Hawker Seahawk Ideas and Inspiration

[Volkodav]

This is one of my favourite aircraft of all time, the 1/72 Airfix kit was one of the first models I chose for myself and I have bought several Seahawks in 1/72 and one in 1/48 9still un built).  I love the look of this elegant little jet and while I know delays in its development meant it was outmoded almost as it entered service I still would love to have seen it see more service and be further developed.

Apart from the obvious swept wing options the other idea that comes to mind include

• fitting the slightly larger but more powerful RR Tay to the basic straight winged aircraft
• a pair of Viper or J85 turbojets in place of the Nene
• a thin wing and swept tail surfaces

A reasonably capable nose radar is possible but I am reluctant to ruin the attractive lines.
Twin engine options could free up fuselage space for extra fuel as well as providing extra thrust and the engines I have suggested are half the diameter of the Nene so should fit side by side without changing the lines too much.  This option could also provide space for a small rocket motor to be installed in the underside of the fuselage.

[kitnut617]

Nice timing  :)

Only just a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a Hawker P.1052, the swept wing experimental version of the Hawk

[Volkodav]

Nice timing  :)

Only just a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a Hawker P.1052, the swept wing experimental version of the Hawk

Quite like the P.1081 but my favourite is the basic P.1040 shape.  When I was a kid I thought it was twin engine due to the bifurcated exhausts, that's where the twin engined version idea came from.  A pair of smaller (i.e. half the diameter of the Nene or smaller) fitted in the fuselage or in the wing roots like the Banshee.

Another idea I just had is a VTOL version with an early Pegasus.

[Weaver]

I have a scheme in the ideas bank to do a twin-engined Sea Hawk in the manner you suggest, although it there's rather more invloved than "just" shoe-horning a couple of smaller engines into it. My scheme (for a completely ficticious "alternative universe" aircraft mind you) had a fuselage stretch, Skyhawk wings and a mini-Buccaneer bomb bay.

Something I've though of to replace Nenes in all sorts of applications is an Orpheus with an Olympus fan on the front of it: the diameters and weights work. However, it's hard to see how you'd use it on the Sea Hawk (as opposed to say, the Attacker), since you also have to have an enlarged jet pipe for the bypass air.

Another idea is to backdate it to WWII: stick Typhoon wings, a tailwheel and a prop on it and claim that the Centaurus is amidships driving the prop via a shaft. You need to cut a lot more cooling intake/exhaust slots in this one!

[Volkodav]

How about a RAF fighter bomber version entering service in 1947 or 48 and Tay powered variant being exported to Australia instead of the Meteor for service in Korea.

I wonder if an Avon with a bifurcated exhaust would fit in a Seahawk?  How long is a non after burning Avon?

Obviously if the RAAF were operating the "Hawk" then the Seahawk would be a no brainer for the RAN FAA.  What would a RAF version be called?

[Volkodav]

Following on from the Demon thread, how about a Seahawk with an Olympus, or if that wont fit the bifurcated arrangement how about an Olympus powered P1081?

[Weaver]

An Olympus is about as long as the whole Seahawk airframe!

I noticed something is BSP Jet Bombers last night, which I think was a Hawker P.1051? It was a naval jet bomber (Buccaneer precursor, basically) which looekd for all the world like a scaled-up Seahawk with an early Avon in each wing root.

[Volkodav]

Well 152" anyway, 50 % longer than a Nene.

[kitnut617]

Following on from the Demon thread, how about a Seahawk with an Olympus, or if that wont fit the bifurcated arrangement how about an Olympus powered P1081?

For that I'd say you need a Sea Hunter --- 

[jcf]

An Olympus is about as long as the whole Seahawk airframe!

Errm, no.

Olympus 101
Length: 128 in
Diameter: 40.9 in
Maximum thrust: 11,000 lb

Olympus 201
Length: 126.4 in
Diameter: 41.75 in
Maximum thrust: 17,000 lb

The 593 for the Concorde was only 148.4" long, intake flange to exhaust flange.
The reheat assemblies for TSR.2 and Concorde were not part of the engine.

[Volkodav]

Tight squeeze for a Seahawk then but maybe an option for the P1081.  I imagine it would need larger intakes as well as the obvious larger jet pipe.

[Volkodav]

How about a P.1052 with the swept tail of the P.1081 and the AS Snarler rocket motor of the P.1072?  Potentially a very sexy Frankenstein's monster as well as being an also potentially useful interceptor preceding the SR177 by a decade.