Hawker Hurricane Hurricane Mk I

The first production Hurricane Mk I flew on 12 October 1937 and No. 111 Squadron at Northolt was the first unit to receive it, in November that year. Early aircraft used the 768 kW (1,030 hp) Merlin II, fabric-covered wings and a fixed-pitch wooden two-blade propeller; they lacked armour and self-sealing tanks. From 1939 the Merlin III with a variable-pitch metal three-blade propeller, metal-covered wings and, from mid-1940, pilot armour were introduced. Armed with eight wing-mounted .303 in Browning machine guns, it reached 521 km/h at 4,755 m. It was the fighter that carried the bulk of RAF squadrons through the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain before the Spitfire took over the primary role.