The Fighting Colours of Richard J. Caruana. 5: Hawker Hunter in British service

Elegance, grace, and perhaps even beauty – the Hawker Hunter was the last of its kind, designed under the principle: “if it looks good, it will fly well.” At a time when computers were not available for test simulations, design was carried out with pencil and slide rule. Richard J. Caruana describes and illustrates this aircraft, presenting its most colourful liveries.

Hawker’s chief designer, Sir Sydney Camm, found little inspiration in the official F.43/46 specification and instead created the P.1067 concept, flexible enough to accommodate various engines. The Mk. 1 and Mk. 4 were powered by the Rolls-Royce Avon, while the Mk. 2 and Mk. 5 used the Armstrong Whitworth Sapphire, a choice that spared the Hunter the fate of the Supermarine Swift.

The Hunter only truly became a fighter with the Mk. 6, which featured strengthened wings, increased fuel capacity, and, in the Mk. 9, the ability to carry bombs and rockets for ground-attack missions.

The Hunter served not only with the RAF, but also with the Fleet Air Arm and in the air forces of other nations – though that is quite another story.