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Hawker P.1081 (Australian Fighter)

1950 COLD WAR X-PLANE

Hawker P. 1081 (Australian Hunter) History

Post-WWII British research on turbojets and mainstream straight/swept-wing aircraft led to the successful 1953 naval fighter Hawker Seahawk. In the process, design work has produced several important offshoots of this classic aircraft, utilizing various engine configurations as well as wing arrangements - resulting in types such as the "P. 1052" and "P. 1072" (others on this site). There are details everywhere).

In the late 1940s, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) went through a period of need for modernization and sought a design based primarily on the P.1052.

The swept-back P. 1052 came in two prototype forms, the second "VX279" was largely transformed into a new flying form: bifurcated (two/split) tailpipes of the original design Replaced with a single nozzle to accommodate a single turbojet. The aircraft had a variable-tilt tail with swept surfaces, and to complete the outfit, the engine of choice became a Rolls-Royce "Tay" turbojet. However, when the engine was found to be unavailable, the original Rolls-Royce Nene R.N.

2, rated at 5,000 pounds of thrust, was retained.

For the RAAF, this new fighter will replace several aging models in the same role, the classic WWII North American P-51 Mustang piston engine fighter and the equally classic post-war Deha Vilan Vampire fighter turbojet propulsion. Both are locally produced, the former under the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) brand label and the latter under the De Havilland Australia (DHA) brand.

The Hawker P. 1081 will compete with other jet-powered types, including twin-engine forms of Australia's own CAC, as well as foreign offerings such as America's Grumman F9F "Black Panther".

Since its purpose was to meet the requirements of the Royal Australian Air Force, the P.1081 was referred to as the "Australian Fighter", and the potential manufacturer of its serial production version, CAC, chose the designation "CA-24" for the upcoming Becoming Fighter.

The suggested weapon for the production-grade die is the 4 x 20mm autocannon, which would give the fighter a good offensive "strike" against the opponents of the time, namely bombers and fighters from Soviet factories. The production model will eventually also feature an afterburner version of the Tay engine.

The final form of the P. 1081 made its maiden flight on June 19, 1950. It is in state-of-the-art form with excellent fuselage streamlines and centrally mounted swept wing surfaces. The nose has a flat nose cone and the cockpit is located aft.

The pilot sits under a light-framed two-piece canopy that provides relatively good visibility around the aircraft. Ground operation is a retractable tricycle landing gear arrangement.

With the involvement of the RAAF in the Korean War (1950-1953), the P-51 fleet began to see its best days behind and was immediately overtaken by the sudden arrival of Soviet MiG-15 jet fighters. This threat prompted all Western players to upgrade their existing combat fleets, with the North American F-86 Saber quickly taking the majority. As the P. 1081 was still in development, it was hoped that it would soon achieve Initial Operating Capability (IOC), tapering off with each month of the war - leading to the Hawker project being abandoned on November 14, 1950. The Operational Quality P was abandoned.

So the 1081 with the 4 x 20mm automatic cannon and the Tay engine installed was scratched.

The Royal Australian Air Force finally agreed to procure available Gloucester Meteor (F.8) jet fighters during the transition period, and CAC was later awarded the contract to produce F-86 Sabre interior labels, which flew with Rolls-Royce Aussie "Avon" turbojet and locally designated CAC "Sabre". It was launched in 1954.

The P. 1081 prototype continued to fly in a research-oriented manner when it became the property of the Royal Aircraft Corporation (RAE). It ended its flying days abruptly on April 3, 1951, when it crashed, killing its test pilot and being written off entirely.

All was not lost, however, as such designs (and their painful sacrifices) were very important for future fighter types: the P. 1081 directly influenced the Hawker P. 1067 program and produced the Hawker "Hunter", a Classic era. Cold War actors described elsewhere on this site.