Hawker P.1108 (M.148T)

Hawker P. 1108 (M. 148T) History

Designed as a carrier-based attack aircraft, the Hawker P. 1108 was a planned fighter in the early Cold War (1947-1991). Meets "M. 148T for the Royal Navy (RN)". Air-launched/air-dropped artillery, including nuclear missiles - primarily to counter the threat posed by the new Sverdlov-class heavy cruisers in service with the Soviet Navy.

Essentially, the new aircraft will be a "ship killer" designed to find, track and ultimately combat these threats from a distance.

With this in mind, Hawke got to work and quickly developed his plan. To meet the jet engine requirements for the required power, the P. 1108 will carry a set of 4 x Rolls Royce RBs.

115 Series turbojets, compact units housed in pairs in semi-recessed housings, positioned on the trailing edge of each major aircraft. At this point, the turbojet was still in development.

Two crew members sit under a light-frame canopy, designed to sit side by side in the spacious cockpit to better distribute workload and improve communication. The cockpit is located behind the nose of the radar housing. The fuselage tapers to the tail and is covered by a conventional single vertical tail assembly with a mid-mounted horizontal plane. Mid-wing main planes are swept back on their leading edges, have less rear lines, and their tips are rounded.

Regular landing gear will be used for ground operations.

Space on an aircraft carrier is at a premium due to its naval-oriented design, the P.1108 is equipped with a wing-folding feature, and the main aircraft is articulated to fold up to the outside of the powerplant. There is also the nose cone, which is also hinged on the port side of the forward fuselage.

The mass of this surface plane is completed by hooks under the tail unit.

For armament requirements, a bomb bay was provided under the fuselage, in which the planned long-range nuclear missile "Green Cheese" - the successor to the unguided short-range missile "Red Angel" - could be half-sunk. Developed by Fairey Aviation, the missile is intended to be used as a 3,800-pound anti-ship solution - a weapon specifically designed to counter the growing threat of the Sverdlov class. However, due to rising costs, Green Cheese was not completed, as work ceased in 1956 - followed by the "Green Flash" program (which eventually also ceased).

Nuclear throwing bombs, the aforementioned Red Angel missiles, conventional 1,000-pound throwing bombs, and air-to-surface missiles (on underwing hardpoints) will also be supported.

The aircraft had no air-dropped and air-launched bomb bay guns, but was designed to be able to mount a "weapon pack" in its belly - increasing its strafing capability against ground targets. The weapon pack includes 4 x 30mm ADEN automatic cannons.

In its current form, the proposed P. 1108 did not evolve beyond its paper form - other competitors had the same fate, trying to get the Royal Navy interested in its unique design.

Specification

Fundamentals

Year of Service

1954

Origins

UK

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

2

Production

0

Manufacturer

Hawker Aircraft UK

Operators

UK (removed)

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

Disable support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

Special Mission: Anti-ship

Equipped to find, track, and attack enemy surface elements through visual acquisition, radar support, and ship-based weapons.

nautical/navy

Water mobility capability for a variety of land-based or ship-based maritime missions, supported by Allied Naval Surface Forces.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

58. 1 ft

(17.70m)

Width/span

40. 0 feet

(12.20m)

Cured weight

13,669 lbs

(6,200 kg)

MTOW

27,558 lbs

(12,500 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?13,889

(+6,300 kg)

Performance

Installed:

4 x Rolls Royce RB. 115 jet engines of unknown thrust.

Maximum speed

559 km/h

(900 km/h | 486 knots)

Maximum

41,010 feet

(12,500 m | 8 km)

Area

932 km

(1,500 km | 2,778 nautical miles)

rate of climb

6,000 ft/min

(1,829 m/min)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

Proposed: Support for "Green Cheese" nuclear missiles, as well as conventional bomb and air-to-surface missiles primarily for anti-ship roles. There is also a "weapon pack" installed in the bomb bay in place of other ordnance, containing 4 x 30mm ADEN automatic cannons.