The Hawker Hunter was a UK jet fighter aircraft of the 1950s and 1960s. The Hunter served for many years with the Royal Air Force and was widely exported, serving with 19 air forces. A total of 1,972 Hunters were produced by Hawker Siddeley and under license.

The origins of the Hunter trace back to the Hawker Sea Hawk straight-wing carrier-based fighter. Seeking better performance and fulfillment of the Air Ministry Specification E.38/46, Hawker Aircraft's chief designer Sydney Camm created the Hawker P.1052, which was essentially a Sea Hawk with a 35-degree swept wing. First flying in 1948, the P.1052 demonstrated good performance but did not warrant further development into a production aircraft. As a private venture, Hawker converted the second P.1052 prototype into the Hawker P.1081 with swept tailplanes and revised fuselage, with a single jet exhaust at the rear. First flying on 19 June 1950, the P.1081 was promising enough to draw interest from the Royal Australian Air Force but development went no further and the sole prototype was lost in a crash in 1951.

Meanwhile, in 1946, the Air Ministry issued Specification F.43/46 for a daytime jet-powered interceptor. Camm took the basic P.1052 design and adapted it for the upcoming Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet. The Avon's major advantage over the Rolls-Royce Nene, used in the Sea Hawk, was the axial compressor, which resulted in a much smaller engine diameter and better thrust. In March 1948, the Air Ministry issued Specification F.3/48, to cover development of the project. Initially fitted with a single air intake in the nose and a T-tail, the project rapidly evolved to the more familiar shape. The intakes were moved to the wing roots, to make room for weapons and radar in the nose. A more conventional tail arrangement was devised, as a result of stability concerns.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a RAF Hawker Hunter F6 jet fighter which was attached to 74 Squadron, then deployed to RAF Horsham St. Faith, England during the late 1950s. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 5-3/4-inches
Length: 7-3/4-inches

Release Date: September 2009

Historical Account: "Sailor Malan" - No. 74 Squadron was formed on July 1st, 1917, as a training Squadron for the RFC. They were remobilized on March 1st, 1918, as a 'service' Squadron. 74 Squadron then moved to France where they were equipped with SE5 single seat aircraft. While in France, 74 Squadron was nicknamed 'Tiger Squadron' because of the aggressive spirit shown by their pilots, which is why we now see the Tigers head on 74 Squadron aircraft. No. 74 Squadron re-equipped with Hawker Hunter F.4s at Horsham St. Faith in March 1957. These were supplemented by F.Mk.6s in November that year, with several aircraft being painted with a facsimile of Adolph Gysbert 'Sailor' Malan's signature on the nose - in recognition of Adolf 'Sailor' Malan, 74 Squadron's famous Battle of Britain Ace. No. 74 Squadron moved to Coltishall, in June 1959, and was re-equipped with the Lightning in 1960.