Aircraft overview

The Hawker Tempest is a British single-seat piston fighter built by Hawker Aircraft for late Second World War service. It first flew in 1942, with production beginning in 1943 and continuing into the immediate postwar period. Developed from the Hawker Typhoon but substantially redesigned, the Tempest used a thinner laminar-flow wing and improved aerodynamics to address high-speed performance. Its importance lies in its role as one of the RAF’s fastest piston fighters, used for interception, fighter sweep, ground attack and anti-V-1 operations.

Performance & specifications

The best-known production model, the Tempest V, was powered by the Napier Sabre, a 24-cylinder, sleeve-valve, liquid-cooled engine producing more than 2,000 hp depending on version and rating. Published figures for the Tempest V include a maximum speed of about 435 mph, approximately 378 knots, a range around 740 statute miles on internal fuel, and a service ceiling of about 36,500 feet. A single modern “cruise speed” is not normally quoted for the type, as operation depends heavily on engine preservation, power settings and historic-aircraft operating limits. Useful load is also not typically presented in the same way as civil aircraft data.

Cabin & avionics

The Hawker Tempest has a one-place cockpit with military controls, tailwheel handling characteristics and limited space by modern standards. Visibility is helped by the bubble canopy fitted to most Tempest V aircraft, although forward visibility on the ground remains typical of large tailwheel fighters. Original equipment was wartime analogue instrumentation, gunsight and radio fit, not a civil avionics suite such as Garmin G1000 or Perspective. Surviving airworthy examples usually carry modern communication, navigation and transponder equipment added discreetly for regulatory compliance.

Buying & value

The Hawker Tempest is a rare warbird rather than a conventional used aircraft purchase. Buyers focus on provenance, restoration quality, airframe authenticity, spar and corrosion inspections, control-system condition, and the availability of Napier Sabre expertise and parts. Variant identity matters: Tempest V aircraft are the most historically recognized, while Tempest II and Tempest VI examples used different powerplants and have distinct support considerations. Market positioning is at the specialist collector end, with value driven by originality, documented combat or squadron history, airworthiness status and the depth of spares support.