Hawker P.1052

Hawker Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1948 · fighter

The Hawker P.1052 was a British experimental aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft for trials with swept wings.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	12.07 m fuselage
T — Tail	Cruciform

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Spot it by:

wings swept back 35 degrees
single Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet
tailplane cropped to a shorter span, adjustable in incidence

The 35 degree swept wings were developed with the RAE at Farnborough. The tailplane was cropped in span compared with the P.1040, and VX272 was fitted with a bullet-type fairing at the tailplane-fin intersection.

Specifications

The Hawker P.1052 has a length of 12.07 m (40 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.6 m (31 ft).
Its maximum speed is 954 km/h (593 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It originated in a 1945 design study for a swept-wing development of the P.1040, and Air Ministry specification E.38/46 was issued in 1946 for studies of swept-wing aerodynamics. A contract for two prototypes was awarded in May 1947, and the first, VX272, flew on 19 November 1948.

Variants

The second prototype, VX279, flew on 13 April 1949. It was significantly rebuilt in 1950 with a single jet outlet and swept empennage and given the separate designation Hawker P.1081.

Where you'll see it

In May 1952 VX272 made take-off and landing trials on board HMS Eagle, and it later flew high-speed trials with the RAE using a variable-incidence swept tailplane. It was removed from service in September 1953 following a forced landing.

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