Pakistani Air Force Tempest Mk. II's & Sea Fury Mk.60's ...

[Mark Allen M]

Per Wiki: "The Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was established on 14 August 1947 with the independence of Pakistan from British India. The RPAF began with a paper share allotment of 2,332 personnel, a fleet of 24 Tempest II fighter-bombers, 16 Hawker Typhoon fighters, two H.P.57 Halifax bombers, 2 Auster aircraft, twelve North American Harvard trainers and ten de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes.Very few were available to the RPAF on the ground as they were scattered throughout the British India to be given and collected later on. Of these very few were in flyable condition so that they could be used. Subsequently, it also got eight C-47 Dakota cargo planes which it used to transport supplies to soldiers fighting in the 1947 War in Kashmir against India. All received against allotted at the time of independence of Pakistan from British India. It started with 7 airbases scattered all over the provinces.

Operating these inherited aircraft was far from ideal because of their battered condition as most of them were not in a flyable condition especially in Pakistan's diverse terrains, deserts and mountains; frequent attrition and injuries did not make the situation any better. However, by 1948 the air force acquired better aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Fury fighter-bomber and the Bristol Freighter. These new aircraft gave a much-needed boost to the morale and combat capability of the Royal Pakistan Air Force; 93 Hawker Fury and roughly 40 Bristol Freighter aircraft were inducted into the RPAF by 1950.

Between 1949 and 1950 Pakistan purchased 87 brand new Sea Fury Mk.60s, five ex-FAA FB.11, the prototype F.2/43 Fury (NX802) and five newly built Sea Fury Mk.61 two seat trainers. Until mid-1950s PAF’s fighter force comprised nearly 100 Hawker Furies and a dwindling number of Tempests."

Tempest-IIs were provided to Pakistan on formation of the Royal Pakistan Air Force, 14 August 1947. These fighter aircraft patrolled the northern areas during Kashmir war of 1948. Tempest- IIs of No.5 Squadron based at Miranshah were used for policing the North Western Frontier region.

Armed with 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk V cannons the fighter could also carry 8 × 3 in (76.2 mm) rockets or 454 kg bombs or 2 x 409 litre drop tanks on hard points under the wings.

Below Tempest II's









Below Sea Furies (two-seat trainers)



[url=https://flic.kr/p/QUFLKz]

Below Sea Furies (single seat)

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2eF2QQn]

[OZFURYFAN]

Great photos Mark, definitely a variety of good looking schemes to paint my Tempest in:)))))) when I find it!

[Lon Moer]

Technically not "Sea" Furies - no folding wings or arresting hook.

[Chris Brame]

...two H.P.57 Halifax bombers

Hmm. Any photos of those around, Mark? Wonder how long they lasted.

[Christer]

Below Sea Furies (two-seat trainers)

K850 has the original canopy layout with two separate windshields but K858 has the interconnecting tunnel. I seem to remember reading somewhere that all of the exported trainers were of the "original canopy layout". Is my memory failing me and deliveries were actually mixed, trainers with both canopy layouts were delivered?

[hassan1]

pakistan Air force Hawker sea fury T-20.

[Christer]

Thanks hassan1!

Now, I´ve seen two serials numbers, K858 and K852, with the interconnecting tunnel of the T20. They both have the fixed tailwheel, cut rudder and fitting for the arrester gear of the T20.

K850 has separate windshields and a retractable tailwheel with a full size rudder.

This triggered a search and I found my copy of "Hawker Tempest and Sea Fury" by Robert Jackson and in it the answer:

"In addition, Pakistan received five two-seat T.61 trainers, one of which was transferred from the Iraqi contract and the remainder were new built."

I assume, K850 being the one transferred from the Iraqi contract.

[Andy Marden]

Christer,
Can you confirm the serials of the five two-seaters please?
K850, K852, K858, plus two...
Andy

[Christer]

Andy,

This thread revived an old curiosity regarding the Sea Fury, the two-seaters in particular. In "Hawker Tempest and Sea Fury" by Robert Jackson, the single-seaters are referred to as F.60 and the two-seaters as T.61. There is no reference to serial numbers. Drawings are of the RAN variants and the only photo of a Pakistani aircraft is of Tempest F.2, A128.

Reference to the "Baghdad Furies" (not Sea Furies) and "four two-seat Fury trainers" made me believe that all two-seaters for Iraq and Pakistan were T.61 with separate windshields. (Of these four, two delivered to Iraq, one diverted to Pakistan and one converted to the T.20 variant with the interconnecting tunnel.)

This made me wonder where I had seen the photo of the Pakistani T.61, K850, before seeing it in this thread. After another search I found a second stored book on the subject, "Hawker Sea Fury in action - Aircraft Number 117 - squadron/signal publications". There it was! In this book, the single-seaters are referred to as FB 60 or Mk 60 and the two-seaters as T 61. The only reference to serial numbers is for the initial batch of FB 60s, L900 through L949.

Regarding the T 61 for Pakistan this book states:

... along with five two-seat trainers designated the Sea Fury T 61. These aircraft differed from the Royal Navy T 20 Sea Fury trainer in that they had separate canopies and windscreens for each cockpit, an arrangement the Royal Navy had abandoned after an accident with the T 20 prototype. Four of the Sea Fury T 61s were new construction aircraft and the fifth was released from storage where it had been placed after being declared surplus to an Iraqi Air Force order.

Regarding the T 61 for Iraq this book concurs with Jackson that the original four T 61s were reduced to "a pair". However, it also states that:

In July of 1951, a further twenty-five fighters and three trainers were ordered, although because of Royal Navy needs to meet operations in Korea, delivereies against this order did not start until May of 1952.

Jackson does not mention these three trainers.

There is a photo of an Iraqi T 61 and I qoute part of the caption:

One of the three Iraqi Air Force T 61s on the ramp at Habbaniya Air Base.
...
Unlike Royal Navy T 20 aircraft, these retained the original twin canopies first tested on the prototype.

Here, three T 61s are referred to. If this book is correct it should be one of five since threre were two original plus three additional for Iraq, in addition to five for Pakistan, making the total ten T 61s, right? I don't believe that to be correct, too many contradictions and I believe Jackson is correct, or isn't he?

The above has in the past made me believe that all (seven) T 61s were the same with separate windshields but the photos of K858 and K852 in this thread are new to me and indicate that this is not the case. Now I believe that there were three with the separate windshields (two Iraqi and K850) and four with the interconnecting tunnel.

This answer could have been much shorter: Sorry but no, the only serial numbers I can confirm are those on the pictures in this thread.

[Stoney]

i wonder what happened to the Fury i saw at Cairo Almaza in 1974

[hassan1]

[hassan1]

[hassan1]

[hassan1]

[hassan1]