Tempest

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486 Squadron pilots at Volkel

Armorers loading ammunition into a Tempest of No. 501 Squadron RAF

Armourers replenish the 20mm ammunition in a Hawker Tempest Mk V

Crashed Tempest Mk V XP-P of 174 Sqn at Volkel, February 1945

E.D. Mackie's personal aircraft Tempest SN228 1945

early Hawker Tempest V Series 1 JN757 in flight

Tempest Mk V of No. 486 Sqn at Castle Camps

F/O Cullen with Tempest Mk V of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF April 1944

Hawker Tempest FB Mk II

Hawker Tempest II LA607, 2nd Prototype

Hawker Tempest II MW764

Hawker Tempest Mk II

Hawker Tempest Mk II LA602 2

Hawker Tempest Mk V at Langley 1944 - color photo

Hawker Tempest Mk V EJ714 JJ-W of 274 Sqn at Volkel

Hawker Tempest Mk V Prototype HM595 on the ground

Hawker Tempest Mk V Series 2 JN757 in flight

Hawker Tempest MW742

Hawker Tempest SA-L Kastrup Denmark

Hawker Tempest SA-V at Fassberg

Hawker Tempest V JN802

Hawker Tempest V Series 1 JN735, 6th production aircraft 1943

late series Hawker Tempest Vs in production at Langley 1945

Lt Luckhoff in cocpit of Tempest Mk V EJ880 5R-R 33 Sqn

Lt Luckhoff in cocpit of damaged Tempest Mk V EJ880 5R-R, 33 Squadron

Pilots with Tempest V 486 Sqn Volkel, 1945

Prototype Tempest Mk I HM599 in flight

Prototype Hawker Tempest Mk VI February 1945

Prototype Tempest Mk VI February 1945

Prototype Tempest Mk VI February 1945 2

Prototype Tempest Mk VI February 1945 3

Side view of prototype Tempest Mk I HM599 February 1943

Sqn Ldr J H Iremonger’s Tempest Mk V SA-F JN763 2

Sqn Ldr J H Iremonger’s Tempest Mk V SA-F JN763 June 1944 2

Sqn Ldr J H Iremonger’s Tempest Mk V SA-F JN763. 486 Sqn, Newchurch June 1944

Tempest 486 Sqn at Volkel 1945

Tempest F Mk V Srs II SN354

Tempest F Mk VI

Tempest F Mk VI August 1945

Tempest F Mk VI NX116

Tempest F Mk VI NX201

Tempest F Mk VI NX201 1945

Tempest F Mk VI September 1945

Tempest F6 NX143 GN-H of No. 249 Squadron RAF Habbaniyah 1947

Tempest I HM599

Tempest II PR652

Tempest II Prototype LA602

Tempest JF-Z JN862 of No. 3 Squadron RAF with D-Day stripes

Tempest JF-Z JN862 of No. 3 Squadron RAF June 1944

Tempest Mk I

Tempest Mk II - color photo

Tempest Mk II EJ518 prototype with Annular Radiator

Tempest Mk II LA602 in flight

Tempest Mk II MW742

Tempest Mk II MW764

Tempest Mk II NV768

Tempest Mk II Prototype LA602 with Typhoon tail

Tempest 2nd production JN730 October 1943

Tempest Mk V 2nd production JN730 October 1943

Tempest Mk V Bradwell Bay October 1944

Hawker Tempest Mk V EJ627 SA-E of 486 Sqn

Tempest Mk V EJ627 SA-E of 486 Sqn at Volkel

Tempest Mk V EJ638 W2-B pf No 80 Squadron RAF at Volkel

Tempest Mk V EJ714 JJ-W No. 274 Squadron RAF October 1944 at Volkel

Tempest Mk V EJ743

Tempest Mk V HM595 prototype

Tempest Mk V JF-G of No. 3 Squadron RAF at Newchurch

Tempest Mk V JF-M and pilots of 3 Sqn at Newchurch

Tempest Mk V JN730

Tempest Mk V JN730 with drop tanks

Tempest Mk V JN733

Tempest Mk V JN754 SA-A and JN801 SA-L of 486 Sqn, June 1944

Tempest Mk V JN754 SA-A of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF

Tempest Mk V JN757 in flight

Hawker Tempest Mk V JN765 JF-K of No. 3 Sqn RAF

Tempest Mk V JN765 JF-K of No. 3 Sqn RAF, June 1944

Hawker Tempest Mk V JN766 of 486 Sqn at Castle Camps

Tempest Mk V JN766 of 486 Sqn at Castle Camps February 1944

Tempest Mk V JN766 SA-N and Typhoon MN282 SA-R of No 486 Sqn April 1944

Tempest Mk V JN766 SA-N of No. 486 Sqn in flight, Spring 1944

Tempest Mk V of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF at Grimbergen 2

Tempest Mk V JN803 SA-D at Grimbergen. Sqn Ldr J H Iremonger and pilots of No 486 Sqn on 28 September 1944

Tempest Mk V JN803 SA-D of No. 486 Sqn RNZAF at Grimbergen

Tempest Mk V NV657 with drop tanks 1944/1945

Tempest Mk V NV696 in flight

Tempest Mk V NV988 SA-Y of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF

Tempest Mk V of 3 Sqn at Newchurch

Tempest Mk V prototype HM595

Tempest SD-X EJ763, SD-K and SD-W of No 501 Sqn RAF

Tempest Mk V SD-X EJ763, SD-K and SD-W of No 501 Sqn RAF

Tempest Mk VI NX135

Tempest Mk.V SA-X

Tempest NV 768 in flight

Tempest NV753 SA-J Volkel

Tempest NV763 486 Squadron Germany

Tempest NV937 SA-C Volkel 1945

Tempest NX126 GN-A of 249 Sqn

Tempest of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF at Volkel

Tempest of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF Kastrup 1945

Tempest of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF Volkel

Tempest prototype HM595

Tempest SA-V at RAF Station Volkel

Tempest TT Mk 5 SN329 1948

Tempest Undergoing Tests

Tempest V

Tempest V EJ768

Tempest V HM595

Tempest V JN729 in flight

Tempest V JN729 in flight

Tempest V JN730 with drop tanks 2

Tempest V JN740

Tempest V JN757

Tempest V JN757 series II 1st production batch in flight

Tempest V NV768

Tempest V NV768 experimentally fitted with a ducted spinner and an annular radiator

Tempest V Prototype HM595 September 1942

Tempest V SD-P 501 Sqn RAF

Tempest V series 1 JN729 with protruding cannon in flight

Tempest V series 1 JN766 SA-N of No. 486 Squadron RNZAF, Castle Camps 1944

Tempest V W2-S of No. 80 Squadron RAF

Tempest VI NX180

Tempest VI NX201

Tempest VI NX201 2

Tempest Vs JF-J and JF-Oof no 3 Sqn Belgium September 1944

Tempest W2-L "Betty" of the 80 Squadron RAF in flight

Wing Commander R P Beaumont, wing leader of No. 150 Wing with Tempest Mk V of 3 Sqn RAF at Newchurch

The Hawker Tempest was a RAF fighter aircraft of World War II, an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighters used in the war. While Hawker and the RAF were struggling to turn the Typhoon into a useful aircraft, Hawker’s Sidney Camm and his team were rethinking the design. The Typhoon’s thick, rugged wing was partly to blame for some of the aircraft’s performance problems, and as far back as March 1940 a few engineers had been set aside to investigate the new “laminar flow” wing, which the Americans had implemented in the P-51 Mustang.

The laminar flow wing had a maximum chord, or ratio of thickness to length of the wing cross section, of 14.5 %, in comparison to 18 % for the Typhoon. The maximum chord was also moved back towards the middle of the cross section. The new wing was originally longer than that of the Typhoon, at 13.1 m (43 ft), but then the wingtips were clipped off and the wing became shorter than that of the Typhoon, at 12.5 m (41 ft).

The new wing cramped the fit of the four Hispano 20 mm cannon that were being designed into the Typhoon. The cannon were moved back further into the wing, and the wing was extended into an elliptical shape to accommodate the cannon. The new elliptical wing had greater area than the Typhoon’s. Camm, who was noted for a sharp sense of humor, later remarked: “The Air Staff wouldn’t buy anything that didn’t look like a Spitfire.”

Another important feature of the new wing was that radiators for the new Napier Sabre IV engine were fitted into the leading edge of the wing inboard of the landing gear. This eliminated the distinctive “beard” radiator associated with the Typhoon and improved aerodynamics, but also displaced fuel tanks that had been fitted into the leading edge of the Typhoon’s wing at the same location.

This greatly reduced fuel capacity, but Hawker engineers found they could stretch the fuselage 53 cm (21 in) ahead of the cockpit to accommodate more fuel storage in the fuselage. The longer nose did not seriously impair the pilot’s forward view, but the vertical tailplane had to be extended.

The new design was basically solid by October 1941, and the Air Ministry issued a specification designated “F.10/41” that had been written to fit. A contract for two initial prototypes was issued the next month. The aircraft was originally named the “Typhoon Mark II”, but was renamed “Tempest” in January 1942, when more prototypes with various experimental configurations were ordered. The first Tempest prototype flew on 2 September 1942. This aircraft was really just a Typhoon fitted with the new elliptical wing, and retained the Tiffy’s frame canopy, automobile doors, and Sabre II engine. It was quickly fitted with a bubble canopy and taller vertical tailplane.

Test pilots found the Tempest a great improvement over the Typhoon. The Air Ministry had already ordered 400 Tempests in August, but production of the new Sabre IV engine ran into protracted problems and delays. The second prototype, the first with the Sabre IV and designated “Tempest Mark I”, did not fly until 24 February 1943. This prototype also had the older Typhoon cockpit and vertical tailplane at first. Elimination of the “beard” radiator did much to improve performance, and the Tempest Mark I was the fastest thing Hawker had built to that time, attaining a speed of 750 km/h (466 mi/h). Only one Mark I was built. Sabre IVs were still unavailable, so Camm simply went into production using the Sabre II. The first “Tempest V”, as this variant was known, rolled off the production line on 21 June 1943. The first 100 Tempest Vs delivered had the long-barrelled Mark II 20 millimeter Hispano cannon, and such aircraft were referred to as “Tempest V Series 1”. Later production, providing a total of 800 aircraft known simply as “Tempest V”, used the short-barrelled Mark V Hispano cannon, eliminating the protruding barrels that had been a trademark of the Typhoon.