Hawker Nimrod

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Nimrod

Hawker Nimrod at El Amriya, 1936
Type Naval fighter
Manufacturer Hawker
Designed by Sydney Camm
Introduction 1933
Number built 92
Developed from Hawker Fury
This article is about a 1930s fighter aircraft. For the modern maritime patrol aircraft, see Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod.

The Hawker Nimrod was a British carrier-based fighter aircraft built between the First World War and the Second World War by Hawker Aircraft.

What would become the Nimrod was developed as a private venture as the Hawker Norn. The Air Ministry wrote Specification 16/30 for the production version which was given the name Nimrod.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Nimrod arose out of the need for more modern aircraft within the Royal Navy. By 1932 such was the state of the Navy's Fleet Air Arm, that its principal fighter, the Fairey Flycatcher had become so obsolete in terms of its speed, that RAF officers often joked that a sprightly fly might actually give the plane a run for its money. As a result the Air Ministry put out a tender for a new naval fighter. The Nimrod, like its land-based counterpart the Hawker Fury, was amongst the latest in a long line of fighters dating back to the Sopwith designs which fought in World War One. Designed by Sydney Camm the Nimrod followed the standard design philosophy of the time in being a single-seater biplane with open cockpit, fixed undercarriage, and twin machine guns using interrupter gear to fire through the propeller. With a top speed of 193 mph it was a vast improvement over the Flycatcher, though marginally slower than the Hawker Fury. Like that aircraft however it had been replaced by more modern designs such as the Gloster Sea Gladiator by the time war was declared.

[edit] Operational history

The first production Nimrod Is entered service in 1933 with 801 Naval Air Squadron, 802 Naval Air Squadron and 803 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm. The Nimrod II with arrestor gear, more powerful engines, and increased area tail surfaces followed in September 1934, One aircraft was supplied to Japan, one to Portugal, and two went to Denmark, where they were known as the Nimrodderne.

[edit] Variants

Nimrod I
Single-seat fighter aircraft for the Royal Navy. Powered by a 477 hp (356 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel II MS piston engine.
Nimrod II
Single-seat fighter aircraft for the Royal Navy. Powered by a 608 hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel V piston engine.
Nimrodderne
Single-seat fighter aircraft for the Royal Danish Navy.

[edit] Operators

Flag of Denmark Denmark
  • Marinens Flyvevæsen (Royal Danish Navy Aviation) received 2 aircraft called Nimrødderne. A further 10 were built locally under license 1934-35 at Orlogsværftet; called L.B.V (Landbased Biplane 5). The 8 survivors were German spoils of war in 1940.
Flag of Japan Japan
Flag of Portugal Portugal
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

[edit] Specifications (Nimrod Mk.II)

Data from {name of first source}

General characteristics

  • Crew: one, pilot
  • Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.09 m)
  • Wingspan: 33 ft 7 in (10.23 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
  • Wing area: 300 ft² (27.96 m²)
  • Empty weight: 3,110 lb (1,413 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 4,050 lb (1,841 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Kestrel VFP inline piston engine, 806 hp (601 kW)

Performance

Armament

  • 2 × forward firing fixed .303 (7.7 mm) machine guns
  • 4 × 20 lb (9 kg) bombs on underwing racks

[edit] See also

Related development

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

  • Crawford, Alex. Hawker Fury & Nimrod. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2007. ISBN 83-8945-041-8.
  • Hannah, Donald. Hawker FlyPast Reference Library. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-946219-01-X.
  • James, Derek N. Hawker, an Aircraft Album No. 5. New York: Arco Publishing Company, 1973. ISBN 0-668-02699-5. (First published in the UK by Ian Allan in 1972.)
  • Mason, Francis K. Hawker Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam, 1991. ISBN 0-85177-839-9

[edit] External links

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