Hawker Hind
| Hind | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Hawker Hind (Afgan), Shuttleworth Collection | |
| Role | Light bomber, Trainer |
| Manufacturer | Hawker Aircraft Limited |
| Designer | Sydney Camm |
| First flight | 12 September 1934 |
| Introduction | 1935 |
| Retired | 1957 (Afghanistan) |
| Primary users |
Royal Air Force Iran New Zealand South Africa |
| Produced | 1935-1938 |
| Number built | 528 |
| Variants |
Hawker Hart Hawker Hector Hawker P.V.4 |
The British Hawker Hind was a Royal Air Force light bomber of the inter-war years produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was developed from the Hawker Hart day-bomber introduced in 1931.
An improved Hawker Hart bomber defined by Specification G.7/34, was purchased by RAF as an interim aircraft while more modern monoplane bombers such as the Fairey Battle were still in development. Structural elements were a mixture of steel and duralumin with the wings being fabric covered while the main differences compared to the earlier Hart was a new powerplant, (the Rolls Royce Kestrel V) and the inclusion of refinements from the earlier derivatives such as the cut-down rear cockpit developed for the Demon. The prototype (Serial number K2915) was constructed very rapidly due to Hawker's development work for other proposals, and made its first flight on 12 September 1934. A variety of changes were subsequently incorporated ("ram's horn" exhaust manifolds, Fairey-Reed metal propeller and engine improvements) with the first production Hind (K4636) flown on 4 September 1935.
The Hind went into service in November 1935 and eventually equipped 20 RAF bomber squadrons. A number were also sold to foreign customers including Afghanistan, the Republic of Ireland, Latvia, Persia (Iran), Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. By 1937, the Hind was being phased out of frontline service, replaced by the Fairey Battle and Bristol Blenheim, with many of the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons changing their role to fighter or maritime patrol units. At the outbreak of the Second World War, 613 Squadron retained the Hind in the Army cooperation role before re-equipping with the Hart derivative, the Hawker Hector, in November 1939. The Hind found a new career in 1938 as a training aircraft, representing the next step up from basic training on Tiger Moths. It continued in use as an intermediate trainer during the war. Hind trainers were also operated by Canada and New Zealand.
...
Wikipedia