter-bomber and partly as an attack aircraft. This was facilitated by a number of its features. The Hurricane, equipped with domestic weapons and carrying two FAB-100 bombs, was easy to control; take-off characteristics only slightly deteriorated, and the speed decreased by 42 km/h. The plane was resilient - once A.L. Kozhevnikov’s car from the 438th IAP received 162 holes, but, nevertheless, the pilot managed to land safely at his airfield. Successful bombing attacks by Hurricanes have been noted more than once. In the summer of 1942, aircraft of the 191st IAP (which had Soviet weapons) smashed a German convoy near Novy Oskol to smithereens with cannons and missiles. And in August 1943, Hurricanes, together with Il-2s, bombed a German airfield in the Luostari area, destroying 11 fighters and one Junkers Ju 52/3m transport aircraft. Air Force fighter regiments were often involved in such operations, but in some places Hurricanes were also available in purely assault regiments, for example, in the 65th in the north. Standing somewhat apart are the “anti-tank” modifications IID and IV with 40-mm cannons in hanging containers, which arrived in our country through Iran at the beginning of 1943. We know little about their use; the authors can only add that they were used in the spring of 1943 in battles in the North Caucasus. A serious test for the Hurricanes was participation in the battles on the Don, and then on the distant approaches to Stalingrad. If in the North the Germans often used outdated equipment, then in the summer of 1942 they threw all the best they had to the south. It was there that the 235th nad was urgently transferred under the command of Lieutenant Colonel I.D. Podgorny. It first included the 191st, 436th and 46th regiments, to which the 180th IAP was later added - all of them were equipped only with Hurricanes. At the beginning of June the division was ready for combat work. The political reports neatly spoke of “the distrust of the flight personnel in the Hurricanes.” Our aviation operated in extremely difficult conditions when the enemy dominated the air. In the first five days of July, the Hurricanes, despite constant relocations, shortages of gasoline and spare parts, shot down 29 aircraft especially distinguished senior political instructor Kh. pilots on them. In July, the division lost 17 Hurricanes, and the enemy lost at least twice as many combat vehicles. Gradually, both fighting sides increased the quality level of the aviation equipment thrown into battle. The most modern modifications of the Yakovlevs and Lavochkins appeared over Stalingrad "The lack of replacements led to the fact that British fighters gradually disappeared from the fleet of the 8th Air Force. As of August 1, there were only 11 of them left, of which three were combat-ready. This phenomenon was not local, but widespread. If on July 1, 1942, the Air Force had 202 Hurricanes, then in November there were only 130 left. They continued to play a noticeable role only in the northern sectors of the Soviet-German front. With the receipt of a significant number of modern types of aircraft from the aviation industry, Hurricanes gradually ceased to be used at the front as fighters. A small number of them were used as scouts and spotters. "Hurricanes" were converted into reconnaissance aircraft directly in units and, like similar English conversions, the TacR II modifications carried one plan camera (usually the AFA-I type) in the fuselage behind the pilot's seat. Such vehicles were used by both special reconnaissance regiments (for example, the 118th Orap in the Northern Fleet) and conventional fighter regiments (3rd Guards IAP in the Baltic). The number of Hurricane spotters in total did not exceed two dozen. They were present on the Leningrad, Volkhov, and Kalinin fronts. At the Saratov Higher Aviation Glider School (SVAPSH), Hurricanes were converted to tow A-7 and G-11 landing gliders. They made several flights with gliders to the partisans. But the main area of ​​application of Hurricanes in the second half of the war was air defense units. Hurricanes began arriving there almost in December 1941. , but from the end of 1942 this process accelerated sharply. This was facilitated by the arrival from England of PS modification aircraft with four 20-mm Hispano cannons. The first of them. presumably, there was a fighter with the number BN428. At that time, not a single Soviet fighter had such powerful weapons (a second salvo was 5.616 kg). At the same time, tests of the Hurricane IIC showed that it is even slower than the IIB modification (due to its greater weight). It was completely unsuitable for fighting fighters, but it posed a considerable danger to enemy bombers. Therefore, it is not surprising that the majority of vehicles of this type delivered to the USSR ended up in air defense regiments. They were available, for example, to the 964th IAP, which provided cover in 1943-44. Tikhvin and Ladoga highway. If on July 1, 1943, there were 495 Hurricanes in the air defense, then on June 1, 1944, there were already 711. They served there throughout the war, and they had 252 enemy aircraft in combat. Full radio coverage made it possible to effectively guide aircraft by radio. So, on March 24, 1942, a Hurricane flight from the 769th IAP was directed at a group of eight Ju 87s and ten Bf 109s heading for Murmansk. Two Junkers were shot down, and the rest randomly dropped bombs on the hills west of the city and fled. And on November 29 of the same year, Major Molteninov from the 26th Guards. IAP, according to data from the RUS-2 ground radar transmitted by radio, found and destroyed a Heinkel He 111 bomber in the Kolpino area. In 1944, some vehicles of this type were used in air defense as illumination aircraft to repel night raids. Typically, the Hurricane took two SAB-100 flare bombs and dropped them, being 2000-2500 m above the enemy bombers. The attack was carried out by a strike group. Different air defense regiments kept two to four Hurricanes for this purpose. In 1944, even German intelligence officers no longer ventured deep into the country. But in Kalmykia, the Hurricane made its last combat mission on May 23. Four pilots from the 933rd IAP were assigned to find and destroy in the steppes a German Focke-Wulf FW 200 transport aircraft that had made an intermediate landing there. Having flown about 270 km, they found and set fire to this four-engine aircraft, and then supported the NKVD unit with fire, which captured the crew and passengers. . Some of our Hurricanes have undergone interesting modifications. There is a known variant with a rear movable rifle mount. Several Hurricanes (among which was HL665) were converted into two-seater trainers. In England, such machines were not built during the war - their methods of training pilots were different. In the already mentioned SWAPS they tried to put one Hurricane on skis; A.E. tested it. Augul. On this machine, the skis were not retracted in flight. And at the beginning of 1942, at plant No. 81, one of the fighters of the 736th IAP, delivered for repair, was equipped with a retractable ski landing gear. It was tested from February 5 to 15 at the Central Airfield. Letal V.A. Stepanchonok from the Air Force Research Institute, as well as pilots from the 10th Guards. IAP and 736th IAP. For all their shortcomings, the Hurricanes helped the Soviet Air Force survive the most difficult time, and then brought a lot of benefits. It is interesting, for example, the indirect impact of this machine on our aviation. On this aircraft, for the first time, our engineers were able to get a close look at one of the best engines of its time - the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Reliable and economical, it had very high specific characteristics, but required equally highly qualified mechanics, precise adjustment and very “polite” handling. When they entered our country, the tanks of British fighters, especially at first, were filled with low-grade fuel and oils. The engines periodically stalled. The pilots of the 151st wing immediately encountered this: the first flight on a combat mission was disrupted - immediately after takeoff, the engines of both fighters that took off were cut off. It's good that the pilots managed to land safely. English engines were sensitive to sand and dust getting into the carburetor air intake, and this was common on sandy airfields in the Arctic. Anti-dust tropical filters were very useful here, although they “ate up” the speed. A thorough study of the “Englishman” prompted our specialists to come up with some thoughts on improving domestic machines. The person who tested the Hurricane's propeller-motor group, M.B. Chernobylsky drew attention to the peculiarities of the selection of screws. If for Soviet aircraft they were selected based on the condition of greatest efficiency at maximum speed, then on the Hurricane they were selected to obtain the best takeoff characteristics. It was noted that the diameter of the Rotola was 3.43 m versus 3.0 m for domestic fighters. In addition, on the Merlins, in order to improve take-off conditions in forced mode, both the speed and the boost were increased, and in domestic aircraft engines - only the latter. All these differences were subsequently taken into account when modifying the famous Il-2 with the AM-38F engine, which significantly improved the take-off characteristics of the attack aircraft and made it more climbable. And the design of the Merlin itself did not leave our specialists indifferent. In particular, it turned out that the range of permissible speed modes is approximately four times greater than that of the domestic M-105. On the agenda was the task of optimal selection of the motor operating mode for each propeller position. Her solution was the creation of a step-gas assault rifle, which was put into service at the end of the war.

Indeed, the Hawker Hurricane was not one of the best fighters of World War II. They began to enter service with British aviation back in 1937. Then, having become acquainted with them, Soviet specialists were amazed at their enormous speed of 500 km/h. Such speeds were only dreamed of in the USSR.

At the beginning of World War II, the first battles with the Emils (German fighter Messerschmitt Bf.109E) showed that the Germans had complete superiority in both speed and weapons. The only advantage of the Hurricane was its maneuverability - its turning radius was smaller than that of the Messerschmitt.

By the beginning of the Battle of Britain, Hurricanes made up more than half of the British fighters. The tactics of British aviation made it possible to use them very successfully. The Spitfires began to fight the Emils - one of the few fighters that fought the Messerschmitt on equal terms. They engaged German fighters in battle, while the Hurricanes attacked German bombers. True, the Hurricanes could only successfully attack old Luftwaffe bombers, and such as the Ju.88 turned out to be too tough for them - the weapons were too weak. The situation changed after the appearance of a new modification of the Hawker Hurricane Mk.II with 20 mm cannons. But this modification appeared after the Battle of England.

Although the Hurricanes were unable to fight the Messerschmitts, they easily dealt with Italian and Japanese fighters. And as a sufficient number of Spitfires arrived, the Hurricanes gradually began to change their specificity and be used as an attack aircraft. In the second half of the war, having turned into a successful and effective attack aircraft, the Hurricanes themselves already needed fighter cover.

In August 1941, Churchill offered to supply Hurricanes to the USSR and the first aircraft soon arrived in Murmansk. In total, about three thousand vehicles were delivered to the USSR. Moreover, in some months even more of them arrived in the Soviet Union than in British aviation.

Although the Hawker Hurricane Mk.II could not fight on equal terms with the Ferdinand (a modification of the Messerschmitt Bf.109F, which was then used by the Luftwaffe), it is wrong to talk about its uselessness, especially compared to the Soviet fighters of that time. The Hurricane was at least no worse than the Soviet LaGG-3 and Yak-1. In any case, British fighters came to us at the most difficult moment of the war, when everything was in use.

It’s strange to compare it with the I-16. Even the latest modifications of the Donkey were inferior to the Hurricane by almost a hundred kilometers in speed without any afterburner. Of course, the maneuverability of the I-16 was better, but at that time this no longer mattered. And the assertion that the Hurricane burned like straw is not clear on what it is based.

Of course, the question arises: “Why did the British not deliver the best fighter?” The fact is that the British also supplied the Spitfire to the USSR, but it did not catch on. But that's a completely different story...

Technical description Hawker Hurricane Mk I

A single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft of metal construction with partial fabric skin, retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit.

The fuselage had a metal frame consisting of four tubular spars and metal wire and tubular braces. The fuselage was divided into three parts: the bow with the engine mount, the central with the pilot's cabin and the tail. In the tail section, frames were installed on top of the frame, onto which stringers were placed. This exoskeleton was made of plywood. In the bow there was a motor mount, covered with a hood made of duralumin sheets. The fuselage in front of the cockpit canopy was sheathed with plywood, and the sides in the central part were sheathed with duralumin sheets. The tail section of the fuselage was covered with impregnated fabric.

Step

Motor frame of the Hawker Hurricane Mk II aircraft. The photo was taken in 1999 during the restoration of the aircraft.

Center section design

Motorama of the Hawker Hurricane Mk II aircraft. The photo was taken in 1999 during the restoration of the aircraft.

The bow and central parts were separated by a fire bulkhead made of duralumin sheets lined with an asbestos layer. Behind the bulkhead there was a reserve fuel tank. The frame of the central part passed into the frame of the center section, forming a single whole with it. The cockpit was located above the center section. The lantern consisted of two parts: a windshield and a cover that could be moved back. On the first cars, the canopy was made of simple plexiglass, and then an armored windshield appeared. A rearview mirror was placed on the top of the windshield. There was a window on the left side of the lantern cover. The starboard side of the cabin could be folded down, making evacuation easier.

The cabin was equipped with a set of controls and monitoring instruments, as well as a metal pilot’s seat, adjustable in height. Control devices were located on the dashboard. The central part of the dashboard was a separate panel suspended on shock absorbers.

Behind the cockpit there was radio equipment and two rocket launchers that fired flares. There was also an antenna mast there. In planes adapted for tropical conditions, next to the radio station there was a container with a supply of provisions, water and means of survival in the desert.

The center section, which was technologically integral with the fuselage, was covered with duralumin sheet and housed the main landing gear struts, radiator air intake, oil tank and gas tanks. At its ends there were four fastening units for the wing consoles. On the first cars, part of the center section had a fabric covering.

Wing design

flap

aileron

The wings are of metal construction with two main and two auxiliary spars and metal ribs. The wing profile is trapezoidal with rounded tips. At the base of the wing there is a Clark YH profile with a thickness of 19% (chord 2.47 m), at the tips - a Clark YH profile with a thickness of 12% (chord 1.2 m). The wings had an elevation of 3.5° (at the center section 0°), sweep of 2°.

The covering of the wing consoles of the first few hundred cars was made of fabric, while the rest were metal. Along with the change in the wing skin, the location of the machine guns and landing lights was changed. The fabric covering was stretched in strips over the wing at an angle to the longitudinal axis. The metal skin was attached to the ribs using rivets with a semicircular head. Inside the consoles there was a machine gun compartment.

The wing mechanization consisted of ailerons and flaps equipped with a hydraulic drive. The ailerons had a metal frame and fabric covering, while the flaps were all-metal. The aileron area was 1.895 m², they deflected 22° up and 21° down. The ailerons were suspended from the rear spar. The flaps, which had an area of ​​2.333 m2, were suspended in a similar way. and deviated downward by 80°.

The right landing gear of the Hurricane Mk II with the shield removed. A fragment of the inner frame of the center section is visible.

Floats from the Blackburn Rock seaplane suspended from the Hurricane's center section. This modification was developed in 1940 for use in Norway.

The tail unit is classic: a fin with a rudder, horizontal stabilizers with elevators. The tail unit had a metal frame and fabric covering. The span of the horizontal stabilizers is 3.353 m, the chord is 1.28 m. The area of ​​the tail unit without rudders is 1.821 m², and the area of ​​the rudders is 1.250-1.273 m². The deflection angle of the elevators is 27° up and 20° down. The rudder was balanced by trim tabs, adjustable from the cockpit. Additional balancing was provided by additional trim tabs that protruded beyond the contour of the rudders and were adjustable on the ground. Some cars had trimmers only on the right steering wheel.

The keel without a rudder has an area of ​​0.819 m², the rudder area is 1.178 m². For vehicles with a stabilizer under the fuselage, the rudder area reached 1.213 m2. The steering wheel could move 28° to the right and left.

The landing gear is three-post with a tail support. It was retracted in flight using a hydraulic system. The main landing gear was equipped with a hydropneumatic shock absorber and was attached to the center section. When retracted, the chassis was closed with a flap. The tail wheel of the prototypes and the first production vehicles was retracted in flight; later it was brought out motionless on an elongated stand.

The track of the main chassis is 2.388 m. The wheels are equipped with pneumatic brakes. The pressure in the wheels depended on the weight of the aircraft and ranged from 290 to 317 kPa. The pressure in the tail wheel ranged from 276 to 372 kPa.

Location of sheathing sheets

Rolls-Royce engine<<Мерлин II» в разрезе.

Merlin II engine, left view. The drive shaft is connected to the Watts screw.

Radiator prototype K5083.

Hurricane lubrication point diagram.

View of the oil tank located in the center section. On the right you can see the “ears” to which the wing console is attached. This is the K5083 prototype at the final stage of assembly

Diagram of the center section design and the location of the oil tank on it, as well as the left gas tank. The tank had a special shape, designed to be installed close to the load-bearing elements of the center section.

Two cannons in the wing of the Hurricane. The right cannon has been removed, leaving only the mask. On the right is the landing spotlight.

Rolls-Royce Merlin 12-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled engine. The first vehicle was equipped with a Merlin II engine, coupled with a two-bladed wooden fixed-pitch propeller "Watts Z38" with a diameter of 3.249 m or a three-bladed metal propeller "DeHevilland" with two blade positions and a diameter of 3.352 m. From September 1939 on the "Hurricane Mk I" they installed Merlin III engines, which were mounted with DeHevilland or Rotol RX 5/2 propellers with a diameter of 3.277 m and wooden blades.

Both engine modifications developed the same power. Takeoff power 890 hp for 87-octane gasoline and 1195 hp. for 100 octane gasoline at 2850 rpm. Maximum power at an altitude of 5000 m when using 87-octane gasoline 1030 hp, 100 octane gasoline 1270 hp. (at an altitude of 2410 m). Fuel consumption in economic mode is 105 l/h, in combat mode 405 l/h.

The Merlin II/III engines were equipped with a gearbox with a gear ratio of 0.447:1. The shaft rotated clockwise (when viewed from the front), and the screw rotated counterclockwise. Ethylene glycol was used as a coolant, the tank for which was placed in the upper part of the fuselage in front of the cabin and attached to the fire bulkhead. The radiator was located under the seat, and the air flow through it was regulated by a valve controlled from the pilot's cabin. The engine was equipped with an electric starter, but manual starting was also provided using two handles, the sockets of which were located on the sides of the engine. The Merlin II/III engine had a single-stage mechanical supercharging system.

Airplanes destined for the tropics had an additional Vokes Multi V air filter. The pilot could direct air flow into the carburetor through a filter or directly.

The fuel system consisted of two main tanks with a volume of 150 liters each, located in the center section and equipped with a self-sealing gasket. The reserve tank with a volume of 127 liters was located in the fuselage in front of the instrument panel. The fuel system also included fuel lines, a fuel pump and fuel level indicators.

Some of the vehicles were equipped with a suspension system under the wings of two 200-liter tanks.

Diagrams for installing guns between the wing load-bearing elements.

Maintenance of 20 mm Hispano guns.

The oil system consisted of an oil tank with a volume of 34 or 41 liters, located in the front left part of the center section, oil lines and an oil pump. The pressure in the system was 5 atm.

The hydraulic system ensured the extension and retraction of the landing gear, as well as the operation of valves and ailerons. On the first machines, the pressure in the circuit was maintained by a hand pump, and later aircraft were equipped with a mechanical pump that took power from the engine.

The pneumatic system consisted of a compressor that took power from the engine. The pneumatic drive had the brakes of the main chassis, a mechanism for lowering weapons and photo-machine guns. The pressure in the pneumatic system circuit was 2.07 MPa.

The 12V electrical system consisted of a 500-watt generator and a 40Ah battery located behind the pilot's seat. Electric power was supplied to the searchlight, sight, machine gun (G.42B), instruments, radio station and starter. Since 1941, electric heating has been built into the pilot's shoe covers and mittens.

The oxygen equipment consisted of cylinders located under the cross, a reducer and an air duct connecting the cylinders to a breathing mask.

The anti-icing system ensured the transparency of the canopy windshield. It consisted of a 2.3 liter liquid tank and a hand pump.

The radio equipment consisted of a T.R. HF radio. 9B or D with a wire antenna stretched between the mast and keel. Since March 1940, the VHF radio station T.R. 1133.

Suspension of a 250-pound (113.5 kg!) bomb under the wing of a Harrybomber in the folk English way, Burma, 1945. The picture shows privates M.G. Beckett, R.J. Hendry and W. Watkins.

Ammunition stowage, Burma, 1945. The guns are loaded by Corporal E. Yeo and Private K.E. Bland. A camera is being equipped in the background. Optics is handled by Private D.L. Worthington and E.H. Davey.

Installation of six Browning machine guns in the wing of the Hurricane.

Technical inspection after 40 flight hours, Burma 1945. The hood and gun bay panels have been removed. There is a cannon drum on the wing. The dismantled bomb rack and 100-pound bomb are visible below. Pictured are Privates Ivor Lillington, X, Wallet, W. Wheeler and R. Francis.

The armament consisted of eight 7.7 mm Browning Mk II machine guns. Rate of fire 1200 rds/min. There were four machine guns in both wings. The ammunition load was 338 rounds per barrel for the internal machine guns, 324 rounds per barrel for the second pair and 338 rounds for the remaining machine guns. The option of 370/490/380/395 shots counting from the fuselage was allowed). The machine guns were concentrated at a point located 200-250 m from the nose of the vehicle. The mass of a three-second salvo is 3.63 kg. On the ground, the holes in the trunks were covered with rectangular red plates made of rubberized fabric.

The machine gun release was on the control handle. The first aircraft had a concentric sight with a front sight, and then the G.M. reflex sight appeared. 1. The armament was supplemented by G.22A or B photo machine guns installed at the base of the right wing. Later they began to use the G.42B or G.45 photo machine gun. To prevent the machine guns from freezing at altitude, they were heated with warm air exhausted from the radiator.

Photos of an interesting experimental modification of the Hurricane. The plane is equipped with an additional wing, which was supposed to act as an outboard gas tank in case of a long-distance flight. The wing was attached to shootable braces.

Four machine guns in the wing of a Hurricane Mk I. On the left and right are cartridge boxes.

Technical description The transport aircraft Ju 52/3m is a three-engine all-metal cantilever monoplane. The fuselage is rectangular in section with rounded corners. It was divided into three parts: the bow (with the central engine), the middle (which included the pilot and

author Kotelnikov Vladimir Rostislavovich

Technical description This description is based on the design of modifications C and D, indicating the changes made to the machines of other variants. The B-25 bomber is a twin-engine all-metal cantilever monoplane. It had a semi-monocoque fuselage with a carrier

From the book Lost Victories of Soviet Aviation author Maslov Mikhail Alexandrovich

Technical description of BOK-1 The BOK-1 wing, equipped with a center section and detachable consoles, is three-spar, unlike the ANT-25, and does not have powerful fairings at the junction with the fuselage. The detachable parts of the wing (DSW) have 16 ribs, the upper chords of which protrude into the oncoming flow. Belts

From the book Bomber B-25 "Mitchell" author Kotelnikov Vladimir Rostislavovich

Technical description Pilots in the cockpit of the B-25SD This description is based on the design of modifications C and D, indicating the changes made to the machines of other variants. The B-25 bomber is a twin-engine all-metal cantilever monoplane. It had a fuselage type

From the book I-16 The combat “donkey” of Stalin’s falcons. Part 3 author Ivanov S.V.

Technical description In many respects, the I-16 is a classic mixed aviation design, typical of products of the Soviet aviation industry of the first half of the 30s. When creating the I-16, Polikarpov remained true to his principle: the author Ivanov S.V.

Technical description of the P-40 The Curtiss P-40 fighter is a single-seat, single-engine, all-metal low-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. Cockpit glazing Fuel system. 1. Control valve. 2. No pressure alarm in the fuel system. 3.

From the book P-51 Mustang - technical description and combat use author Ivanov S.V.

Technical description of Tu-2 The technical description concerns the aircraft produced by plant No. 23. All exceptions are specified in the text. Tu-2 cockpit. The number I indicates the PTN-5 sight in the firing position. Pilot and navigator in the cockpit of the Tu-2. To the right of the navigator is the I/TH-5 sight. Star-shaped

From the book Brewster Buffalo author Ivanov S.V.

Technical description Single-seat single-engine fighter of all-metal construction, built according to the cantilever low-wing design with retractable landing gear and tail wheel. Main production modifications: “Mustang I”, P-51 / “Mustang IA”, P-51 A / “Mustang II”

From the book MiG-3 author Ivanov S.V.

Technical description The F2A was a fighter built according to the cantilever mid-wing design with retractable landing gear and a tail wheel. The wing was all-metal with two main and one auxiliary spar. Wing area 19.407 m?, counting 2.787 m? inside

From the book Fighter LaGG-3 author Yakubovich Nikolay Vasilievich

Technical description The MiG-1 and MiG-3 aircraft were similar in many ways and differed from each other only in details. In general, they can be characterized as low-wing aircraft of a mixed design with a classic retractable landing gear and a closed cockpit. The fuselage of the aircraft had a mixed

From the book Heinkel Not 100 author Ivanov S.V.

From the author's book

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The main structural material of the all-wood LaGG-3 aircraft was pine, parts of which were joined with VIAM-B-3 glue. The wing was made from biconvex asymmetrical profiles NACA-23016 (at the root) and NACA-23010 (at the consoles) with a relative thickness of 16 and

From the author's book

Technical description of HE-100 D-1 Single-seat, single-engine, all-metal, monocoque low-wing aircraft, with retractable landing gear. Fuselage. The fuselage was a metal semi-monocoque structure, oval in cross-section, and was built in a manner typical for many

32*

33*

34*

Order No. 2

Regimental commander Major Poprykin.

35*

And their Hurricanes are rubbish"»

Akulichev according to IAS

ae Omgovichi

Notes:

"Hurricane" IID in Soviet aviation

Hurricane Mk. RAF IID

... Mercilessly tormented by Rommel’s tanks, parts of the British army in North Africa felt simply unarmed: the 40-mm shells of the Valentines and Matildas, the 20-mm shells of the fighters brought in to directly support the troops did not pose a real threat to the armor of the Panzerkampfwagens.

But if the same 40-mm cannon is installed on a fighter, then the armor penetration will increase sharply by adding the speed of the aircraft to the initial velocity of the projectile, and, of course, it’s easier to “hollow” the thin upper armor, especially in the area of ​​the engine and gas tanks. There was no question about the carrier for the British: if you need to fly lower and slower, there were no equals to the Hurricane.

Prototype model Mk. IID with registration number Z2326, piloted by K. Seth-Smith, made its first flight on September 18, 1941. Serial production began in early 1942. The first aircraft were equipped with two 40-mm Rolls-Royce BF cannons with a belt food. Vehicles of this series were mainly assigned to the 184th Sqn. RAF(), based in Great Britain. Subsequent series were equipped with Vickers cannons of the same caliber, with 15 rounds of ammunition per barrel. For shooting there were two Browning Mk machine guns. II caliber 7.69 mm with belt feed and ammunition per barrel of 338 rounds of tracer bullets. 5 divisions in North Africa and at least three in the Far East were armed with such vehicles. In these theaters of military operations, Hurricane IIDs performed well, fighting either with weak air defense resistance or without it at all.

But in April 1943, the fighting in North Africa was close to ending. The British were faced with a question: what to do with the Hurricanes, which had served a fair amount of service? There are about five dozen of them left, no more, but it would be a pity to throw them away, there is no point in using them further, there are plenty of new cars. This is where the thought came: shouldn’t I offer it to someone? For example, "Uncle Joe"? As they say, for a good person it’s not a pity to have a Hurricane.

Then, in April 1943, we weren’t “stuffed with grub” - the war had only moved away from the Baku oil fields, and at Stalingrad it was not only the Germans who suffered huge losses.

Hurricane IIDs ended up in the Soviet Air Force after they were withdrawn from service with RAF divisions in North Africa. On May 14, in his message to J.V. Stalin, Prime Minister Mr. W. Churchill kindly announced: “... the remaining 200 Hurricanes, including 60 Hurricanes IID, will be sent across the Mediterranean Sea and will be transferred to Basra... it has been decided to send them to Basra, because we could not, without removing the guns, which would then have to be sent to Tehran, equip them with additional tanks necessary for the flight across Africa."

"Hurricanes" in the holds of ships (conventionally counted from Bizerte) were delivered to Basra - 8200 nautical miles, or 25-28 days of travel. Here, boxes with aircraft were unloaded, assembly and average repairs were carried out. After testing in the air and acceptance by the military representatives of the INO (Import Directorate of the Air Force of the Spacecraft), the Hurricanes were handed over to the pilots of the 6th PIAP (ferry fighter aviation regiment), who delivered them to the USSR along the Basra-Tehran-Kirovobad route. The flights took place in difficult conditions, through two mountain passes, with one intermediate landing in Tehran. Since mainly bombers were being transported from Basra, the Hurricanes initially ended up in the wrong direction - in the 11th ZBAP (), located in Kirovobad. On September 4, 1943, the first Hurricanes IID arrived, serial numbers KX165, 173, 294, 296, 298, September 7 - KX302, September 12 - KX177, 230, 303, September 13 - KX299, September 21 - KX175, 181, 225, 250, 301, 423, 463, 466, 866, September 25 - KX166, 172, 865, September 27 - KX248, 418, 465. The last one in 1943 was KX232, which arrived on October 31, 1943.

Since the instructors of the 11th ZBAP had no experience in training. "Hurricanes", soon all received vehicles were transferred to the 25th ZIAP (reserve fighter aviation regiment). Hurricanes IID KX140, 167, 169, 231, 233, 293, 297, 300, 415, 420, 461, 462, 468, 864, HW722, 724, KW773, 777 and PS444 arrived there at the beginning of 1944. 790. All fighters received were equipped with Merlin XX engines with dust filters and 40-mm Vickers S cannons. Thus, out of the 60 promised Hurricane IIDs, only 46 aircraft were delivered to combat units of the Soviet Air Force () In addition, one or two copies were tested at the Air Force Research Institute.

32* 184th Royal Air Force Battalion (Ed.)

33* Spare bomber AP. The term “reserve air regiment” or ZAP meant a link in the Air Force system that performed two main functions: a training center for training personnel for specific types of aircraft (analogous to the German B-Schule) and a depot that directly distributed new vehicles to combat air regiments. Even losses were replenished not from factories, as we previously wrote, but through ZAPs.

34* The USSR received several dozen Hurricane Mk. IV., the alternative (replaceable) weapons of which also included 40-mm cannons.

Hurricane Mk. IID (serial number KX 248, Merlin XX engine No. 87711), which made an emergency landing on 2102. 1944 due to engine failure. Pilot - Jr. Lieutenant Lepilin, based at Sartachali airfield

By the time the Hurricane IID arrived at the 25th ZIAP, the training system for the Air Force had changed. Instead of entire regiments being recalled from the front, only individual crews began to be trained for replenishment. But for greater effect, it was decided to use the “miracle weapon” en masse, and not disperse it into different parts. The finger of fate clearly pointed to the last, accidentally delayed in the 25th ZIAP, the 246th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

The 246th IAP had an honest but complicated biography, like the life of the bastard son of an august person. Even the local “special officer” despaired of understanding all the twists and turns of his fate and agreed that “the regiment has documents only from October 27, 1941.” It was then that the regiment, initially formed as the 295th IAP, on a verbal order from the head of the Air Force Training Center of the Southern Front, Colonel Komlev, exchanged numbers, seals and stamps with the 246th IAP ((It turns out that such miracles also happened).

In June 1942, the 246th (formerly 295) IAP departed for the 25th ZIAP, where they mastered the LaGG-3. The regiment was trained conscientiously, although using outdated methods: individual and group (up to 9 individuals), aerobatics, shooting at ground and air targets, bombing.

3. 10. 1942, the regiment, formed according to the staff 015/174 (20 crews), under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kudryashov, left for the front in the 235th IAD of the 5th VA Air Force of the Transcaucasian Front. Good preparation affected its combat successes: from 5.10 to 17.12. 1942, in 32 air battles, the regiment shot down 38 enemy aircraft: 26 Me-109, 8 Me-110, 1 He-113 and 3 Ju-52. Moreover, they had to fight in extreme conditions: from inconvenient mountain airfields, during the rainy season, under continuous bombing and with the numerical superiority of the Germans. Aces appeared in the regiment - commander Lt. P. M. Kamozin shot down 3 German planes in one battle (and brought his personal score to 12 victories, was nominated for the title of Hero, and on July 1, 1944 he became twice Hero of the Soviet Union) .

In intense battles with an experienced enemy, the regiment quickly “melted”: after two months, 5 aircraft remained: 14 LaGG-3s were shot down in air battles, one was destroyed at the airfield, three were destroyed in accidents, 9 pilots did not return from missions. On 12/17/1942, the regiment, having transferred 70% of the flight personnel, half of the technical personnel and the remaining LaGG-3, left for reorganization in the 25th ZIAP (Aji-Kabul, Azerbaijan), where from 01/25/1943 it began training on Airacobra and Kittyhawk aircraft.

Despite the rapid replenishment of the regiment to the new staff 015/284 (3 squadrons, 32 pilots) and intensive training, its stay in ZAP lasted for a year and a half. In the summer of 1943, P. M. Kamozin, having passed the “five” in aerial shooting, left for the 66th IAP, and some other experienced pilots also went to the front. The rest endured hard service for another year in the tempting conditions of the Caucasian mineral waters.

In the fall of 1943, the personnel, exhausted by Narzan and a long life in the rear, received unexpected news: Hurricanes were flying towards them! Even in 1941, this aircraft did not cause delight among Soviet pilots, especially at the end of 1943. After inspecting the arriving vehicles, the last hopes associated with the new weapon disappeared with a slight haze. The very first order, announcing the arrival of the aircraft into service with the regiment, sounded laconic and mournful:

13.11.1943 Vaziani camp

Order No. 2

The received Hurricane IIDs from 26 ZAP and 11 ZAP are not ready to carry out combat missions. Prepare the regiment by 12/1/1943.

Regimental commander Major Poprykin.

On January 1, 1944, the 246th IAP was equipped with 37 Hurricane IID aircraft (serial numbers KX140, 165, 167, 169, 173, 175, 181, 230-233, 248, 250, 293, 294, 297-301, 303, 415, 418, 420, 462, 463, 465, 466, 468, 864-866, HW722, 724, KW773, 777 and PS790), of which 5 are faulty (KX169, 173, 181, 299, 465).

Retraining for an aircraft that was easy to fly and maintain took almost seven months (the norm was two months) and was accompanied by numerous accidents, failures and organizational withdrawals. The first to “open the account” was the regiment commander himself, Major A.I. Poprykin, who made an emergency landing on KX169 on December 29, 1943 due to engine failure. On January 8, 1944, the flight of Jr. ended tragically. Lt. P. M. Gorev on KX173 - the plane crashed into the ground, the pilot died. True, this was the only disaster during the entire period of the Hurricane IID's presence in the Soviet Air Force. In total, during the training process, 13 accidents occurred in January (6 due to the fault of materiel, 7 due to the fault of the pilots), 3 accidents in February (2 and 1, respectively), one each in March and April (engine failures). According to the report of the senior engineer of the regiment, failures of the Merlin XX engine provoked a significant number of accidents - 7 cases on the ground and in the air from October 43 to April 18, 1944.

Almost in parallel with the development of the fighter in the combat regiment, its flight tests were carried out at the Air Force Research Institute. Let us quote the relevant document. Letter input No. 025 dated March 7, 1944

Senior engineer 25 ZAP In connection with the entry into service of the Air Force KA units of Hurricane IID aircraft (with two outboard 40-mm cannons), the Air Force KA Research Institute conducted flight tests of this aircraft.

35* The 246th IAP was formed as a training regiment in April 1940 in the city of Kirovograd - Odessa Military District - on I-16 aircraft (according to the recollections of one of the former chiefs of staff of the regiment, recorded in the documents of the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense).

Tests have established that during a dive at a speed of 390 mph (630 km/h) on the instrument with the rudder trims set to neutral, the aircraft behaves normally and there is no tendency to drag during the dive. The steering forces are normal.

But at the same time, at a speed of about 380-385 mph (610-620 km/h), the fairings of the underwing guns are sucked out and torn off the locks, which leads to noticeable shaking of the planes and vibration of the foot control pedals.

Based on the above, the dive speed of the Hurricane IID aircraft is limited to 375 mph (600 km/h). In terms of piloting technique, the Hurricane IID aircraft is no different from the Hurricane IIC.

The range and flight duration of the Hurricane 1Yu are almost equal to their values ​​on the IS.

Chief engineer of the Air Force spacecraft, Gen. -regiment. IAS Comrade Repin ordered the features of this type of aircraft to be brought to the attention of all flight personnel operating the Hurricane IID.

Beginning UTE Air Force spacecraft gen. -l-t Shtulgovsky.

It was a little late, however, they brought it up - by this time the flight technical personnel had managed to “realize the peculiarities of the type” the hard way, having destroyed KX173, 248, 181, 299 in the period from 1/31 to 3/1/1944, KX250, 298, 299 and 866, PS444 and 790, written off from March 17 to April 2, 1944 after “finishing”.

Although tests confirmed the positive aspects of the Hurricane IID - stability as a gun platform and high armor penetration of 40 mm guns, the attitude towards these aircraft of the Air Force in 1944 was negative. In. No. 031 dated March 29, 1944

Senior Engineer 246 IAP In pursuance of the instructions of the Commander of the Air Force, General. -regiment. Aviation Comrade Nikitin No. 603569с dated August 26, 1943 Hurricane aircraft cannot be repaired. The KX866 aircraft you specified will be written off and used for spare parts.

Deputy Chief engineer of the Air Force of the Transcaucasian Front, engineer. -Major Dod.

And Joseph Vissarionovich, according to the memoirs of G.K. Zhukov, spoke in a completely Bolshevik manner simply: “ And their Hurricanes are rubbish"»

The command of the 246th IAP tried to fight off the dubious honor of fighting on Hurricanes. Since direct refusal threatened a trip to the front as part of a penal battalion, they chose a different path: the regimental engineer bombarded the ZAP command with reports on the state of materiel that would squeeze a tear out of even a stone: defective engines, broken propellers, cut wheels, lack of spare parts, unusable instruments, and most importantly – peeling, sometimes even rotten percale. The last defect was the most serious and, as will be shown below, the only real one. But ZAP had its own plan for training. Therefore, "... Commission 25 ZAP On March 12, 1944, at the Sartachali airfield, examined 32 Hurricane IID aircraft. The aircraft were recognized as suitable for combat use. Cuts on the landing gear tires and potholes on the wooden propellers were caused by the rocky surface of the airfield. Engine malfunctions are considered isolated. The commission considers that after eliminating the defects, the aircraft are suitable for combat operations" (from the commission’s report).

06/30/1944 The 246th IAP departed for the front with 34 Hurricanes (supplemented by KX461 and 423, the latter, however, was left at the Grozny airfield due to engine failure). By the beginning of July, the regiment arrived at its destination - Omgovichi airfield (Bobruisk district), to the 215th IAD of the 16th VA.

Subsequently, oddly enough, the IID Hurricanes practically did not make a single combat (i.e., related to combat operations against an air or ground enemy) sortie! And even if they did, they wouldn’t even be able to catch up with the Ju-88! Vreed com. 246 IAP Ref. 156 dated July 30, 1944, Major Troshin to the Commander of the 215th IAD

I inform you that the Hurricane IID aircraft, which is in service with the regiment, in terms of its flight performance does not correspond to the data given in the technical specifications. description of 1942. For example: 1. Horizontal speed at the ground according to 427 km/h, in reality 220 mph (356 km/h).

2. During a combat turn in those. The description says “gains altitude 610 m”, in reality – 450-500 m.

3. It gains an altitude of 1000 m at a speed of 240 km/h in 4-5 minutes.

4. The aircraft is armed with 2 Vickers 40 mm cannons and 2 Browning 7.7 mm machine guns.

I believe that the Hurricane IID aircraft as a fighter is outdated and backward in its flight performance compared to our modern fighters. It cannot be tested as an attack aircraft due to the lack of armor, i.e. the armor is placed behind the pilot and on the engine hoods of 4 mm, which can be penetrated by rifles and machine guns at a distance of 70-80 m. We ask for your petition to the higher command to re-equip the regiment with modern domestic ones aircraft.

Troshin (signature). The regiment engineer put pressure on his superiors along his line:

Art. engineer 246 IAP Deputy. commander of 215 IAD

Akulichev according to IAS

ae Omgovichi

The Hurricane IID aircraft, adopted in October 1943 by the 246th IAP from the 25th ZAP Zakfront, are in the following condition:

1. Due to the lack of data in the forms, the year of manufacture of aircraft and engines and their service life are unknown.

2. On all aircraft the paintwork on the fuselage and the bottom of the planes has been damaged.

3. There is rotting of the fabric covering on all aircraft.

4. Due to the difference in atmospheric conditions, there is a lag between the percale and the fuselage stringers.

5. A wooden propeller, such as Rotol, has many potholes and cracks at the ends of the blades, which are sealed with brass fittings, which violates the weight symmetry.

6. The rubber of the wheels has many cuts.

7. Due to the long operating time of on-board batteries and the large number of charges, the latter have lost their capacity and do not provide not only starting from an electric motor, but even from a manual mechanic (VR handle).

8. There are no airfield batteries for starting engines, which complicates starting engines during group flights.

9. Radio communication can be maintained at a distance of 10-15 km from the ground, but there is no communication between aircraft in the air.

10. The motors have worked for an average of 50-95 hours, there are no spare parts.

11. Smith type aircraft clocks, 10 pcs. are completely unusable, the rest work intermittently. During further operation it is necessary to: replace the paintwork on the fuselage and consoles, batteries, engine spark plugs, clocks, radio communications.

While the papers were circulating through the authorities, the personnel were “finishing off” the materiel: 07/15/1944 KX463, 468 and 864 were decommissioned.

The history of the Soviet Hurricane IID ended at the Malashevichi airfield. Here, on August 10, 1944, the 246th IAP received an order to retrain on the Yak-1. To celebrate, on August 12, 1944, the commander of the regiment, Major Troshin, smashed KH232 to smithereens, and his subordinates smashed KH169 and HW722.

On August 28, 1944, the regiment began receiving Yaks and by September 1 had 9 Yak-1s, 1 Yak-7U, 1 Po-2 and 22 Hurricane IIDs, although all Vickers guns were still On August 18 they were put into storage. On September 17, the rearmament of the regiment with the Yak-1 was completed. "Hurricanes" IID KX140, 175, 231, 420, 462, 465 are written off; KX165, 167, 230, 293, 294, 297, 298, 301, 303, 415, 418, 461, 466, 865, HW724 and KW773 were returned for repair as fit for further use. Some of them were planned to be sent to the 286th IAD (Brest airfield).

The failed debut of the Hurricane IID in Soviet aviation is the best answer to the questions discussed in the press related to the practice of Lend-Lease (in particular, with British deliveries).

So, how modern and high-quality aircraft did the Soviet Air Force receive from England? The answer is in the reports of the command of the 246th IAP; not a word has been changed in them.

On the other hand, were the resulting aircraft operated correctly? No way! For example, unqualified maintenance simply ruined beautiful aircraft engines. In those. The description of "Merlin" XX says: fuel - gasoline with an octane rating of 100, oil - high-purity, cooling - a mixture of distilled water and ethylene glycol (7: 3). In fact, during the entire period of operation in the 25th ZAP "Merlin" I did not even "sniff" 100-octane gasoline! The flights were carried out on the B-78 or on a mixture of B-78 and B-70. At the front, Hurricanes flew a mixture of B-100 and B-70. The oil is ordinary MS, often with scale and other solid inclusions. This was the real reason for failures, breakdowns, “shooting connecting rods” and lack of power.

Perhaps the operation of these machines was methodically correctly prepared? Also no. The tests did not precede, but went almost parallel to the development of the combat regiment, although there was more than enough time. The positive aspects revealed during the tests (for example, that 40-mm cannons are capable of penetrating the armor of any, including the heaviest German tanks) were not brought to the attention of the flight personnel.

They also did not take into account the accumulated experience of operating Hurricanes, their sensitivity to airfield surfaces and climatic conditions. Vulnerable to even small stones, the planes flew for six months from a mountain airfield covered with gravel, which mercilessly cut wooden screws and unprotected tire tires. The operation of a percale-covered aircraft in such different climatic conditions (Africa - Belarus) also had a detrimental effect on its technical condition.

There was also no clear concept of the tactical use of the Hurricane IID: as fighters they were too slow and difficult to maneuver, and as attack aircraft they were not sufficiently protected.

Data on the Hurricane IID aircraft (series delivered to the USSR)

Span – 12.19 m. Length – 9.817 m.

Power plant – Merlin XX motor, V-shaped, liquid cooled, with a two-stage supercharger, power (hp/height): 1319/0, 1460/1905, 1435/3350; propeller "Rotol" RS-5/3 with wooden blades, diameter 3.43.

Take-off weight – 3800 kg. Ceiling – 10900 m. Range – 740 km. Radio station - type TR-9D.

Other characteristics are given in the text.