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Hind
Hawker Hind (Afghan), Shuttleworth Collection
Role	Light bomber, Trainer
Manufacturer	Hawker Aircraft Limited
Designer	Sydney Camm
First flight	12 September 1934
Introduction	1935
Retired	1957 (Afghanistan)
Primary users	Royal Air Force Iran New Zealand South Africa
Produced	1935–1938
Number built	528
Variants	Hawker Hart (precursor) Hawker Hector Hawker P.V.4

The British Hawker Hind was a Royal Air Force light bomber of the inter-war years produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was developed from the Hawker Hart day-bomber introduced in 1931.

Design and development

An improved Hawker Hart bomber defined by Specification G.7/34, was purchased by the RAF as an interim aircraft, while more modern monoplane bombers such as the Fairey Battle were still in development. Structural elements were a mixture of steel and duralumin with the wings being fabric covered; the main differences compared to the earlier Hart was a new powerplant, (the Rolls Royce Kestrel V) and the inclusion of refinements from the earlier derivatives such as the cut-down rear cockpit developed for the Demon. The prototype (Serial number K2915) was constructed very rapidly due to Hawker's development work for other proposals and made its first flight on 12 September 1934. A variety of changes were subsequently incorporated ("ram's horn" exhaust manifolds, Fairey-Reed metal propeller and engine improvements) with the first production Hind (K4636) flown on 4 September 1935.

Operational history

Shuttleworth's Hind (Afghan)

The Hind went into service in November 1935 and eventually equipped 20 RAF bomber squadrons. A number were also sold to foreign customers including Afghanistan, the Republic of Ireland, Latvia, Persia (Iran), Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. By 1937, the Hind was being phased out of front line service, replaced by the Fairey Battle and Bristol Blenheim, with many of the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons changing their role to fighter or maritime patrol units. At the outbreak of the Second World War, 613 Squadron retained the Hind for army co-operation before re-equipping with the Hart derivative, the Hawker Hector, in November 1939.^[1]

The Hind found a new career in 1938 as a training aircraft, representing the next step up from basic training on Tiger Moths. It continued in use as an intermediate trainer during the war. Hind trainers were also operated by Canada and New Zealand. In 1941, Hinds flew operations in their original role as light bombers against Axis forces. South African Hinds were employed against Italian forces in Kenya during the East African Campaign and Yugoslav Hinds were used against the Germans and Italians. Iranian Hinds were used briefly against Allied forces during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. Imperial Iranian Air Force bases were occupied by the Allies and their aircraft were destroyed or dismantled by the invading British.

Variants

A Bristol Mercury-engined Hind of the Imperial Iranian Air Force

Hind Mk I

Two-seat light bomber aircraft for the RAF, powered by a 477 kW (640 hp) Rolls-Royce Kestrel piston engine.

Afghan Hind

Similar to the Hind Mk I, four aircraft fitted with Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engines, plus another four aircraft fitted with Kestrel UDR engines; eight built for Afghanistan.

Latvian Hind

Two-seat training aircraft, powered by a Bristol Mercury IX radial piston-engine; three built for Latvia.

Persian Hind

Modified version of the Hind Mk I, powered by a Bristol Mercury VIII radial piston-engine; 35 built for Persia.

Portuguese Hind

Similar to the Hind Mk I, two aircraft built as bombers, two aircraft built as trainers; four built for Portugal.

Swiss Hind

Two-seat unarmed communications aircraft; one built for Switzerland.

Yugoslav Hind

Modified version of the Hind Mk I, two aircraft fitted with Rolls-Royce Kestrel XVI piston-engines, one aircraft fitted with a Gnome-Rhone Mistral engine; three built for Yugoslavia.

Operators

Hind operators

 Afghanistan

• 
  Afghan Air Force acquired 28 aircraft in 1938, the final example retiring in 1956.^[2][3]
  

 Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

 Iran

• Imperial Iranian Air Force

 Ireland

• Irish Air Corps

 Latvia

• Latvian Air Force

 New Zealand

• 
  Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired 78 aircraft of which 63 entered service, primarily as trainers 1940–1943. The other 15 were lost to enemy action in transit.
  
  
  
  • No. 3 F.T.S. Ohakea RNZAF
  
  
  • No. 6 Squadron RNZAF
  
  
  • No. 20 Squadron RNZAF
  
  
  • No. 21 Squadron RNZAF
  
  
  • No. 22 Squadron RNZAF
  
  
  
  

 Portugal

• Portugal Air Force

 South Africa

• South African Air Force

  Switzerland

• Swiss Air Force

 United Kingdom

 Yugoslavia

• Royal Yugoslav Air Force

Surviving aircraft

In 1937-39, 28 Hinds were sold to the Afghan government in two batches. After being retired in 1956, two airframes were donated to the United Kingdom in 1967-68. A further two airframes were donated to the National Aeronautical Collection in 1975 by the Afghan president.^[3][5]

• c/n 41.H.8.1899 – Hind on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum London in London.^[3]
  


• c/n 41.H.8.1902 – Hind airworthy with the Shuttleworth Collection in Old Warden, Bedfordshire. It is painted as K5414.^[6][3]
  


• L7180 – Hind on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. It was flown by the Afghan Air Force through the 1940s and used as an instructional airframe to train aircraft engineers during the 1950s.^[5]
  


• L7181 – Hind under restoration at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. It was built in 1937 and served with No. 211 Squadron RAF until being sold to Afghanistan in 1939, and is undergoing long-term restoration by the Historic Aircraft Collection, having previously been in the Canada Aviation Museum collection.^[7]
  


• K6717 – Hind on static display at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Western Springs, Auckland.^[8]
  


• NZ1517 – Hind under restoration to airworthy at the Classic Aircraft Collection in Dairy Flat, Auckland. It was previously operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.^[9]
  


• NZ1535 – Hind under restoration to airworthy at the Classic Aircraft Collection in Dairy Flat, Auckland. It was previously operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.^[9]
  

Specifications (Hind)

Data from The British Bomber since 1914^[4]

General characteristics

• 
  Crew: two


• 
  Length: 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m)


• 
  Wingspan: 37 ft 3 in (11.36 m)


• 
  Height: 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m)


• 
  Wing area: 348 ft² (32.3 m²)


• 
  Empty weight: 3,195 lb (1,452 kg)


• 
  Useful load: lb (kg)


• 
  Loaded weight: lb (kg)


• 
  Max. takeoff weight: 4,657 lb (2,167 kg)


• 
  Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Kestrel V Water-cooled V-12, 640 hp (477 kW)

Performance

• 
  Maximum speed: 161 kn (185 mph, 298 km/h) at 15,500 ft


• 
  Stall speed: 39 kn (45 mph, 72 km/h) ^[10]
  


• 
  Range: 374 nmi (430 mi, 692 km)


• 
  Service ceiling: 26,400 ft (8,050 m)


• 
  Wing loading: 13.3 lb/ft² (37.1 kg/m²)


• 
  Power/mass: 0.14 hp/lb (0.22 kW/kg)


• 
  Climb to 10,000 ft 8 minutes 6 seconds

Armament

• 1 × synchronised forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers gun and 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun in rear cockpit


• Up to 510 lb (231 kg) bombs under wings.

See also

Related development

• Hawker Hart


• Hawker Audax


• Hawker Demon

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Fairey Fox


• Vickers Vildebeest

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II


• List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force


• List of bomber aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hawker Hind.

• Hawker Hind


• 
  Hawker Hind – British Aircraft of world War II


• The Hawker Hind in Canada