| P1132 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P1127 XB386 in Fleet Air Arm default livery | |
| Aircraft | P1132 |
| Manufacturer | Hawker |
| Year | 1958 (Design Frozen) |
| Power | Jet |
| Primary Use | Military, naval strike |
| Developer | Daniel_g |
| X-Plane Version | 8.64 |
| Development Status | Published |
| Custom Sounds | Yes |
| Custom Instruments | Yes |
| 3D Cockpit | Yes |
| 3D Object | Yes |
Aircraft Background[]
Designed in 1958, the P1132 was arguably the best Harrier designed. This was Hawker's first proposal to build on the P1127 Kestrel and the design solved all the weaknesses identified with the Kestrel's design:
- the high horizontal stabilizer and twin rudders improved control in the wake of the engine nozzles; - a single hot nozzle per engine had it's IR signature shielded by the twin booms; - twin engines gave the pilot an option of landing (horizontally) after engine failure, rather than having to eject; - large delta wings gave a long range and ability to carry fuel and payload; - twin booms gave plant of room for systems and fuel; - rocket engines in the boom tips (yes!!) gave it the ability to accelerate for take off or in combat - mixing the jet fuel with a small tank of H2O2.
The successor to the P1127 was however the supersonic P1154. Being subsonic was the P1132's only weakness; but in the late 1950s, supersonic appeared to be a basic design criteria. The aircraft was consequently overlooked and never left the drawing board. Interestingly, when the P1127 Harrier was procured after the cancellation of the P1154, it's mission was re-defined as subsonic. One of the few modern air wars between comparable airforces - the Falklands war - saw the Argentinean supersonic planes use their afterburners very sparingly and remained subsonic to maintain range...
X-Plane Development[]
There are no additional liveries with this aircraft