Hawker Danecock

Picture - One of the three original Danecocks

Role: Fighter
Manufacturer: Hawker Engineering Co.
Designed by: Sydney Camm
First flight: 18 December 1925
Introduced: 1925
Primary user: Denmark
Produced: 1925-1926
Number built: 15
Developed from: Hawker Woodcock

The Hawker Danecock biplane was developed from the Hawker Woodcock for the Danish air force and naval service.

Design and development

In 1925 the Danish Government notified Hawker that they would order three aircraft similar to the Woodcock, but with certain improvements. This resulted in Sydney Camm making minor changes to the wings and cockpit area. Compared to the Woodcock II, the Danecock had unequal span wings, a slightly lengthened fuselage, a 385 hp (287 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV engine and an armament of two .303 in (7.7 mm) Madsen machine guns. The first aircraft was flown on 18 December 1925 by George Bulman with all three aircraft delivered in February 1926.

Operational history

After receiving the Hawker-built aircraft, Denmark obtained a licence to produce more Danecocks. This version, named the Dankok, was built in 1927 at the Danish Royal Naval Dockyard (Orlogsvaerftet). A total of 12 more were manufactured. One aircraft (a Hawker-build) broke the Scandinavian altitude record, reaching 28,208 ft (8,598 m). The Danecock/Dankok served until the mid-1930s when they were replaced by Hawker Nimrods. An example of the Dankok still exists in the Copenhagen Museum.

Operators

Denmark

Danish Army Air Service (Hx¦rens Flyvertropper)
Danish Naval Air Service (Marinens Flyvevx¦sen)

Specifications

Data from Hawker Aircraft since 1920

General characteristics

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 26 ft 1¼ in (7.95 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 7 in (9.93 m)
Height: 10 ft 1 in (3.05 m)
Wing area: 340 ft² (31.59 m²)
Empty weight: 2,128 lb (965 kg)
Loaded weight: 3,045 lb (1,381 kg)
Powerplant: 1x— Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV 14-cylinder air-cooled double radial engine, 385 hp (287 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 126 kn (145 mph, 233 km/h) at sea level
Service ceiling: 22,800 ft (6,949 m)

Armament

2 x— .303 in (7.7 mm) Madsen machine guns

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Source: WikiPedia