Design and developmentIn 1926, the Air Ministry stated a requirement for a high performance light-bomber, and which culminated in the choice of the Hawker Hart over other rivals (Avro Antelope and Fairey Fox) due to it being far cheaper to maintain, a vital aspect to a programme during defence budget constraints that the British armed forces faced during the 1920s.J9052, the prototype Hart, first flew in June 1928 and entered service with No. 33 Squadron RAF in 1930. Over 900 Harts of all types were built. It became the most widely used light-bomber of its time and the design would prove to be a successful one with a number of derivatives, including the Hawker Hind and Hector, being made. There were a number of Hart variants made, though only slight alterations were made. The Hart India was basically a tropicalised version of the aircraft; the Hart Special was another tropicalised version based on the Hawker Audax, a Hart variant, with desert equipment; a specialised Hart Trainer was also designed. Vickers built 114 of the latter model at Weybridge between 1931 and June 1936.The Hart was armed with a single forward .303 cal. Vickers machine gun and one rear .303 inch Lewis light machine-gun; the Hart also had a capacity to carry 520 lb (235 kg) of bombs. The Hart had a single 525 hp (390 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB 12-cylinder V-type engine; a speed of 184 mph (296 km/h) and a range of over 400 miles (640 km). It was much faster than contemporary fighters, an astonishing achievement considering it was a light-bomber, and had high manoeuvrability, making the Hart one of the best biplanes ever produced for the Royal Air Force.Demand for the bomber was such that 164 were built by Vickers at their Weybridge factory between 1931 and 1936 after that company's submission of a tender, alongside the trainers mentioned above.Operational historyHarts were deployed to the Middle East during the Abyssinia Crisis of 1935-36. The Hart saw extensive, and successful, service in the North-West Frontier, British India during the inter-war period. Four Hawker Harts from the Swedish Air Force saw action during the 1939-40 Winter War as part of a Swedish volunteer squadron, designated F19, fighting on the Finnish side. Though obsolete compared to the United Kingdom's opposition at the start of the Second World War, the Hart continued in service, mainly performing in the communications and training roles until being declared obsolete in 1943.The Hart proved to be a successful export, seeing service with the Royal Egyptian Air Force, Royal Indian Air Force, South African Air Force, Estonia, Southern Rhodesia, Sweden and Kingdom of Yugoslavia.General characteristicsCrew: 2 Length: 29 ft 4 in (8.94 m) Wingspan: 37 ft 3 in (11.36 m) Height: 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) Wing area: 349.5 ft² (32.5 m²) Empty weight: 2,530lb (1,150 kg) Max takeoff weight: 4,596 lb (2,089 kg) Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB water-cooled V12 engine, 510 hp (380 kW) PerformanceMaximum speed: 161 knots (185 mph, 298 km/h) at 13,000 ft Stall speed: 39 knots (45 mph, 72 km/h) [2] Range: 374 nm (430 mi, 692 km) Service ceiling: 22,800 ft (6,950 m) Wing loading: 13.2 lb/ft² (64.3 kg/m²) Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (0.182 kW/kg) Climb to 10,000 ft 8 minutes 30 seconds ArmamentGuns: 1 × synchronised forward firing .303 in Vickers machine gun, 1 × Lewis gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit. Bombs: Up to 500lb (227 kg) bombs under wings.

Channel: Entertainment
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: Bomberguy

Length: 04:12
Rating: 4.90
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Tags: Aerodrome  aircraft  airplane  Andover  aviation  Hart  Hawker  history  N0.12  sqdrn  

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