Hawker Tempest Union Jack Rocks Glass

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The Hawker Tempest was a British single-seat fighter developed as a high-performance successor to the Typhoon. Designed by Sydney Camm, it featured a thinner laminar-flow wing and more refined aerodynamics. The prototype first flew on 2 September 1942, and it entered RAF service in early 1944. Over 1,700 Tempests were built across several variants, with the Tempest Mk V being the most numerous and combat-proven.

Powered by the Napier Sabre II, the Mk V excelled at low-level operations, especially as a V-1 flying bomb interceptor — it destroyed over 600 V-1s during 1944. It also performed ground-attack missions in Europe and was one of the few Allied aircraft fast enough to challenge the German Me 262 jet fighter. The later Mk II, powered by a Bristol Centaurus radial engine, arrived too late to see significant WWII action but served post-war in RAF squadrons and overseas air forces, including India and Pakistan.

The Tempest remained in service into the early 1950s. Known for its speed, ruggedness, and firepower, it ranks among the most capable piston-engine fighters of WWII.