Sea Hurricane Mk IB

This page is about the British naval fighter Sea Hurricane Mk IB. For the other navalised Hurricane, see Sea Hurricane Mk IC. For other versions, see Hurricane (Family).

Sea Hurricane Mk IB

Sea Hurricane Mk IC

Sea Hurricane Mk IB

Sea Hurricane Mk IC

Britain

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.0	2.0	2.0

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Show in game

Description

The Sea Hurricane Mk IB is a rank II British naval fighter with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory".

As the name implies, this is a carrier based version of the Hurricane. The Mk I/L is the closest counterpart, however several key differences are present. First off, this version can operate from carriers. This grants a massive improvement in versatility, as you can launch from both airfields and carriers. In addition, this variant features reinforced landing gear in order to survive hard carrier landings. However, the extra weight of the landing gear is also the Sea Hurricane's biggest flaw. In Arcade, this makes minimal difference to performance, but Realistic and Simulator are a different story. Climb rate, turning ability, and minimum take-off speed are all noticeably worse. That doesn't mean this is a bad aircraft though. It just takes a pilot with the knowledge of these facts and how to counter them to succeed with the plane. Boom and zoom tactics can be used to greater effect than the Hurricane Mk I/L thanks to improved dive acceleration from the extra mass. The only problem is getting up there. Still, this is a very good aircraft when used properly.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier

Max speed

at 3 962 m519 km/h

Turn time16 s

Max altitude10 700 m

EngineRolls-Royce Merlin-III

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight3 t

Due to the extra weight, the Sea Hurricane Mk IB has an slightly inferior flight performance compared to the Hurricane Mk I/L.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 3,962 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	492	476	10700	17.0	17.7	4.4	4.4	350
Upgraded	549	519		15.5	16.0	14.7	8.6

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
660	320	285	285	285	~11	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 370	< 250	< 380	> 410

As a naval plane, it comes equipped with arrestor gear.

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,953 m	1,030 hp	1,535 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural660 km/h

Gear320 km/h

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
• 6.35 mm Steel plate between fuselage fuel tank and cooling system.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB350 → 423

RB753 → 910

SB896 → 1 083

Total cost of modifications6 920

6 830

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces125

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

20 / 60 / 120 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 460 Cost: 450 55 Radiator Research: 460 Cost: 450 55 Wings repair Research: 580 Cost: 560 70 Engine Research: 580 Cost: 560 70 Engine injection Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 100 130	Airframe Research: 1 600 Cost: 1 600 190 Cover Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 100 130	bmg303_belt_pack Research: 460 Cost: 450 55 bmg303_new_gun Research: 580 Cost: 560 70

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 18 x 7.7 mm Browning machine gun

Ammunition2 800 rounds

Fire rate1 000 shots/min

The Sea Hurricane Mk IB is armed with:

• 8 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 2,800 total)

Usage in battles

The Hurricane is one of the first monoplane fighters in the British tech tree. As such it will face a mix of biplanes and monoplanes with a different playstyle required for each.

Against biplanes, the Hurricane plays similarly to a heavy fighter. The large number of guns allows you to down anyone in your crosshairs quickly even if you don't have the best aim. Do not try to dogfight biplanes. While it is possible to win a dogfight against biplanes, it will bleed all of your plane's energy forcing you to continue to turnfight any enemies that decided to join the fight even if it is not in your best interest. You are better off BnZing biplanes. They might be able to tickle your rear as you extend away due to their quick turn time and your relatively slow speed but the Hurricane is durable enough to survive some MG fire.

Against monoplanes, the Hurricane must be played in the complete opposite fashion. Your plane will likely be slower and climb far worse than your opponent however your turn rate will likely be better, so try to force them into a turnfight. Monoplanes also generally carry heavier armament so your durability advantage is negated.

Overall the Hurricane is a novice-friendly plane with high firepower and predictable flight characteristics that can be taken to the next level with careful energy management.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Combined	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• A lot of firepower for its rank
• Flight similarity to the land-based Hurricane means it's easy to transfer skills
• Good turn time
• Excellent over-the-nose visibility ensures easy tracking and leading in cockpit view
• Very smooth handling in simulator

Cons:

• Slower climb due to extra weight
• Quite slow in overall speed
• Engine overheats extremely fast while using WEP
• Loses energy quickly in turns

History

The Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IB was the first carrier-capable Hurricane; the previous Mk IA Sea Hurricane was designed only for catapult assisted takeoff, with no means of recovery back onto the ship. The Mk IB featured catapult spools and an arrestor hook. Starting in July of 1941, the Sea Hurricane Mk IB operated from HMS Furious and starting in October 1941 they operated from Merchant aircraft carriers (cargo ships modified with a flight deck). On 31 July 1941, Sea Hurricanes of 880 Squadron, operating from HMS Furious, shot down a Do 18 flying boat - the first aerial victory of the aircraft. From testing, the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) preferred de Havilland propellers to the Rotol propellers. This was because the heavier Rotol propeller could cause the plane to dip forward and the propeller would hit the carrier deck, while the lighter de Havilland propellers could avoid this issue.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.