Hawker P.1072

The Hawker P.1072 was a 1949 experimental British aircraft that served as a test bed for the Armstrong Siddeley Snarler rocket booster. It was the original Sea Hawk prototype, VP401, built under Hawker's internal designation P.1040 and converted to carry the liquid-fuelled rocket in its tail in addition to its Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet. The P.1040 had a split jet exhaust that left space in the tail for the rocket. Fitting it demanded considerable fuselage reinforcement and revised pneumatic and fuel systems, and jet fuel capacity was cut from 395 to 175 gallons to make room for the liquid oxygen and water-methanol tanks. The Nene 103 was used for ferry flights, take-off and initial climb, and the Snarler was first used in flight on 20 November 1950. Six flights used the rocket before a minor explosion damaged the aircraft, and the government chose reheated turbojets instead.