Hawker Hurricane variants The Hawker Hurricane was a British single - seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd . Some versions were built in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry Co Ltd British variants . Hurricane Mk I . < br > The first Mk I production machines were ready fairly quickly , with deliveries starting in December 1937 . These early aircraft featured fabric - covered wings , and a wooden , two - bladed , fixed - pitch propeller . Initially the tailwheel was designed to be retractable ; early on it was discovered that the Hurricane needed a larger rudder area to improve the control characteristics during a spin . To this end the lower part of the rudder was extended and a distinctive ventral " keel " was added to the rear fuselage . The tailwheel was now fixed . Early Hurricanes lacked armour or self - sealing tanks . They used " ring and bead " gunsights , with the ring being mounted above the instrument panel and the bead mounted on a post above the engine cowling . The standard GM2 reflector gunsight was introduced in mid - 1939 , although many Hurricanes retained the " bead " . Fuel capacity was 97 Imperial gal ( 441 l ) in two fuel tanks , each of 34 . 5 gal ( 157 l ) in the wing centre - section , between the spars ; the fuel was pumped from these into a reserve gravity - feed tank which held an additional 28 gal ( 127 l ) in the forward fuselage , just ahead of the cockpit . This was the main fuel feed to the engine . The 7 gal ( 32 l ) oil tank was built into the forward , port centre section . Early " K " serialled Mk Is were powered by the 1 , 029 hp ( 768 kW ) Rolls - Royce Merlin C engine ; from the " L " serial numbers the later Merlin II of 1 , 030 hp ( 768 kW ) was installed . The main coolant radiator was housed in a fairing under the rear wing centre - section ; the oil cooler was also incorporated into the main radiator . The aircraft handling qualities during take - off and landings were excellent due to a wide - track undercarriage with relatively wide low - pressure tyres . Because of this wide , stable platform the Hurricane was an easier aircraft to land , with less fear of nose - overs or " ground - loops " than its RAF Fighter Command counterpart the Supermarine Spitfire . During its operational life the Hurricane was able to operate from all sorts of adverse airfield surfaces with ease . In flight the large , thick wing meant that the fighter proved to be a stable gun platform . It was armed with eight . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Browning machine guns . The armament was arranged in two lots of four in large gunbays incorporated into the outer wing panels . In 1937 this firepower was enough to outgun the early marks of German Messerschmitt Bf 109 , which were equipped with only four light machine guns . By the time of the Battle of Britain , however , it was recognised that this relatively small - calibre armament was inadequate ; during the Battle of Britain it was relatively common for Luftwaffe aircraft to survive numerous hits from . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) bullets and still return safely to base . Later versions of the Hurricane were equipped with a more powerful arms package , initially 12 . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Brownings , and later four 20 mm ( . 79 in ) Hispano cannon . Hurricanes built under license by SABCA in Belgium featured four 12 . 7 mm ( . 50 in ) FN - Browning guns instead of the . 303 inch armament . In 1939 , several changes were made to the Hurricane . The powerplant was changed to the Merlin III driving a de Havilland or Rotol constant speed metal propeller . Ejector exhaust stacks were fitted for added thrust . The fabric covered wings were replaced by re - stressed metal - covered wings . An armour - glass panel was incorporated on the front of the windscreen . The " rod " aerial mast was replaced by a streamlined , tapered design . From about May 1940 70 pounds of armour plate protection was added in the form of head and back armour . Starting in September 1940 , IFF equipment was installed . This weighed about 40 lb ( 18 kg ) and could be identified by wire aerials strung between the tailplane tips and rear fuselage . Although the added weight and the aerials reduced maximum speed by about 2 mph ( 3 km / h ) , it allowed the aircraft to be identified as " friendly " on radar : lack of such equipment was a factor leading to the Battle of Barking Creek . At about the same time new VHF T / R Type 1133 radios started replacing the HF TR9 sets . The pilots enjoyed a much clearer reception which was a big advantage with the adoption of Wing formation s throughout the RAF in 1941 . The new installation meant that the wire running between the aerial mast and rudder could be removed , as could the triangular " prong " on the mast . At the start of the war the engine ran on the then - standard 87 octane aviation spirit . From March 1940 increasing quantities of 100 octane fuel , imported from the U . S . , became available . This meant that during the defensive battles over Dunkirk the Hurricane Is benefited from an allowable increase in supercharger " boost " from 6 lb to 12 lb without damaging the engine . With the 12 lb " emergency boost " , the Merlin III was able to generate 1 , 305 hp ( 973 kW ) in a five minute burst . If the pilot resorted to emergency boost , he had to report this on landing and it had to be noted in the engine log book . In 1939 , the RAF had taken on about 500 of this later design to form the backbone of the fighter squadrons during the Battle of France and into the Battle of Britain . The first RAF ace of the war , a young New Zealander known as " Cobber " Kain , flew a Hurricane with No . 73 Squadron . In June 1940 , another wartime ace , Douglas Bader , was promoted to Squadron Leader and took command of No . 242 ( Canadian ) Squadron flying Hurricane Mk Is . The famous children ' s author Roald Dahl also flew Hurricanes with No . 80 Squadron in Greece and later in Syria , against the Germans and Vichy France . Although some of the basic design elements of the aircraft were from an earlier generation , the Hurricane proved to be a match , to an extent , for the " Luftwaffe " s Messerschmitt Bf 109 E . In his book , " Duel of Eagles " , British ace Peter Townsend , who flew Hurricanes with No . 85 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain , provides examples demonstrating how the Hurricane ' s superior turning ability could offset the Bf 109 ' s higher speed . This small turning circle often allowed a well flown Hurricane to get onto the tail of a 109 even more quickly than a Spitfire , assuming a 109 pilot was unwise enough to be lured into a turning match . Against the Hurricane was the aircraft ' s relatively slow acceleration and a top speed some 10 - 30 mph ( 16 – 48 km / h ) slower , depending on altitude . This meant that the 109 pilot often held the initiative when it came to breaking off or attacking during combat . At higher altitudes especially , the Hurricane was hard - pressed to keep up with a well flown 109 , or even a Bf 110 . Lower down the situation was a little more even . The Rolls - Royce Merlin engine gave more power at low altitude than the Daimler - Benz DB 601 used in the Bf 109 , on account of a different supercharger design . The DB601A - 1 did not start to outperform the Merlin III and XII until above 15 , 000 ft ( 4 , 572 m ) . The Merlin ' s only major drawback was a tendency to cut out during negative - " g " manoeuvres and inverted flight , on account of fuel starvation from the carburettor . This was temporarily fixed with " Miss Shilling ' s orifice " , a simple modification . A direct - injection carburettor later solved the problem and eventually some versions of the Merlin used direct fuel injection . When attacking " Luftwaffe " bombers , it was discovered that the Hurricane ' s fuel tanks were vulnerable to defensive machine gun fire . The greatest hazard was with the unprotected gravity - feed fuel tank in front of the cockpit which could rupture when hit , allowing a jet of flame to penetrate the cockpit through the instrument panel , causing serious burn injuries to the pilot . The wooden and fabric rear fuselage was also far more likely to catch fire than the metal fuselages of its contemporaries . This issue was of such concern to Air Vice Marshal Hugh Dowding that he had Hawker retrofit the fuselage tanks of Hurricanes with a fire - resistant material called " Linatex " as a matter of priority . The wing tanks had already been fitted with a covering of this sealant , but the fuselage tank was considered to be too small a target . Hurricanes were soon being modified at the rate of 75 per month . In one month of combat , 10 July 1940 to 11 August , defensive fire from bombers hit 25 Hurricanes and 25 Spitfires ; as a result 11 Hurricanes were shot down compared with two Spitfires . The biggest advantages of the Hurricane were that it was a relatively easy aircraft to fly , which was a boon when it came to squadrons being flooded with inexperienced pilots , and it was a steady gun platform . The closely grouped . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Brownings created a superior pattern of fire to those of the Spitfire , which were spaced out along the wings , and the armament was more quickly serviced . In spite of its vulnerabilities during the Battle of Britain , the Hurricane shot down the majority of the planes claimed by the RAF ( 1 , 593 out of 2 , 739 in total ) . Hurricane fighters were sometimes directed against slower bombers whilst the Spitfires attacked German fighters . By the close of the Battle of Britain in late 1940 , production of the Spitfire had increased to the point where all squadrons could be supplied with them . In June 1940 , the first Hurricane Mk I " Tropical " versions appeared . These featured a Vokes air filter in a large " chin " fairing under the engine cowling . Many of these aircraft were ferried to North Africa and Malta via France and the Mediterranean using fixed , cylindrical 40 gallon fuel tanks under each wing to extend the range . The tropical filter and fuel tanks were to be used on later variants of the Hurricane . Hurricane Mk II . < br > The improved Merlin XX ( Mk . 20 ) engine appeared in 1940 featuring a new two - speed supercharger that could have its impeller speed changed by the pilot depending on the outside air pressure ( altitude ) . At about ( effective ) , it would be switched to a higher speed gearing ( " FS ratio " – Full Supercharge ) for added compression , while below that , at its lower speed gearing , ( " MS ratio " – Moderate Supercharge ) , it " robbed " less power from the engine . The result was more power at both lower and higher altitudes , dramatically increasing the overall performance of the engine , peaking at . Because of the new engine the bay immediately in front of the cockpit was lengthened by . The carburettor air intake under the forward centre - section was redesigned and moved back . The more powerful engine was cooled by a 70 % to 30 % water glycol mix , rather than pure glycol used for earlier Merlin versions . This and the increased cooling requirements required a larger radiator and a redesigned , circular oil cooler housed in a deeper , slightly wider " bath " . Hurricane IIA Series 1 . Although , by this time , production of the Spitfire had started to increase , a Merlin XX powered Hurricane Mk I was built and first flew on 11 June 1940 . The initial Mark II , later known as the Mark IIA Series 1 , went into squadron service in September 1940 at the peak of the Battle of Britain . Hawker had long experimented with improving the armament of the fighter by fitting cannons . Their first experiments used two 20 mm ( . 79 in ) Oerlikon cannon s in pods , one under each wing , ( one aircraft was tested during 1940 with 151 Squadron ) but the extra weight and drag seriously compromised the aircraft ' s performance and manoeuvreability , and the limited amount of ammunition carried coupled with the frequent stoppages suffered by the drum - fed guns , meant the arrangement was unsatisfactory . A more reliable fit was made with four 20 mm ( . 79 in ) Hispano Mk II cannon s , two in each wing , but the weight was enough to seriously reduce performance . The Hispanos were designed for a rigid , engine based mounting and it was quickly found that the wings flexing in flight led to problems with the weapons twisting in their mounts as they fired , which caused gun jamming through misaligned shells . Changes made both to the Hispanos and to their mountings cured this problem . Small blisters on the upper wing surfaces were needed to clear the Hispano breeches and feed motors . The first sets of Hispano wings were modified from standard Mark I eight gun wings . Hurricane IIA Series 2 ( Hurricane IIB ) . With the new Merlin XX , performance was good enough to keep the ageing Hurricane in production . Hawker soon introduced the new Mark IIA Series 2 with either of two wings ; one mounting 12 Brownings , the other with four Hispano cannon in the original gun - bays . The first Series 2s , armed with 12 . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Brownings ( four per wing in the original gun - bays and two more in new gun - bays outboard of the landing lights ) arrived in October . These Mk IIA Series IIs also featured a new longer propeller spinner and later become the Mark IIB in April 1941 . The tailwheel recess on the ventral keel was changed in shape and the tailwheel leg became a levered - suspension unit with a small torque link . Hurricane IIB Trop . . For use in North Africa ; the Hawker Hurricane IIB , ( and other aircraft ) , were tropicalized , or " trop " . They were given engine dust filters and the pilots were issued a desert survival kit . Hurricane IIC . < br > The Hurricane IIA Series 2s armed with four 20 mm ( . 79 in ) Hispanos become the Mark IIC in June 1941 , using a slightly modified wing . The new wings also included a hardpoint for a 500 lb ( 227 kg ) or 250 lb ( 113 kg ) bomb , and later in 1941 , fixed 40 gal ( 182 l ) fuel tanks . By then performance was inferior to the latest German fighters , and the Hurricane changed to the ground - attack role , sometimes referred to as the Hurribomber . The mark also served as a night fighter and " intruder . " Hurricane IID . < br > Mk IIs were used in ground support where it was quickly learned that destroying German tanks was difficult , the cannons did not have the performance needed while bombing the tanks was almost impossible . The solution was to equip the aircraft with a 40 mm cannon in a pod under each wing , reducing the other armament to a single Browning in each wing loaded with tracers for aiming purposes . The Hurricanes No . 6 Squadron , the first squadron equipped with this armament were so effective that the squadron was nicknamed the " Flying Can Openers " . A winged can - opener became an unofficial squadron emblem , and is painted on present - day aircraft of 6 Squadron . The layout was originally tested on a converted Mk IIB and flew on 18 September 1941 . A new - build version of what was known as the Mk IID started in 1942 , including additional armour for the pilot , radiator and engine . The aircraft were initially supplied with a Rolls - Royce gun and carried 12 rounds , but soon changed to the 40 mm ( 1 . 57 in ) Vickers S gun with 15 rounds . The weight of guns and armour protection had a marginal effect on the aircraft ' s performance . The IID undertook an anti - tank role in limited numbers during the North African campaign where , provided enemy flak and fighters were absent , they proved accurate and highly effective , not only against armoured vehicles but all motor transport . Hurricane IIE . < br > Another wing modification was introduced in the Mk IIE , but the changes soon became extensive enough that it was renamed the Mk IV after the first 250 had been delivered . Hurricane T . IIC . The T Mk IIC was a two - seat training version of the Mk . IIC . Only two aircraft were built for the Persian Air Force . Hurricane Mk III . The Mk III was a Mk II equipped with a Packard - built Merlin engine , intending to provide supplies of the British - built engines for other designs . By the time production was to have started , Merlin production had increased to the point where the idea was abandoned . Hurricane Mk IV . < br > The last major change to the Hurricane was to " rationalize " the wing , configuring it with a single design able to mount two bombs , two 40 mm ( 1 . 57 in ) Vickers S guns , or eight " 60 pounder " RP - 3 rockets . The new design also mounted the improved Merlin 24 or 27 engines of 1 , 620 hp ( 1 , 208 kW ) , equipped with dust filters for desert operations . An additional 350 lb ( 159 kg ) of armour plating was added to the radiator housing , cockpit and fuel tanks . The Mk IV was used in ground - attack missions in the European theatre until the early days of 1944 , before being replaced by the more modern Hawker Typhoon . French ace Pierre Clostermann recalls in his book , " The Big Show " , that RP - 3 - equipped Hurricanes were limited to 205 mph ( 330 km / h ) top speed due to the rockets ' drag , and that Hurricane casualty rates against the lethal German flak were extremely high . In particular , Clostermann describes a rocket attack by Hurricanes from No . 184 Squadron RAF against a V - 1 flying bomb launch - site on the French coast on 20 December 1943 , in which three of the four aircraft were shot down before they could attack . Hurricane Mk V . Two Hurricane Mk Vs were built as conversions of Mk IVs , and featured a Merlin 32 engine driving a four - bladed propeller . As the ground attack role moved to the more capable Hawker Typhoon , production of the Hurricane ended , and only a handful were delivered with the Merlin 32 . By this time , the Hurricane was no longer a frontline fighter in the United Kingdom . However , it still saw extensive service overseas as a fighter , playing a prominent role in the Middle East and Far East . It was also critical to the defence of Malta during 1941 and early 1942 . Canadian variants . Some production of the Hurricane was carried out in Canada by Canadian Car and Foundry Co Ltd . Hurricane Mk X . Single - seat fighter and fighter - bomber . Powered by a 1 , 300 hp ( 969 kW ) Packard Merlin 28 . The propeller unit was changed to a Hamilton Standard " Hydromatic " constant - speed unit ; often these aircraft lacked spinners . Eight 0 . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) machine guns mounted in the wings . In total , 490 were built . Hurricane Mk XI . 150 were built . Hurricane Mk XII . Single - seat fighter and fighter - bomber . Powered by a 1 , 300 hp ( 969 kW ) Packard Merlin 29 . Initially armed with 12 0 . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) machine guns , but this was later changed to four 20 mm ( . 79 in ) cannons .