72241 HAWKER OSPREY III/IV

The Hawker Osprey was a British seaplane or seaplane reconnaissance biplane from the interwar period. Serial production of the machine started in 1932. In versions Mk. I and Mk. II, the drive was provided by a single engine Rolls Royce Kestrel IIMS with a power of 630 hp. The machine was 8.95 meters long with a wingspan of 11.29 meters. The maximum speed was approx. 235 km / h. The deck armament could consist of two 7.7 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 118 kilograms. The Hawker Osprey was developed as a development of the successful Hawker Hart aircraft. Compared to its predecessor, it had primarily a reinforced structure, but also a special hook enabling it to operate from the decks of aircraft carriers. Four main versions of the aircraft were made in the course of production: the Mk. I (basic version), Mk. II (version with a different float chassis), Mk. III (version with a new propeller) or the Mk. IV (version with a new engine Rolls Royce Kestrel V). Airplanes Hawker Osprey were stationed on such vessels as, for example, HMS Eagle or HMS Hermes. The machines, however, were withdrawn from the front line by 1939. Apart from Great Britain, the planes were operated in Portugal and Sweden.