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Hawker P.1129

1958 COLD WAR X-PLANE

Hawker P. 1129 History

In the search for a direct successor to English Electric's classic Canberra jet bomber, British industry has identified a number of possible candidates meeting Operational Requirement 339 (O.R. 339). These included the "P. Hawker Aircraft Company's 1129" proposal, a stylish aerodynamic inlet that accommodates a crew of two and is powered by two turbofan engines.

Interestingly, O.R. 339 was allowed to remain in use even after the 1957 defense review of the "Defense White Paper" concluded many of these types (i.e. manned aircraft supported missiles). The end product was an elegant looking aircraft of the late 1950s with features inherited from the successful Hawker Hunter fighter jet of 1954 and the defunct British Aerospace Corporation (BAC) "TSR".

2" since 1964.

P. 1129 did not develop further beyond drawings and models.

The British Electric Canberra was a major performer in the Cold War (1947-1991), performing bomber roles and reconnaissance missions for the West. It was a fairly simple twin-engine design, with a crew of only three, with a straight-wing main plane, and production reached nearly 1,000 between factories in the UK and Australia. The United States operates the aircraft under the B-57 designation and has added another 403 through the Martin Aircraft brand label.

The B-57 retained the British designation "Canberra" during the flight.

The series was later used by a range of global operators, from Argentina and Chile to Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Its importance lies in the fact that it stocks more than six combat squadrons for the RAF - these squadrons take up an inventory of 782 aircraft.

Even so, the development of Soviet jet fighters and interceptors meant Canberra's future was in question - after all, it was a 1950s design born in the 1940s.

On paper, the proposed Hawker aircraft features a long, narrow fuselage with a short, pointed nose cone assembly at the front and two exhaust ports at the rear. The nose is designed to accommodate an Airborne Intercept (A.I.) radar with forward and sideways capability, as well as appropriate mission-related reconnaissance equipment. The two crew members will sit side-by-side in separate cockpits located at the rear of the nose assembly, and they are positioned close to the very front of the aircraft for a rather unique view. The dual side-by-side engine configuration is drawn through a semi-circular air intake fitted with a "shock cone" for the high-speed supersonic flight envelope.

The air intakes are located forward amidships, but behind the cockpit. The engine itself is buried in the hull in the usual way. A conventional tricycle landing gear has been proposed, with two main monowheel legs and a monowheel front leg, both set to retract into the fuselage.

The wing main aircraft is located near or aft of the midship and mounted on the sides of the fuselage from bottom to center. Both the leading and trailing edges are swept back, while the tips are slightly rounded.

The fins are configured in a traditional fashion, with a single vertical fin paired with two low-lying horizontal planes. The horizontal parts are fully articulated for excellent responsive control. All rear surfaces include a sweep back to keep the design as aerodynamically functional as possible.

The engines in the P. 1129 design were 2 x Rolls-Royce R. 142R "Medway", a low bypass turbofan developed in the 1950s (first developed in 1959). The engine that was eventually cancelled was an experimental engine that was never used in the main system - only nine were eventually built. Regardless, these turbofan engines deliver up to 22,500 pounds of thrust per unit for excellent acceleration and straight-line performance.

Alternatively, consider the Rolls-Royce Olympus 15R series of axial turbojets which also power the nuclear-capable Avro bomber Vulcan and BAC TSR.??? 2 project bombers.

When finished, the P. 1129 should have a barrel length of 72.8 feet and a wingspan of 48.7 feet. Total weight should be around 80,000 pounds when fully loaded.

Said performance provides a top speed of over Mach 2 while flying at an altitude of over 36,000 feet and will reach nearly 60,000 feet in absolute terms.

Proposed weapons include a "Redbeard" nuclear bomb, the UK's first tactical nuclear weapon. The bomb was supposed to be half-sunk in the belly "husk" just below the belly - an attempt to keep the plane's aerodynamics completely intact. Additionally, engineers have come up with an internal system capable of holding up to 4 x 1,000 lb conventional or nuclear bombs with a revolving door to provide access when dropped. In addition, the aircraft can replace its war load with special mission reconnaissance equipment for special reconnaissance.

External support for ground attack missiles and droppable fuel depots has been detailed to a certain extent, as well as special mission fuel tanks for extra-long missions if needed.

Hawke had plans to build three different prototypes, each of which would address part of the aircraft's development phase. The first one covers structure and engine development.

The second is to continue the engine work, and the third is to simulate production quality molds as closely as possible for formal testing and verification. These airframes were supposed to be available between 1960 and 1961. Anyway, it's not done.