List of Hawker Hunter operators
Operators
Belgium
- Belgian Air Force
- (112 x F.4, 144 x F.6)
India
- No. 7 Squadron "The Battle-Axes"
- No. 14 Squadron "The Bulls"
- No. 17 Squadron "The Golden Arrows"
- No. 20 Squadron "The Lightnings" – The Unit also flew the Hunters in a nine-aircraft formation aerobatic team rechristened "The Thunderbolts"
- No. 27 Squadron "The Flaming Arrows"
- No. 37 Squadron "The Black Panthers"
- Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) "The Young 'Uns" – This unit was briefly redesignated as No. 122 (Ad Hoc) Squadron IAF during the 1971 War.
- No. 2 Target Tug Unit "The Banners"
Kuwait
- Kuwait Air Force 4 x FGA.57 and 5 x T.67
As part of a defence agreement between the United Kingdom and Kuwait four FGA Mk 57 single-seaters (converted from former Belgian Mark 6 aircraft) and five T Mk 67 twin-seat trainers (converted from former British, Belgian and Dutch single-seat aircraft) were sold to Kuwait. The single-seaters were delivered between 1965 and 1966 and the two-seaters in two batches, two in 1965 and three in 1969. The single-seat aircraft were withdrawn in 1976 when they were replaced by the A-4 Skyhawk but the two-seat Hunters carried on in a training role.
Lebanon
Lebanon received 19 aircraft (12 from UK, 7 from Belgium). One was lost in the Six-Day War, 8 remaining are a mix of FGA.70, FGA.6 and T.66C. Three were sold as spare parts. The Last 4 active Hunters were withdrawn from service by the end of 2014.
Peru
The Peruvian Air Force received 16 Hunter F.52 in 1956 and one Hunter T.62 in 1960. They equipped the 12th Fighter Group based in Talara, near the border with Ecuador. The last Peruvian Hunters were withdrawn from service in 1980.[1]
Saudi Arabia
- Royal Saudi Air Force 4 x F.60 and 2 x T.7
As part of the Magic Carpet arms deal between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four single-seat Hunter F.6s and two Hunter T.7s were ordered from Hawker in 1966. The aircraft were delivered to No. 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt Airbase in May 1966. Although the Hunters were operational following attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian Air Force they were not a success as interceptors as they lacked any ground control but were used for ground attack. One single-seat aircraft was lost in 1967 and the remaining aircraft were presented to Jordan in 1968.
- 6 Squadron RSAF
Singapore
Ordered in 1968 with delivery starting in 1971 and completed in 1973, the RSAF operated a total of 46 Hunters (12× FGA.74s, 26× FR.74A/Bs and 8× T.75/As, excluding one T.75A which was lost in accident before delivery) from 1971 to 1992.[2] Only 4 were preserved as museum exhibits while the remaining 21 airworthy airframes were sold to an Australian Warbird broker, Pacific Hunter Aviation Pty, in 1995.[3]
- 140 Sqn "The Ospreys"
- 141 Sqn "The Merlins"
Somalia
SAF probably received from 6 to 9 Hawker Hunter's in 1983. In years 1985–1990 two aircraft shot down during on battles of opposition and next two loses on accidents.[4] The last Hunter's destroyed or abandoned during the Somali Civil War. However four wrecks seen in Baiboa, but their current fate is unknown.[5][6][7]
Sweden
- F 8 Barkarby
- F 9 Säve Last base to use the Hawker Hunter in Sweden, now a museum outside Gothenburg.
- F 10 Ängelholm
- F 18 Tullinge (home base to Acro Hunters display team)
United Kingdom
- No. 1 Squadron – F.5, F.6, FGA.9
- No. 2 Squadron – FR.10
- No. 3 Squadron – F.4
- No. 4 Squadron – F.4, F.6, FR.10
- No. 8 Squadron – FGA.9, FR.10
- No. 12 Squadron – F.6
- No. 14 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 19 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 20 Squadron – F.4, F.6, FGA.9
- No. 26 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 28 Squadron – FGA.9
- No. 34 Squadron – F.5
- No. 41 Squadron – F.5
- No. 43 Squadron – F.1, F.4, F.6, FGA.9
- No. 45 Squadron – FGA.9
- No. 54 Squadron – F.1, F.4, F.6, FGA.9
- No. 56 Squadron – F.5, F.6
- No. 58 Squadron – FGA.9
- No. 63 Squadron – F.6
- No. 65 Squadron – F.6
- No. 66 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 67 Squadron – F.4
- No. 71 Squadron – F.4
- No. 74 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 79 Squadron – FR.10
- No. 92 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 93 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 98 Squadron – F.4
- No. 111 Squadron – F.4, F.6
- No. 112 Squadron – F.4
- No. 118 Squadron – F.4
- No. 130 Squadron – F.4
- No. 208 Squadron – F.5, F.6, FGA.9
- No. 222 Squadron – F.1, F.4
- No. 234 Squadron – F.4
- No. 245 Squadron – F.4
- No. 247 Squadron – F.1, F.6
- No. 253 Squadron – F.2
- No. 257 Squadron – F.2, F.4, F.5
- No. 263 Squadron – F.5, F.6
- No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit –
- No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit –
- No. 237 Operational Conversion Unit –
- No. 1 Tactical Weapons Unit –
- Air Fighting Development Squadron –
- Central Fighter Establishment –
- Day Fighter Leader School –
- Fighter Weapons School –
- 700 Naval Air Squadron – T.8
- 736 Naval Air Squadron –
- 738 Naval Air Squadron – T.8, GA.11
- 759 Naval Air Squadron – T.8
- 764 Naval Air Squadron – T.8, GA.11
- 899 Naval Air Squadron – T.8
- Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (Blue Herons) –
References
- John Andrade, Latin-American Military Aviation, (Leicester: Midland Counties Publications, 1982), p. 239.
- Peter, Atkins (November 1994). "Singapore or Bust". Air Forces Monthly. Key Publishing Ltd (67). ISSN 0955-7091.
- "HUNTERS FOR SALE". Pacific Hunter Aviation. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?Country=6O
- http://www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/13829/126/Hawker-Hunter2
- https://web.archive.org/web/20121004045134/http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/Somalia%20Study_3.pdf
- http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/somalihuntersmt_1.htm