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Dual
control Hind; L7226 eventually was written off in a
forced landing at RAF Henlow. Ex 503/501 Sqd. Scheme
was Training Yellow (this colour comes out as black
in photographic prints of the period) |
The Hawker Hart was
the first in the family and appeared in 1928 and its
performance was so remarkable compared to previous
aeroplanes that it became the outstanding warplane of its
day.
The Hart series was designed by Sydney Camm, designer of the
well-known Hawker Hurricane, and this aircraft replaced the
veteran DH9A bomber.
The Hart family consisted of the following produced
aircraft:-
| Hart |
1031 (inc. Swedish production
of 42 a/c) |
| F20/27 |
1 |
| Demon |
306 |
| Osprey |
138 |
| Audax |
719 |
| Hardy
|
48 |
| F7/30 |
1 |
| G4/31 |
1 |
| Hartbees
|
69 (inc. S African production
of 65 a/c) |
| Hind |
582 |
| Hector |
179 |
| Fury |
262 |
| Norn |
2 |
| Nimrod |
87 |
THE HIND
The prototype Hind (K2915) was produced to AM Specifications
and made its first flight on 12 September 1934, powered by
the fully supercharged 640hp Rolls Royce Kestrel V. In
following months the Hawker team, under Camm, refined the
design, improving the prone bomb-aimer’s station, replacing
the tailskid with a wheel and adopting the cut-down gunner’s
cockpit of the Hawker Demon, the fighter version of the
Hart. Production Hinds were fitted with ‘ram’s-horn’ exhaust
pipes, a characteristic feature of the type.
The entire Hind production order, some 581 aeroplanes at the
end of 1937, was fulfilled by the parent company at its
Kingston and Brooklands factories. In all, 26 RAF squadrons
were equipped with the type, as were 12 Auxiliary Air Force
units, while Hinds also served on the strength of over a
score of training schools. The high production figure
included almost three dozen machines (fitted with the
Mercury VIII radial engine) for Persia; eight (together with
several ex RAF Kestrel V powered machines) for Afghanistan;
four for Portugal; three for Yugoslavia; three, with Mercury
engines, for Latvia; and one for Switzerland.
Despite the large numbers built, the Hind, the RAF’s last
biplane light bomber, had disappeared from first-line units
by the end of June 1939, having been replaced by monoplane
Battles, Blenheims and Hampdens, although a small number
were retained with No. 613 Sqn at Odiham on army
co-operation duties until the end of the year.
In 1937 eight Hawker Hinds (light bombers) were bought by
Afghan Air Force. The British and Italian flying
instructors, engineers and mechanics arrived in Kabul in
January 1938 to supervise the assembly and erection of the
AAF’s new aircraft. A repeat order for 20 was placed in
1939.
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