Hawker Sea Fury

The Sea Fury

“One of the fastest piston fighters ever built, and it shot down a jet.”

Hawker · military

NO PHOTO

Length

34 ft 8 in

Wingspan

38 ft 5 in

Max speed

400 kts

Range

900 nmi

Ceiling

35,800 ft

Engines

1x Bristol Centaurus 18 radial (2,480 hp)

Crew

Typical config

Single pilot

Built

860

The Sea Fury was the Royal Navy's last piston fighter and one of the fastest ever made, a 460 mph thoroughbred with a Bristol Centaurus radial and a five-blade propeller. It fought in Korea, where in August 1952 a Sea Fury pilot shot down a MiG-15 jet. Dozens survive because they make superb air racers: modified Sea Furies with American R-4360 engines have won at Reno many times.

Fun fact

On 9 August 1952 Lieutenant Peter Carmichael's Sea Fury shot down a MiG-15 over Korea, one of very few piston-engine victories over a jet fighter.

How to spot one

A huge five-blade propeller on a tightly cowled radial, a bubble canopy and a tall fin. Many are polished racers in bright colours rather than Navy grey.

Crews call it

The Fury

Sounds like

An 18-cylinder sleeve-valve Centaurus: smoother and deeper than an American radial, with a five-blade prop whistle

One might be overhead right now.

Bogey turns the The Sea Fury from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook.