Hawker Tempest

The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter used mainly in its Mk V form by the Royal Air Force in the later stages of the Second World War. Originally called the Typhoon II, it was a much improved derivative of the Typhoon, meant to cure that aircraft's unexpected performance deterioration at altitude. It had a new near-elliptical wing, with four 20 mm Hispano cannon moved further back and 800 rounds of ammunition, at the cost of the Typhoon's leading-edge fuel tanks. The Tempest V prototype, HM595, flew on 2 September 1942 with Philip Lucas at the controls, and an order for 400 was placed that August. By April 1944 it was with operational squadrons, and from June it was a favoured interceptor of V-1 flying bombs because of its low-altitude speed. Other marks included the Tempest II, III and VI.