Hurricane
Marks and variants
The following table summarises the different Hurricane marks.
| Mark | Engine | Armament | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Merlin II/III | 8x.303mg | Merlin II fitted to first 362 serials (L1547-L1908). Merlin III in subsequent aircraft. Fixed pitch propellers in first 433 serials (L1547-L1979). Two pitch propellers in subsequent machines until Rotol constant-speed propellers became standard in February 1940 (Starting with P2682 from Gloster and P3265 from Hawker, except for aircraft destined for overseas, which initially retained two pitch propellers). Metal wings fitted to L1877 for trials. A mixture of metal and fabric covered wings fitted from L2026 (which was also used to test the Rotol propeller) to N2426. Subsequently all-metal wings except for a batch of 85 aircraft with fabric wings in mid-1940. |
| IIA | Merlin XX | 8x.303mg | Slightly longer than the Mk.I due to engine length. 50 to 100 early examples incorporated design concessions [1] in order to increase delivery, including no change to top longeron, and fitting the standard tailwheel. These may be the aircraft referred to as Series I. |
| IIB | Merlin XX | 12x.303mg | |
| IIC | Merlin XX | 4x20mm cannon | |
| IID | Merlin XX | 2x.303mg & 2x40mm cannon | |
| IIE | Merlin XX | IIB/C built with bomb racks | Designation first used for BE221 in September 1941. A memo[2] in August 1942 states this was the Hurribomber with 60 built to June 1942. However a later signal states that this is not an official designation but had been used to designate IIB and IIC built with bomb racks. Redesignated IIBB and IICB by the RAF. There were 230 IIBB/IIE and 40 IICB/IIE built plus 66 IIB conversions to IIBB. Most IIC were converted to IICB. The production list on this site has the 296 IIBB and 40 IICB. |
| III | Packard M 28 | Planned to use the US-built Packard Merlin. Prototype was DG633 with Canadian-built aircraft JS220, JS244 and JS322 reported as further Mk.III trials aircraft. | |
| IV | Merlin XX | 2x.303mg plus alt load | Universal wing permitted alternate weapons: 2x40mm cannon ('S' or 'BH' type), 8 rockets (25lb or 60lb), 2 bombs (250lb or 500lb), 2 SBC (small bomb containers) or SCI (smoke curtain installation), 2 drop tanks (45 or 90gal). |
| V | Merlin 27 | as Mk.IV | Improved Mk.IV with Merlin 27 for low level operations. Originally planned to use the Merlin 32[2] . Prototype NL255 plus 2 Mk.IV conversions KX405 and KZ193. Order was cancelled and the latter two aircraft converted back to Mk.IV. |
| X | Not an official designation. Used in some documentation for Canadian-built Mk.I | ||
| XI | Not used. | ||
| XII | Packard M 29 | 12x.303mg | Called Mk.IIB (Can) until 16 April 1943. All Packard Merlin 29's were retained in Canada. |
| XIIA | Packard M 29 | 8x.303mg | Mk.I upgraded to use the Packard Merlin 29. |
| Sea I | Merlin III | 8x.303mg | The Sea Hurricane IA had catapult spools. The IB also had an arrester hook. The IC had 4x20mm cannon with 8 known conversions from Sea Hurricane IA/B. 50 aircraft built in Canada (BW855-884). The RAF report 378 conversions from Hurricane Mk.I but photos suggest some remained as standard Mk.I. 375 serials identified. |
| Sea II | Merlin XX | 4x20mm cannon | 60 Sea Hurricane IIC built by Hawker (NF668-703, NF716-739) and 49 conversions identified |
| Sea XIIA | Packard M 29 | 8x.303mg | Sea Hurricane I upgraded in Canada to use Merlin 29. |
Canadian Car & Foundry built 1451 Hurricanes, including one for the Netherlands (HC3-287) which was allotted the RAF serial AM270 (also used by a Consolidated Catalina). The RAF imported 418 Mk.I and 447 Mk.II without engines and 234 Mk.II with engines from Canada.
19 aircraft were lost at sea en route the U.K. (4 each on the 'Beaverdale', 'Malaya II', 'Nicoya' and 'Leto' and 3 on an unknown ship lost around May 1943).
20 Hawker-built Mk.Is were purchased by the RCAF in 1939, becoming RCAF 310-329. 17 of these returned to the UK with 1Sq RCAF in 1940. L1848 was supplied to CCF as a pattern aircraft in 1939 and returned to the UK in October 1940. L2144 was reportedly sent to Canada as a pattern aircraft and given the RCAF serial 330. However, there is no record of its arrival.
30 Hurricanes in the AG serial block from an RAF order with CCF were supplied to the RCAF as 1351-1380. 150 RCAF contract Mk.XII were transferred to the RAF (without engines) and given serials in the PG/PJ range.
References
1. AVIA 15/639
2. AVIA 20/4572