Hawker Hunter MK 74B

Manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd., RSAF Hunter F MK.74B No. 538 started its life in August of 1956 as a Hunter F MK.4, No. XF369, in Great Britain’s Royal Air Force with No. 71 Squadron.  Fifteen years later in February of 1971, the aircraft was purchased by Hawker Siddeley Aviation, previously Hawker Aircraft Ltd., to be overhauled and refitted to F Mk. 74B standards for sale to Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).  Some of the upgrades were a newer and more powerful engine, additional hard points for external fuel tanks and or weapons, additional hard points for AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and the appropriate fire control systems. The aircraft was delivered to the RSAF on April 9th, 1973, where it served until 1992 in No. 140 Squadron.

No. 538 was sold to an Australian aircraft broker who imported it, along with other “squadron mates”, to Australia in 1998, where it remained, partially assembled, until purchased by its previous owner and SFVWPS founder in late 2019 who imported it to USA, where it finally arrived in March of 2020, after a long and circuitous ocean voyage. The aircraft was donated to SFVWPS in 2021 as our first project. Our plan is to restore it in its RSAF livery, where it last served as Hunter 538.

The principal dimensions of the aircraft are:

Length: 45ft. 10.5in.  Height: 13ft. 4in.  Wingspan: 33ft. 8 in.  Tailplane Span: 11ft. 10in.

Armament:    4 each 30 mm Aden Cannons

                      2 each AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles    

                      Multiples of air to ground missiles and iron bombs.

Airframe Limitation and Performance Figures:

Maximum Acceleration:                   +7 G;   -3.75 G – “Clean”

Maximum Speed with undercarriage deployed:        250 Knots Indicated Airspeed

Maximum Speed with full flap extension:                     250 Knots Indicated Airspeed

Maximum Speed with flaps to / from 38 degrees:      300 Knots Indicated Airspeed

Maximum Speed in “clean” configuration:

 620 Knots Indicated Air Speed, or 0.94 Mach, straight and level.

The aircraft will go supersonic in a shallow dive.                                                                   

Maximum Speed w/ 100 gallon drop tanks:

 Outboard tanks-590 Knots IAS or 0.88 Mach;

Inboard tanks-590 Knots IAS with no Mach limit

Maximum Speed with 230 gallon drop tanks:

 590 Knots IAS, no Mach limit unless

outboard 100 gallon tanks are carried.

Maximum all up weight for take-off:                       24,100 lbs.

Maximum all up weight for landing:                        17,000 lbs.