Thomas lovegrove selects this month's picture for readers to acquire from Aeroplane's archive of original glass-plate negatives.In this dynamic study of a classic British fighter, Hawker Hurricane V KZ193 cavorts for The Aeroplane's cameraman Leslie Hammond in September 1943. Very much in evidence is the pair of 40mm underwing guns, with which the Hurricane found fame as a "tankbuster", notably in the Western Desert. Introduced on the Mk IID, the 40mm weapons were supplied by Vickers or Rolls-Royce and were complemented by a pair of Brownings.The aircraft depicted was completed as a Mk IV and initially retained by the manufacturer, before going to the AAEE, and latterly saw use with No 1 Tactical Exercise Unit. In April 1943 KZ193 was modified as prototype for the Mk V, a tropicalised ground-attack variant with a Merlin 32 engine and four-bladed Rotol propeller. Only two examples of the Mk V were completed, and Hawker later returned KZ193 to Mk IV standard.
展开▼