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Please remember that the Hurricane was 25-30mph slower at 6,000ft than it was at 17,000ft so the speed advantage was not as bad as most people think.Had the Sea Hurricane compatible HMS Courageous and Glorious survived into 1941 I think the aircraft, if avaiilable in sufficient numbers might have really thrashed the Regia Aeronautica. Instead the main MTO carriers HMS Illustrious and Formidable had to rely on the folding wing, but slow Fulmar.
The 1st question is when can you get it?
2nd question is how narrow a wing fold can you use or what are you willing to accept?
First we would really need to know what the mission is.
The same as would be expected of any carrier fighter. Fleet air defence and strike escort. On the latter, neither the short ranged Seafire or Sea Hurricane is ideal. The Sea Hurricane is likely to have more aircraft available due to fewer prangs, until the folding Seafire allows a larger initial number.First we would really need to know what the mission is.
My bad for mentioning the folding Hurricane - that's not the point of this thread. This isn't the What-if Forum, which is where we're already discussing the folding Hurricane.…could the Royal Navy set up it's own production line of Hurricanes with folding wings?
It was in every respect a terrible carrier fighter.
The Sea Hurricane was adequate, but the Wildcat was head and shoulders above both of them in 1941/42
The problem with the Hurricane was its undercarriage, its oleos were not happy with the punishment meted out to them by landing on deck in a short space. The first Seafires suffered the same problem but they were later altered. The Hurricanes tended to bounce on landing because of their oleos.
The Seafire suffered from the same problem all Spitfires had which was production numbers and the need for them now over road all other requirements. If there was time there wouldn't have been interim model Spitfires and Joe Smith would have started development on the Seafire in 1938-39 and we wouldn't be having this discussion, unfortunately Hitler upset those plans so they made do with what they had.Relatively few Seafires were lost to enemy action, but up to 50% were lost to accidents.
It was in every respect a terrible carrier fighter.
The videos I've seen of Sea Hurricane ops seems to suggest an easy to land aircraft.Its interesting but I have never heard of the Sea Hurricane having a suspect undercarriage. Can I ask if anyone can point me in the direction of a suitable reference.
That may be because you are seeing the videos of when it is landed correctly?The videos I've seen of Sea Hurricane ops seems to suggest an easy to land aircraft.
The Corsair not only needed modified oleos, it needed a "stall strip" installed on the wing leading edge on one side to help insure that both wings stalled the same instead of one wing stalling before the other, now this meant that the "good" wing now stalled like the "bad" wing but at least they stalled more evenly