Both the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane served with the RAF prior, during and after WWII. During this time, both aircraft served alongside one another in combat, with people often wondering which was better.
We recently compared the P-51 Mustang and Spitfire, where we were inundated with requests for a Hurricane-Spitfire comparison.
Today, most people view both the Hurricane and Spitfire as some of the best WWII-era fighter aircraft ever made. This is alongside the Japanese Zero, Soviet Yak-3, North American P-51, German Bf.109 and the French Caudron C.714.
Hurricane vs Spitfire: What is a Fighter?
The role of WWII fighter aircraft differ greatly from modern fighter aircraft. On top of this, modern pop culture, through many aviation-themed movies have also distorted the role of modern fighter jets somewhat.
During WWII, a fighter aircraft was any aircraft, who’s sole purpose was to engage (and hence fight) enemy aircraft. Occasionally, these other aircraft were bombers, but were also other fighter aircraft.
Throughout the war, many fighter aircraft also became interceptor aircraft. Whilst this role had been used during WWI, it had largely been forgotten about since then.
By the end of the war, both roles had become distinct from one another. However, when the British were on their knees in 1941, the role of fighter aircraft and interceptor were one in the same.
For the most part, during the war, fighter aircraft and interceptors were different from one another. A fighter attacked the enemy, whilst an interceptor was purely defensive.
Immediately following the end of the war, fighter aircraft remained in relatively similar roles. However, with the widespread introduction of jets in the 1950’s, and the onset of the Cold War, both the Hurricane and Spitfire were retired.
Hurricane vs Spitfire: The Basics
Before we can compare both the Hurricane and the Spitfire, we must first understand the basics behind both of the aircraft.
Hawker Hurricane
Since WWI, Hawker Aircraft, under the helm of Harry Hawker himself, had produced much of the RAF’s military aircraft. At the time, Hawker was known for producing some of the most advanced aircraft in the world.
In the inter-war period, Hawker had continued to produce military aircraft on a reduced scale as well as racing and general aviation aircraft. All of these aircraft were biplanes or triplanes due to their perceived superiority.
In 1934, the RAF’s WWI-era fighters were ageing too much for the RAF and they sought a replacement. To do this, they solicited designs from Britain’s aircraft manufacturers for such an aircraft.
Hawker was one of the manufacturers to do so. This aircraft was known as the Hawker P.V.3, which resembled the WWI-era Hawker Fury. However, the RAF weren’t interested in the design.
This was because Supermarine Aircraft had sent in a design of an aircraft that would one day become the Spitfire, which was far superior. As such, hawker privately funded a redesign, looking to make the P.V.3 a monoplane.
By August 1935, the redesign was complete with one prototype having been built. This aircraft would first fly on November 6 1935, following RAF testing, the Hawker Hurricane would enter service with them in December 1937.
Supermarine Spitfire
During WWI, Pemberton-Billing (the forerunner of Supermarine) had produced a series of fighter aircraft and bombers. Following the war, the company had reformed as Supermarine and produced air racing aircraft.
In 1931, the RAF wanted a new fighter, soliciting aircraft manufacturers to send in new designs. Supermarine was one of these aircraft manufacturers, sending in the Type 224 monoplane.
Although the Type 224 was the superior aircraft, RAF higher ups were skeptical of monoplane designs. Instead, the inferior biplane Gloster Gladiator was accepted into service.
In 1934, the RAF was once again looking for new aircraft. One of the aircraft that was submitted was a modernized version of the Type 224, labelled as the the prototype (K5054).
Although skeptical, the RAF was interested in the fighter, believing that if it could be mass-produced, it would continue Britain’s tradition of being the strongest military in the world (at the time).
The RAF and Supermarine made a few tweaks to the K5054 before calling it the Spitfire. The Spitfire would subsequently make its maiden flight on March 5 1936, before being introduced in August 1938.
Hurricane vs Spitfire: Specs
Both prior and during WWII, the Hurricane and Spitfire were immensely successful aircraft. Due to the changing nature of German aircraft, the RAF ordered several variants of the Hurricane and Spitfire to be built.
As such, there are several variants of both aircraft that were used throughout the war.
The most common variant of the Hawker Hurricane is the Hawker Hurricane MK IIC. The most common variant of the Supermarine Spitfire is the Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB.
| Specifications | Hurricane Mk IIC | Spitfire Mk VB |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m) | 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m) |
| Wingspan | 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m) | 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) |
| Length | 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) | 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Max Speed | 340 mph (550 km/h, 300 kn) | 370 mph (600 km/h; 320 kn) |
| Combat Range | 600 mi (970 km, 520 nmi) | 248 mi (399 km, 216 nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 36,000 ft (11,000 m) | 36,500 ft (11,100 m) |
| Rate of Climb | 2,780 ft/min (14.1 m/s) | 2,600 ft/min (13 m/s) |
| Armament | 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk II cannon | 8 × .303 in Browning Mk II machine guns (350 rounds per gun) |
Hurricane vs Spitfire: Costs
After looking at the Hurricane and Spitfire’s specifications, it may be tempting to draw a conclusion as to which is the better aircraft. However, we also need to look at something else: cost.
After all, you could have the best aircraft in the world, but if it costs too much, or you can manufacture ten weaker aircraft for the same amount, numbers will eventually give way.
Hawker Hurricane
In 1939, Hawker Aircraft listed the price of a brand new Hawker Hurricane at £4,000. Today, this £4,000 is roughly the same as £260,000 ($350,000) today, which made it one of the cheaper aircraft of its time.
Today, many former RAF Hawker Hurricanes are still flying, with several currently up for sale (as of the time of writing). Depending on the number of kills and history, Hurricanes go for anything from $1.5 to 2.2 million.
Due to the Hurricane’s popularity, with it having served in many important WWII battles, many people are restoring Hurricanes to flying condition. These aircraft go for anything from $1 to $3 million as of the time of writing.
As well as restorations, several companies also sell replicas of the Hurricane. Some of these are full size, whilst others are only 2/3 the size. These aircraft go for anything from $50,000 to $150,000.
If you were interested in owning and operating a Hawker Hurricane (from WWII) you’d be looking at an aircraft that costs around £3,000 ($5,000) to operate per hour, including maintenance.
On top of this, we also interviewed several Hawker Hurricane owners, who told us that it can cost between $10,000 and $25,000 per year to insure a Hurricane with a reputable third party vendor!
Supermarine Spitfire
In 1939, Supermarine Aircraft, then a division of Vickers-Armstrong, listed the price for one Supermarine Spitifre at £12,604. In modern pounds, this is worth roughly £790,000 ($1,000,000).
As with the Hurricane, several Spitfires are still flying today, mostly as warbirds. Depending on the year, aircraft history and service record, WWII-era Spitfires can fetch anywhere from $1.5 million to almost $7 million.
Thanks to the Spitfire’s service record during WWII, many people have found parts of Spitfires and have restored them to flying condition. These aircraft can go for anything from $1 to $3 million.
As well as restorations, several companies have designed and built replica Spitfires. These aircraft are fairly cheap, fetching anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000 depending on the company and size of the aircraft.
In terms of the cost to operate the Spitfire, it costs roughly £2,000 ($2,500) per hour to operate an original Spitfire, or £1,800 ($2,300) for a replica. This is far cheaper than modern fighter jets like the F-22 and F-35.
This includes maintenance, which often doesn’t come cheap, especially for the authentic item. Despite replicas being produced, their parts are often incompatible with the actual thing, making cannibalizing old Spitfires the only other option.
Hurricane vs Spitfire: Operations
Both the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire served in many of the same battles during WWII, often side-by-side one another. But which was truly the better aircraft in battle.
Hawker Hurricane
By the outbreak of WWII, there were several Hurricane squadrons within the RAF. Many UK-allied militaries were also evaluating the Hurricane, with Yugoslavia already implementing several Hurricane squadrons.
During the Phoney War, British Hurricanes were stationed in France, with the French and British believing that this would deter German forces. During the invasion of France, Hurricanes worked alongside French aircraft.
When Germany invaded Yugoslavia in 1941, the Royal Yugoslav Air Force fielded its Hurricanes against the Luftwaffe’s Bf.109s. These aircraft were subsequently shot down and later evaluated by the Luftwaffe.
Hurricanes were the primary aircraft used against the Luftwaffe during the evacuation of Dunkirk. However, the RAF wanted to preserve its new fleet of Hurricanes, with their primary objective being to withdraw to England.
During the Battle of Britain, British and allied forces used Hurricanes as interceptor aircraft against German bombers, with Spitfires taking on Bf.109s.
Following the Battle of Britain, the Hurricanes would be dispatched all over Europe and North Africa. Hurricanes served in the defense of Malta, the defense of the Soviet Union and against Rommel in Libya.
Supermarine Spitfire
By the outbreak of WWII, the RAF already had a series of Spitfire squadrons based at RAF Duxford (now IWM Duxford). Several foreign, British-allied nations were also considering the aircraft as well.
Alongside Hurricanes, some squadrons of Spitfires were placed in France as deterrent. Many of these Spitfires would subsequently see service during the German invasion of France.
Other Spitfire squadrons were placed strategically in the South of England. These could serve as protective aircraft for both France and Britain in case of a German incursion or invasion of either country.
Following the Allied defeat at Dunkirk, Spitfires, along with other brand new British aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Britain to avoid the aircraft being capture, tested and reengineered by the Germans.
During the Battle of Britain, Spitfires were the very public face of the battle. British propaganda of the era depicted Spitfires as taking on legions of Bf.109s whilst Hurricanes attacked German bombers.
Following the British victory in the Battle of Britain, Spitfires were dispatched to deal with German forces. The most famous of these was during the Defense of Malta, where Spitfires destroyed their own bases in order to prevent German occupation.
Hurricane vs Spitfire: Opinions
As usual, I asked several different groups about their opinions on both the Spitfire and the Hurricane. This is what they had to say…
Pilots
Although many of the pilots who flew the aircraft are now no longer with us, a few do remain. Fortunately, I was able to interview three of them- one who flew the Spitfire, one who flew the Hurricane and one who flew both.
Naturally, the two pilots who’d only flown one aircraft preferred their own aircraft, generally having very generic, pilot-related reasons (such as “they handle better”) although did comment on the other’s adeptness in battle.
For the pilot who flew both, he rather controversially said that he preferred the Hurricane. According to him, despite the aircraft being slower on paper, it was faster than German Bf.109s and Spitfires.
He also added that the Hurricane was less maneuverable than the Spitfire, however, was more so than its German counterparts. He also added that the Hurricane handled better, although that is rather subjective…
Avgeeks
As per usual, I spoke with a number of British avgeeks, many outside RAF Conningsby (where the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is housed).
For the overwhelming majority of them, they preferred the Spitfire. Out of the fifty people I spoke to, roughly 45 of them said the Spitfire, with most of it being almost instantaneous.
This is mostly down to them being British, and with the role of the Spitfire during the Battle of Britain being emphasized on us since we were small children. Although many others simply spoke about how iconic they were!
The remaining people spoke about how the Hurricane was the workhorse of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Many of the aircraft that downed Bf.109s were Hurricanes, although the Spitfire was the public face of the battle.
Public
As usual, I asked several members of the public about their opinions on the Spitfire and Hurricane. However, I decided to solely ask members of the British public, instead of people from both the UK and US.
For most British people, they preferred the Spitfire, with the response being almost instantaneous. In the UK, we are taught about the Battle of Britain as children, with an emphasis being placed on the Spitfire’s contribution.
To most British people, the Spitfire is the most iconic aircraft of WWII, just as how the P-51 is to Americans and the Bf.109 is to Germans. Many of the people I interviewed stated this fact as well.
Several others preferred the Hurricane. For many of them, whilst the Spitfire got the glory, the Hurricane did the “grunt” work to get the Spitfire the glory (which is somewhat true).
Me
For me, I am torn between both aircraft. Personally, I am British, and have grown up hearing stories about both the Spitfire and the Hurricane, both in my history classes at school and from my father’s military friends.
As a kid, I spent much of my summer going to air shows and air museums, where the Spitfire was always my favorite. However, as I have grown older, I have found myself preferring the Hurricane more with each passing year.
During the war, my grandfather had served as a Hurricane pilot, flying between 1943 and 1945. As a kid, my grandfather would tell me stories and show me intricate things on the Hurricane, many of which I still remember.
In total, I would say that I prefer the Hurricane over the Spitfire, however, not by much. Had my grandfather been a Spitfire pilot, I could see my views being very different (assuming he still had the same knowledge).
Summary
For the most part, both the Hurricane and Spitfire are similarly sized aircraft. Both aircraft are the same height, with the Hurricane being only mildly longer and wider.
The Spitfire is noticeably faster than the Hurricane, although, sacrifices range for speed. On top of this, the Spitfire has a slightly higher service ceiling, although, this doesn’t make much of a difference.
Although the Spitfire has more weapons (almost double what the Hurricane has!) these eight guns are weaker than the four used on the Hurricane. The Hurricane also has a faster rate of climb than the Spitfire does!
Trainer variants discarded, all combat variants of both the aircraft require only one crew member- the pilot. However, almost 25% more Spitfires were produced in total.
Featured image courtesy of Kieren Pitts via Flickr.