Hawker Hurricane Mk I
The RAF's first monoplane fighter to top 300 mph — and the backbone of Fighter Command in 1940 · First flight 1935 · In service 1937
The prototype Hurricane, K5083, first flew on 6 November 1935 in the hands of George Bulman, and the first production Mk I followed on 12 October 1937. The first four aircraft joined No. 111 Squadron at RAF Northolt in December 1937, making the Hurricane the RAF's first monoplane fighter in squadron service. Early aircraft had fabric-covered wings and a two-blade wooden propeller; from 1939 metal-skinned wings and constant-speed propellers were introduced.
Hurricane Mk Is fought in the Battle of France and then formed the majority of Fighter Command's squadrons in the Battle of Britain, where Hurricanes were credited with the larger share of German aircraft destroyed. Its wide-track undercarriage and simple steel-tube structure made it easy to fly, maintain and repair, and it was a steady gun platform. Mk Is also served in North Africa, Malta and Greece.
Before the war Hurricanes were exported to several countries, including Yugoslavia and Belgium, both of which also arranged licence production. Today Mk I R4118, kept at the Shuttleworth Collection, is the only airworthy Hurricane with a genuine Battle of Britain history.
