The Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane were the twin pillars of the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in 1940. While the sleeker Spitfire claimed the glory for speed and dogfighting, the rugged Hurricane actually did the heavy lifting by destroying more enemy aircraft.
THE HURRICANE
Design and Construction
Traditional design using a steel-tube frame covered in Irish linen fabric over the rear fuselage, featuring thicker, straight-edged wings.
Performance and Combat Roles
Slower (top speed around 320 mph) and less agile, but possessed a wider undercarriage making it a very stable gun platform. It was primarily tasked with destroying slower enemy bombers.
Production and Maintenance
Roughly 15–20% cheaper and twice as fast to manufacture. Fabric panels were simple to patch up in the field, keeping turnaround times low.
Battle of Britain Impact
Outnumbered the Spitfire roughly two-to-one in 1940 and was credited with roughly 60% of all Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed by the RAF.
THE SPITFIRE
Design and Construction
Advanced all-metal stressed-skin aluminum construction with thin, graceful elliptical wings.
Performance and Combat Roles
Faster (top speed over 350 mph) with a superior rate of climb. It was assigned to intercept faster German Bf 109 fighter escorts.
Production and Maintenance
Harder to build, required more skilled labour-hours, and was less forgiving to repair when damaged.
Battle of Britain Impact
Accounted for fewer total enemy kills due to lower numbers in service, but engaged high-threat enemy fighters.
HE MERLIN ENGINE
The Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine is a 27-litre, liquid-cooled V12 piston engine that powered iconic WWII aircraft like the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster, and Mustang. Starting at roughly 1,000 horsepower, continuous wartime updates and supercharging pushed late-war variants past 2,000 horsepower, making it a defining engineering triumph of the Allied victory.
Packard Rolls Royce Merlin 29
The Rolls Royce Merlin on display was built by the Packard company in the USA who were sub-contracted by Rolls Royce, due to pressure of demand.
This is the Engine that will power Hurricane BW853, and is the correct type produced for Canadian Built Hurricanes.
The Merlin 29 produced 1,300 HP, following its wartime installation in a Hawker Hurricane, this engine saw service in a Hydroplane, named Slo-Mo-Shun V in 1951, and raced with great success in the USA.
It has now been restored to its original specification and overhauled ready to power BW853.