In 1957, Dr. Stanley Hooker of the Bristol Engine Company and Sir
Sidney Camm of Hawker combined their forces in the design of a
VTOL-aircraft that led to the well-known Harrier. A Hawker design
team led by Ralph S. Hooper made the initial layout and by the end of
1958 the aircraft was conceived in project P.1127. At the same time
financial backing was obtained from the NATO and the USA by the
Mutual Weapon Development Project, and in April 1959 the manufacture
of two prototypes was approved, the contact was signed June 22, 1960.
Produced at the Hawker works at Kingston-upon-Thames, London, the
first airframe, XP831, was delivered to the Dunsfold, Surrey, on July
15, 1960, for final assembly and engine tests. The aircraft lifted
itself from the grid on October 21, although still tethered. The
first free hover was made on November 19, 1960 and the following
January the prototype was transported to RAE Bedford, Bedfordshire,
were Hawker chief test pilot A. W. "Bill" Bedford made the 22
minute-lasting first conventional flight on February 13, 1961. The
first transistion from hover to full wing-borne flight, and back to
hover, took place on September 12, 1961.
The second prototype, XP836, was first flown conventionally from
Dunsfold on July 7, 1961, but unfortunately crashed near Yeovilton on
December 14, 1961, after the loss of the port front engine nozzle.
Pilot Bill Bedford ejected safely, but the aircraft exploded on
impact.
Ordered by the Ministry of Supply on November 2, 1960, the first of
four P.1127 development aircraft, XP972, was flown on April 5, 1962.
Support was gained from West German and the USA and on May 22, 1962,
the Ministry of Aviation ordered an additional nine aircraft, UK s/n
XS68 to XS696, for delivery to an evaluation unit to be formed at the
Central Fighter Establishment at West Raynham, Norfolk. In the
FY 1964 the nine aircraft received for procurement
reasons the US military s/n 64-18262 to 64-18270, they also were
designated XV-6A.
The first of the evaluation aircraft, XS688, flew for the first time
on March 7, 1964, the remaining eight were all flown by March 5, 1965.
In September the type became known as the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel
F(GA).Mk.1 (Hawker had merged into Hawker Siddeley on July 1, 1963).
The first aircraft was delivered to West Raynham on June 25, 1964.
There pilots, ground crew and equipment were gathered to form the
Tripartite Evaluation Squadron (TES). The squadron was officially
formed on October 15, 1964 and consisted of four pilots from the RAF,
two from the German AF, one from the USAF, two from the US Army and
one from the US Navy. Additional there were 7 officers and 109 other
ranks from all services. The last aircraft was delivered on March 26,
1965.
In November 1965, after 938 flights, the TES was disbanded. Six
aircraft were shipped to the USA and as XV-6As with US serials
participated in the combined Tri-Service trials at NAS Patuxent River,
aboard the USS Guam, USS Independence, and USS Raleigh, flown by
pilots of US Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The USAF flew
trials at Edwards AFB, California as well.
Single-seat vertical and short take-off and landing ground
attack fighter
Engine:
one 15,200 lb (6,895 kg) s.t. Bristol Siddeley Pegasus 5
vectored-thrust turbofan
Span:
22 ft 10 in (6.96 m)
Length:
42 ft (12.80 m)
Height:
10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Wing area:
186 sq.ft (17.28 sq.m)
Empty Wt:
10,000 lb (4,536 kg)
VTOL T/O Wt:
13,000 lb (5,897 kg)
STOL T/O Wt:
18,000 lb (8,165 kg)
Max T/O Wt:
21,000 lb (9,525 kg)
Max speed:
690 mph (1,110 km/h) at sea level, 650 mph (1,046 km/h) at 36,000 ft (10,973 m)
Climb:
35,000 ft (10,668 m)/min initial; to 50,000 ft (15,240 m) in 4 min
Ceiling:
50,000 ft (15,240 m)
Radius (STOL):
220 mls (354 km) at 1,000 ft (305 m), 350 mls (563 km) at 40,000 ft (12,192 m)
Range (ferry):
2,500 mls (4,023 km)
Hawker P.1127
XP831:
first flown October 21, 1960, crashed Paris Air Show, June 16,
1963, rebuilt, last flown October 10, 1972, presently at Science
Museum, South Kensington, London
XP836:
first flown July 7, 1961, crashed near Yeovilton, December 14,
1961, scrapped
XP972:
first flown April 5, 1962, crashed Tangmere, Chichester, West
Sussex, October 30, 1962, scrapped
XP976:
first flown July 12, 1962, twenty years later scrapped
XP980:
first flown February 24, 1963, presently at FAA Museum, RNAS
Yeovilton, Somerset
XP984:
first flown February 13, 1964, crashed forced landed at Thorney
Island, West Sussex, on March 19, 1965, rebuilt, crashed October
31, 1975 at RAE Bedford, presently at Brooklands Museum,
Weybridge, Surrey
Hawker Siddeley Kestrel F(GA).Mk.1
XS688:
first flown March 7, 1964, delivered to TES June 25, 1964
delivered to the USAF as XV-6A 64-18262 on February 19,
1966, presently at USAF Museum, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
XS689:
first flown May 28, 1964, delivered to TES July 15, 1964
delivered to the USAF as XV-6A 64-18263 on February 19,
1966, became NASA '521' in February 1967, presently at
NASM, Washington, D.C., USA
XS690:
first flown August 5, 1964, delivered to TES September 17, 1964
delivered to the USAF as XV-6A 64-18264 on February 19,
1966, presently at the Museum of Army Aviation, Fort Rucker,
Alabama, USA
XS691:
first flown September 5, 1964, delivered to TES November 11, 1964
delivered to the USAF as XV-6A 64-18265 on February 19,
1966, scrapped after trials
XS692:
first flown November 7, 1964, delivered to TES January 8, 1965
delivered to the USAF as XV-6A 64-18266 on January 8,
1966, after trials delivered to NASA Langley as spares support,
eventual replaced NASA '520' (see XS694), presently at Hamilton
Aerospace Park, Virginia, USA
XS693:
first flown November 25, 1964, delivered to TES January 29, 1965,
crashed near Stonehenge, near Amesbury, Wiltshire, September 21,
1967 64-18267 not taken up
XS694:
first flown January 30, 1965, delivered to TES March 30, 1965
delivered to the USAF as XV-6A 64-18268 on February 19,
1966, delivered to NASA as '520' on July 31, 1966, crashed at
Wallops Island, Virginia, USA, August 27, 1967
XS695:
first flown February 19, 1965, delivered to TES March 26, 1965,
crashed at Boscombe Down near Amesbury, Wiltshire, March 15, 1967,
presently at Cosford, Shropshire 64-18269 not taken up
XS696:
first flown March 5, 1965, delivered to TES March 26, 1965,
Crashed April 1, 1965 64-18270 not taken up