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Hawker P.1103

1957 COLD WAR X-PLANE

Hawker P. 1103 History

In the 1950s, the British Department of Aviation drafted the "F. 155 Operational Requirements" ("O.R.F. 155") program, which called for a new generation of high-speed, high-flying interceptors powered by turbojet or rocket engine technology (or both).

The threat at the time was the powerful Soviet Union and its strategically important long-range nuclear bomber force. Therefore, the time needed by the major Western players is to get the interceptors airborne as soon as possible in Europe. One of the design projects of this period became 'P. 1103' by Hawker Aircraft, designed by Sir Sidney Cam - chief designer of the classic WWII propeller-driven Hawker Hurricane fighter and jet.

Cold War Era Hawker "Hunter" Warrior.

The project originated in 1955 with the goal of producing an airframe capable of reaching speeds above Mach 2, a combat ceiling of up to 60,000 feet and built-in missile carrying capability. Radar will be an inherent part of the aircraft, requiring a second crew member to undertake the proposed workload, including piloting, navigation and weapons/radar management.

Hawke's work produced an aircraft largely derived from the original Hunter jet fighter and designed for a very compact form factor. Power comes from a single afterburner turbojet, further helping to keep the design as small as possible, and two crew members will sit in tandem above the nose of the aircraft.

Since the nose will house the intended radar unit, the air-breathing turbojet's air intake will be located ventral under the cockpit floor, while the unit will be ejected from the tail via a conventional port under the tail. The wing main aircraft is a broad surface located near the midship with swept (40 degrees) at the leading edge.

Each member will add a wingtip hardpoint for carrying air-to-air missiles (AAM). The tail is very "fighter-like" in shape and layout, with a vertical plane and a center-mounted horizontal plane.

The fuselage of the aircraft will be made primarily of lightweight metal, with excellent streamlined shapes for aerodynamic efficiency.

As suggested, the end result is a clean, elegant product centered around a less complex single-engine layout. For the required performance, the aircraft will be equipped with a still-in-development de Havilland "Gyron" afterburning turbojet that will provide 20,000 pounds of dry thrust and 25,000 pounds of thrust with reheat enabled. To improve overall intercept performance, the aircraft should also receive optional rocket boosters at the center point of the main aircraft, each providing an additional 2,000 pounds of thrust. The rocket booster will provide a burn time of less than four minutes, but the plane is flying at Mach 2.0.

Additionally, the interceptor should be able to reach the required 60,000 feet (estimated 68,000 feet) and 61,000 feet per minute rate of climb in a fraction of the time.

Missiles - the main and only weapon of the aircraft - become 2 x Red Top, Red Hebe or Blue Jay AAM. The "Red Top" infrared homing hawkers were in development and did not enter service until 1964, while the "Red Hebe" radar-guided/radar-homing Vickers were eventually phased out during their development phase. The backward-infrared de Havilland "Firestreak" entered service in 1957.

Regardless, the missile will be supported by an airborne radar mounted on the nose.

When completed, the proposed interceptor will have an overall length of 63 feet, a wingspan of 39 feet, and a height of 15.5 feet. The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of the loaded rocket (Red Hebe variant) is estimated at 42,000 lbs.

During the turbulent period of the 1950s, due to changing circumstances and requirements, during the publication of the infamous "Defense White Paper" of 1957, the P. 1103 fell victim to other British "paper plane" designs along with the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and Perceived enemy turns to low-altitude bombers - rendering high-altitude, high-speed manned interceptors moot. As such, the P.1103 entered the design study stage only for its share of British aviation history.