Hawker F.20/27

The Hawker F.20/27 was a British fighter built to Air Ministry specification F.20/27 for an interceptor in the late 1920s. It was a single-seat, single-bay biplane with fabric covering over a metal frame, powered by a radial engine, initially a 450 hp Bristol Jupiter and later a 520 hp Bristol Mercury VI. Hawker tendered the design in November 1927 for comparison with rival prototypes from Armstrong Whitworth, Bristol, de Havilland, Fairey, Saunders, Vickers and Westland. It first flew in August 1928 and went to RAF Martlesham Heath for trials. No contract was awarded and the specification was withdrawn, but it led directly to the Hawker Fury, whose liquid-cooled V-12 gave about 10 percent more speed, so only one F.20/27 was built.