Hawker Hunter FR.Mk.10 (XG168 / XG172) Fighter-Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft, City of Norwich Aviation.

Built as an F.Mk.6A at Hawkers of Kingston Upon Thames. First serving with 19(F) Squadron before moving to 263 Squadron and 229 OCU (Operational Conversion Unit). It ended it's flying career with 1 Tactical Weapons Unit before completing it's service as an 'instructional airframe' at RAF Scampton. Marked as XG168 '10' of 229 OCU / 79 Squadron which operated from RAF Horsham St Faith and other Norfolk Bases during elements of their courses.

Unlike the specification for the Hunter FGA.Mk.9, the FR.Mk.10 was developed by Hawker Aircraft Ltd as a replacement for the Swift FR.Mk.5 then operating with the RAF in Germany. A trial installation of five Cameras in the nose of a test-bed Hunter F.Mk.4 (WT780) was followed by a revised installation comprising three Nose-Mounted Cameras in an F.Mk.6 (XF429) in this configuration, the aircraft was air-tested for the first time as the prototype FR.Mk.10 on 7th November 1959.

Apart from the Cameras in the nose, the FR.10 looked identical to the FGA.9 and in many ways it was, however, out of sight and buried within the airframe were a multitude of differences, the new Camera Bay required the removal of the Radar-Ranging Equipment and the relocation of the Gunsight to a fixed position, offset to the right of the centre windscreen panel, to give a clear view forward for the Pilot seeking his target while flying at extremely low altitudes and over treacherous terrain. To counter the weight reduction in the nose that resulted from these changes, armour plate was built into the cockpit floor and the port and starboard instrument console side panels to give added protection for the Pilot from small arms fire.

The FR.10 differed further in that UHF Radio replaced the standard VHF Sets of the Mk.9, and a Wirek Voice Recorder and Sub-Miniature Radio Compass were added. Other modifications designed to make the Pilot’s task easier entailed the repositioning of equipment, such as, the Compass, UHF Channel Controller, Stopwatch holder, fuel warning lights and Camera controls, so that they could be seen at a glance without the Pilot having to look down into the cockpit. Like the FGA.9, a fully tropicalised refrigeration and ventilation system and an increased oxygen supply were incorporated. Externally, provision was made for carrying two 230 gallon underwing tanks on inner pylons, two 100 gallon tanks on outer pylons and a braking parachute was fitted to the rear fuselage. No provisions were made for fitting rocket rails. From the outset, the Hunter FR.10 was powered by a non-surge, Rolls Royce Avon 207 engine rated at 10,150lb thrust.

A contract for the conversion of a further thirty-two Mk.6's to FR.Mk.10 standard was issued in 1959 and the first aircraft, XE585, was delivered to 19 Maintenance Unit at St Athan on 28th November 1960. Initial deliveries were made to 4 Squadron at RAF Gütersloh in the following month and 2 Squadron at RAF Jever in March 1961. The Hunter FR.10 quickly became accepted as the consummate Low-Level, High-Speed Visual Reconnaissance Aircraft and the annual NATO competition for this class of aircraft, Royal Flush, saw the two squadrons frequently beating American, French and German participants, by virtue of the Hunter’s superior flexibility and manoeuvrability under operational conditions.

Out in RAF Aden, ‘B’ Flight of 8 Squadron was still using four ageing Meteor FR.9's to fulfil its photo-recce commitments. The decision was taken to re-equip the Flight with the Hunter FR.10 and four aircraft were assigned to the Squadron in April and May 1961 with a fifth aircraft placed in local storage as Command reserve. On 1st May, 1963, just as the Yemeni Crisis was escalating, the FR.10's were transferred to the newly reformed 1417 Flight which became an integral part of Tactical Wing. Many hundreds of target photographs were produced by the FR.10's, to supplement the rather meagre maps of the area and thereby reduce the time to track down ground targets. The Flight was also responsible for ensuring Headquarters MEAF was made aware of possible reinforcements destined for the dissident bands up country and post-engagement positions were filmed for assessment by the Ground Forces.

By the middle of June 1964, when the ‘Radfan War’ uprisings were beginning to abate, the FR.10's of 1417 Flight had flown 120 sorties, exposed many thousands of frames and expended nearly 8,000 rounds of ammunition from their Aden Cannon. Serviceability-wise, although the Flight encountered the same climatic problems as the Mk.9's, they were amplified by the high percentage of continuous low-level flying demanded of the unit. The four FR.10's continued in service with 1417 Flight until its disbandment on 8th September, 1967, when they were reallocated to 8 Squadron. Two were flown up to join the Squadron at Muharraq while the other two remained at Khormaksar as a detachment to 43 Squadron until the final withdrawal in November of that year. Up in the Gulf, the Mk.10's remained in service until enforced retirement with the disbandment of 8 Squadron in December 1971.

▪︎Role: Fighter / Fighter-Bomber / Ground Attack / Reconnaissance Aircraft
▪︎National Origin: United Kingdom
▪︎Manufacturer: Hawker Siddeley
▪︎First Flight: 20th July 1951
▪︎Introduction: 1954
▪︎Retired: From Military Service 2014
▪︎Primary Users: Royal Air Force / Indian Air Force / Swedish Air Force / Swiss Air Force
▪︎Number Built: 1,972

Sourced from :-
www.radfanhunters.co.uk/FR10.htm
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_variants

Taken on: May 22, 2016

Tags:

1947-1991

Cold War

Cold War Aircraft

Cold War Jet

1950's

British

British Aircraft

Hawker Aircraft Limited

XG168

XG172

Hawker Hunter

Hawker Hunter FR.10

Hawker Hunter FR.Mk.10

Hunter

Hunter FR.10

Hunter FR.Mk.10

FR.10

FR.Mk.10

Fighter

Fighter Aircraft

Fighter-Bomber

Fighter-Bomber Aircraft

Ground Attack

Ground Attack Aircraft

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance Aircraft

Jet

Jet Fighter

Jet Fighter Aircraft

Military Aircraft

RAF

Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force Aircraft

City of Norwich Aviation Museum

Norfolk « less

Sets appears in: • City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Norfolk. • Norwich, Norfolk.

Camera: samsung SM-N910F, f/2.2, 1/856 sec, 4.8mm, ISO 40 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	samsung SM-N910F
Aperture:	f/2.2
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/856)
Focal Length:	4.8mm
ISO:	40
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	N910FXXS1CPC3
Show full info

Stats: 515 views