Hawker Hunter Jet

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Entering service in 1954, Hawker Siddeley’s Hunter single-seat transonic jet fighter remained in use right up until 2014 when the last one was finally pensioned off by the Lebanese Air Force.

On 7th September 1953, the first prototype broke the world air speed record for jet-powered aircraft, achieving 727.63mph over Littlehampton in the hands of test pilot Neville Duke. Largely the work of chief designer Sydney Camm, it was powered by a single Rolls-Royce Avon 203 turbo-jet engine producing 10,000 lb/ft of thrust and was lauded for its low maintenance requirements and quick turnaround time thanks to features like a removable gun pack, pressurised fuel system and easy handling in flight.

Initially intended as an RAF interceptor/fighter, it became obsolescent in this role when the much faster English Electric Lightning entered service in 1963, but continued to play a significant role as a ground attack/fighter-bomber in numerous conflicts (notably Suez, Borneo, Malaya and Aden, often providing close ground support for small bands of SAS deep in enemy territory), remaining in service with the RAF for 30 years.

Hunters were also used by two RAF display teams, the Black Arrows and later the Blue Diamonds. Due to its low cost of maintenance, it was also widely exported, serving with 21 other air forces right up until a couple of years ago. Some 1,972 Hawker Hunters were made in total, a handful of which lived on as ‘gate guardians’ at RAF bases across the UK, and it is thought that only 20 still survive worldwide.

On 22nd August 2015, the Hunter gained notoriety when a vintage ‘warbird’ display aircraft in private ownership crashed onto the A27 during a display at the Shoreham Airshow, killing 11 people and seriously injuring 16 others, although miraculously the pilot, Andy Hill, survived the crash but was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Another notorious incident also occurred much earlier on 5th April 1968 when a prototype Hunter piloted by Flt Lt Alan Pollock put on an unauthorised display over Central London. Infuriated by the fact that Harold Wilson’s Labour government were refusing to mark the 50th Anniversary of the RAF as a ‘cost saving measure’, Pollock took off from RAF Tangmere, flew to London at low level and then circled the Houses of Parliament three times, dipped his wings over the RAF Memorial on the Embankment, then flew underneath the central span of Tower Bridge at over 600mph.

Knowing that his career was almost certainly over, he then proceeded to ‘beat up’ the countryside in inverted flight at an altitude of only 200ft en route to his base at RAF West Raynham in Norfolk where he was immediately arrested. He was later invalided out of the RAF on medical grounds to save the embarrassment of a court martial which would have given Pollock a platform to justify his actions and garner public support against the government cuts. What a way to go though, the 'right stuff' indeed and just the sort of chap you would pray for if you were in a tight spot behind enemy lines.

This particular Hunter entered service with the Royal Danish Airforce in 1956 as E-408 with ESK-724 Squadron, remaining in active service until 1974 when it was bought back by Hawker Siddeley to become a pole-sitter at RAF Bawdry in Pembrokeshire. It later moved to RAF Cranwell and then, in 1988, to RAF Sealand in Flintshire where it was cosmetically restored and repainted as WT720 (the real WT720 being retired in 1964 and scrapped). It entered private hands with the closure of RAF Sealand in 2006.

Complete with a dummy pilot in the cockpit (sadly devoid of instruments), it comes with a stand to mount it on and has removable wings for ease of transport. The vendor has detached the wings and is happy to assist with delivery to anywhere in mainland UK at reasonable cost.

Widely regarded as one of the most graceful jets ever made, and one of perhaps only 20 remaining, this Hawker Hunter is the garden ornament to end all garden ornaments but would be better housed in a museum where it can be preserved for future generations to experience. So if you have even a whiff of Flt Lt Pollock’s spirit about you, bid vigorously now and it could be you who takes it home! Best not go via Tower Bridge though...

Please note that this jet will not be on site at Brightwells but is available for pre-sale viewing at its current location in Wales. Interested parties should contact Toby Service before Thursday 25th February on 01568 611122 or [email protected] in order to arrange a viewing prior to the auction.

The first picture above is a library photo for illustration purposes only. The other pictures are the actual jet offered.