In August 1952, HMS Ocean was on station off the coast of Korea, providing air support for the Allied troops. One of Ocean’s units was No 802 Squadron, whose Sea Furies were tasked with escorting Fairey Fireflies on 8 August . The formation was attacked by eight MiG-15 jets. In the engagement, Lieutenant Peter “Hoagy” […]
In 1958, the Fuerza Aérea del Ejercito de Cuba purchased 17 refurbished (ex-Fleet Air Arm) Sea Furies from Hawker. The aircraft flew briefly for the FAEC and were later used by Castro’s Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria. Although the FAR found it difficult to keep the Sea Furies operational due to lack of spare parts and qualified […]
The Dutch Navy was one of the foreign operators of the Hawker Sea Fury, with 24 aircraft built by Hawker and a further 24 built under license by Fokker. This aircraft was part of No 860 Squadron in 1948.
In December 1946, the Royal Iraqi Air Force ordered Sea Furies from Hawker. Iraqi Sea Furies were essentially de-navalized FB.11 with no arrester hook and an extended rudder. This example, number 132, was delivered in the classic RAF desert scheme: Azure Blue, Mid Stone and Dark Earth. Several different designations can be found in literature […]
Today’s Sea Fury was also part of an aerobatic demonstration team, located on the other side of the worl. Sea Fury FB.11 TG118 was part of the Royal Canadian Navy’s No 870 Squadron in 1952. An aerobatic demonstration team was formed within the unit and its aircraft were given distinctive markings. Although the paint scheme […]
Today’s Sea Fury is VX756, a FB.11 that served with the Royal Australian Navy and was part of No 805 Squadron’s aerobatic display team in the late 1950s. The aircraft was painted in a silvery grey scheme with red spinner, wingtips, canopy, fin leading edge and arrester hook. If anyone has information or pictures regarding […]
This week is dedicated to the Sea Fury, and I will be posting a new profile of Hawker’s legendary piston fighter every day of the week. The first is Sea Fury FB.11 TF987, which is preserved and flown in France by M. Christophe Jacquard. The aircraft carries the colours of the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea […]
The Patrouille de France briefly flew the F-84 Thunderjet in 1953-1954. This aircraft from Escadron de Chasse 1/3 Navarre was F-84G-21-RE serial number 51-10898 and was flown by the team in 1953. It is during this year that the team acquired the name “Patrouille de France”.
This ex-Iraqi AF Sea Fury FB.11 was painted to look like SR661, the Sea Fury prototype. Note the modern antennae beneath the rear fuselage.
The Royal Navy Historic Flight’s Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 VR930 was repainted in 2007 to her original colours of 1948, when she belonged to 802 NAS and embarked on HMS Vengeance. Just as is the case with BBMF aircraft, this aircraft is close to her original configuration but has a few discreet modern comms antennae.