The Hawker Tempest was a British single-seat military fighter developed from the Typhoon. It combined a redesigned wing with powerful piston engines and four 20 mm cannon. Introduced late in the Second World War, it fought enemy aircraft, intercepted V-1 flying bombs and attacked ground targets.[1][2]
Developing the Typhoon concept
The Tempest programme sought improved performance from the large, heavily armed Hawker fighter design. Different prototypes explored several engines, including the Napier Sabre, Bristol Centaurus and Rolls-Royce Griffon. These alternatives produced markedly different nose installations while retaining the aircraft's general wing and fuselage arrangement.[1]
The Tempest V used the liquid-cooled Sabre, with the first production example flying in June 1943. The Tempest II instead used the air-cooled Centaurus radial engine, while the VI introduced a later Sabre installation. These were substantial engine configurations within the same fighter family.[1]
Wartime operations
The Tempest V reached frontline service toward the end of the European war. Its speed and armament made it useful against V-1 flying bombs threatening Britain. It also carried out ground attacks as Allied forces advanced across occupied Europe, giving the aircraft duties beyond conventional fighter interception.[2]
The combination of piston engine and propeller was approaching its practical performance limits. The Tempest illustrates the last phase of wartime British piston-fighter development before jets became dominant, while its successors in the Fury and Sea Fury line continued the Hawker design tradition.[1][2]
Postwar target towing
Not every Tempest experienced combat. The RAF Museum's Tempest V, NV778, was completed too late for wartime operational service and instead towed targets for air-to-air gunnery practice. Its conspicuous black-and-yellow underside markings helped distinguish the towing aircraft from the target, documenting an important postwar training use of the type.[2]