| P.1052 | |
|---|---|
 The first Hawker P.1052, in 1949 | |
| General information | |
| Type | research aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Hawker Aircraft Limited |
| Status | Experimental |
| Primary user | Royal Aircraft Establishment |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| First flight | 19 November 1948 |
| Developed from | Hawker Sea Hawk |
| Variants | Hawker P.1081 |
The Hawker P.1052 was a British experimental aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft Limited for trials with swept wings.
The origins of the P.1052 were in a 1945 design study by the Hawker design team for a development of the P.1040 using swept back wings. Interest was not shown by the Ministry of Supply until the spring of 1946 when Air Ministry specification E.38/46 (to undertake studies into the aerodynamic properties of swept wings) was issued, and a contract awarded in May 1947 for Hawker to supply two prototypes. [1] [2] [ page needed ]
A 35 degree sweep in the wings was the most significant aerodynamic innovation in the P.1052, relative to the P.1040. This feature was developed in conjunction with the RAE at Farnborough. [2] [ page needed ] In addition, the tailplane was cropped to a shorter span (by removing the rounded tips on the P.1040) and was adjustable in incidence to allow changes in trim at the anticipated higher speeds. [3]
The first prototype (VX272) was ready in time for static exhibition at the 1948 S.B.A.C Farnborough display, but permission was withheld on grounds of secrecy. It first flew on 19 November 1948, with the second prototype (VX279) flying on 13 April 1949. [1] [4]
In late 1949 or early 1950, following tests on a third, non-flying airframe, VX272 had both wings and fuselage strengthened. At around the same time, VX279 was fitted with a variable incidence tailplane.
During 1950, VX279 was significantly rebuilt, with a single jet outlet and swept empennage; it was subsequently given a separate designation, as the Hawker P.1081.
VX272 was retro-fitted with the original rear fuselage of VX279 – after strengthening and installation of an arrestor hook. VX272 was also fitted with a bullet-type fairing at the tailplane-fin intersection, which improved its high-speed behaviour.
In May 1952, with the addition of a long-stroke undercarriage (from a Sea Hawk), VX272 undertook take-off and landing trials on board HMS Eagle. In June the same year, it received a final modification: a variable incidence swept tailplane, after which it flew high-speed trials with the RAE. These were terminated and VX272 was removed from service in September 1953, following a forced landing. [4]
The focus of research at Hawker was transferred to the P.1067, which would become better known as the Hawker Hunter. No further examples of the P.1052 were built. In hindsight, the P.1052 may be seen as part of a transition from the centrifugally powered, straight-winged Sea Hawk to the axially powered, swept-wing Hunter.
The P.1078 – a variant in which the P.1052 was to have been augmented by a small built-in rocket engine (i.e. the Armstrong Siddeley Snarler), became the subject of a design study. However, because work on another rocket-powered design – the P.1040-based Hawker P.1072 (which had un-swept wings) – was significantly advanced, the P.1078 was never built. [4]
The first prototype VX272 is displayed at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton.
United Kingdom 
Data from Hawker aircraft since 1920 [5]
General characteristics
Performance
The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originated from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk was the company's first jet aircraft.
The Supermarine Swift was a British single-seat jet fighter aircraft that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was developed and manufactured by Supermarine during the 1940s and 1950s. The Swift featured many of the new jet age innovations, such as a swept wing. On 26 September 1953, a Swift F.4 piloted by Commander Mike Lithgow broke the world absolute speed record, reaching a speed of 737.7 mph (1,187 km/h).
The Handley Page HP.88 was a British research aircraft, built in the early 1950s for Handley Page to test the aerodynamics of the Victor crescent wing design, and was intended to be a scaled-down version of that aircraft.
The Hawker Nimrod is a British carrier-based single-engine, single-seat biplane fighter aircraft built in the early 1930s by Hawker Aircraft.
The Hawker Henley was a British two-seat target tug derived from the Hawker Hurricane that was operated by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
The Hawker P.1072 was a 1949 experimental British aircraft acting as a test bed for the Armstrong Siddeley Snarler rocket booster engine. It was the prototype Hawker Sea Hawk modified to install the rocket in the tail.
The Hawker Hotspur was a fighter aircraft developed between the wars for the Royal Air Force. It was designed in response to Air Ministry Specification F.9/35, which required a powered turret as the main armament to replace the Hawker Demon. It was developed from the Hawker Henley, a competitor for the light bomber role but put into production as a target tug, and fitted with a Boulton-Paul powered four gun turret.
The Hawker P.1081, also known as the "Australian Fighter" was a prototype British jet aircraft from the mid-twentieth century. The single example built was destroyed in a crash in 1951.
Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.
The Hawker Hedgehog was a three-seat reconnaissance biplane, to be used for naval scouting, produced to meet Air Ministry Specification 37/22.
The Hawker Hawfinch was a British single-engined biplane fighter of the 1920s. It was unsuccessful, with the Bristol Bulldog being selected instead.
The Fairey P.4/34 was a competitor for an order for a light bomber to serve with the Royal Air Force. Although not produced in that form, it formed the basis for the Fulmar long-range carrier-based fighter for the Fleet Air Arm.
The Arsenal VG 90 was a French carrier-based jet-engined interceptor developed in the late 1940s. It was intended to compete for an Aéronavale contract and first flew in 1949. It set a speed record for a French aircraft the following year, but both of the completed prototypes were destroyed in fatal crashes and the program was cancelled in 1952 before the third prototype was finished. The Aéronavale contract was eventually awarded to a license-built British aircraft. The remains of the last VG 90 were scrapped in 1978.
The Hawker P.V.3 was a British single-engined biplane fighter prototype of the 1930s. Only a single example was built, the Gloster Gladiator being selected instead to fulfill the requirement to which it was designed.
The Bristol Bloodhound was a British two-seat reconnaissance/fighter aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as a possible replacement for the Bristol F.2 Fighter for the Royal Air Force. It was unsuccessful, only four prototypes being built.
The Blackburn 2F.1 Nautilus was a British single-engine two-seat biplane spotter/fighter built in 1929. Only one was completed.
The Hawker Hoopoe was a British prototype naval fighter aircraft designed and built in 1927 by Hawker Aircraft.
The Hawker F.20/27 was a British fighter design built to an Air Ministry specification for an interceptor in the late 1920s. It was a single-seat biplane powered by a radial engine; the very similar but V-12-engined Hawker Fury development proved superior and only one F.20/27 was built.
The Dunne D.8 of 1912 was a tailless swept wing biplane, designed by J. W. Dunne to have inherent stability. One example was supplied to RAE Farnborough. License-built Burgess-Dunne models were used by the US Signal Corps and United States Navy and the short-lived Canadian Aviation Corps. It was the latter's first and only warplane.
Sqn Ldr Trevor Sidney "Wimpy" Wade, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter ace, one of The Few and later a test pilot. He was killed test flying the Hawker P.1081 prototype fighter.