HAWKER TYPHOON

During and in the months immediately following the Battle of Britain, the RAF had been enjoying significant successes against the German ME 109 and 110’s with their highly maneuverable Supermarine Spitfire V. ...that was to soon change.

In 1941, the Luftwaffe introduced the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 - boasting a BMW 801 radial engine that could outrun and outclimb the Spitfire V. By May 1941, RAF losses had risen alarmingly.

There was simply no Allied fighter that could catch it. Finding a replacement to counter the Focke-wulf had now become critical. The Typhoon was based largely on its predecessor but with an aluminum tube frame skinned with duralumin panels replacing the traditional wooden and doped canvas of the Hurricane.

With its enlarged and strengthened wing panel, increased range and supercharged Sabre engine, the Typhoon proved more than a match for the Focke-Wulf - but it wasn’t without its teething problems.

Throughout construction and testing, the Typhoon was plagued with a succession of structural issues resulting in the deaths of a number of Hawker test pilots. Elevator trims began tearing off at high speed and complete tail sections simply parted in midflight.

The Sabre engine proved difficult to start in cold weather and its very high pitched engine note quickly fatigued its pilots. Another issue was carbon monoxide seeping into the cockpit. Never fully rectified, the standard procedure was for Typhoon pilots to use oxygen from engine start up to engine shut down.

The Typhoon did not come into its own until the end of 1942 when its heavier armament, speed and maneuvrability decimated Luftwaffe attacks and with the introduction of the faster Spitfire MkIX, the Typhoon’s ability to carry up to two 450 kg bombs or four rockets under each wing soon saw it switched to a ground attack role. By 1944 the RAF boasted 18 operational Squadrons of rocket-equipped Typhoons.

All Hawker Typhon Instruments listed below come complete with a detailed, custom-built Scale Model of the HawkerTyphoon Aircraft on its Magnetic Display Arm; Mango Wood Display Stand & Plaque, plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instrument in aircraft cockpit - as shown in this Corsair example opposite:

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