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The cab-rank controller would like a word.We perhaps lacked a close-support doctrine in 1939, Army Cooperation wasn't the same thing, but by the North Africa campaign we were definitely evolving specialist close-support aircraft and doctrine (FACs and the cab rank), with Hurricane IIDs fitted with extra armour and the 40mm Vickers S gun. And the 3"/60lb rocket was enthusiastically adopted once it became available. The Typhoon with rockets largely replaced the Hurricane, though there were 500+ Hurricane IVs with the universal wing able to take the S guns, bombs or rockets, and the Hurricane V for ground attack in Burma. Tony Buttler's British Secret Projects 4, Chapter 1 Light Bombers and Ground Attack, covers the un-numbered 1942 requirement for a single seat 'low attack' aircraft, which saw responses from Cunliffe Owen (biplane; twin; single), AW with the AW.49 twin-boom pusher with Merlin or Sabre, Boulton Paul with the P.99 (twin boom pusher with Griffon), P.100 (pusher with Griffon), and P.101 (biplane), Miles M.42 (2x Merlin, Libellula layout), M.43 (single pusher Libellula) and M.44 (twin Merlin). The Martin Baker Tankbuster was a late response to this. The Air Ministry opted to stick with the Hurricane IV followed by the Typhoon.
The cab-rank controller would like a word.
We perhaps lacked a close-support doctrine in 1939, Army Cooperation wasn't the same thing, but by the North Africa campaign we were definitely evolving specialist close-support aircraft and doctrine (FACs and the cab rank), with Hurricane IIDs fitted with extra armour and the 40mm Vickers S gun. And the 3"/60lb rocket was enthusiastically adopted once it became available. The Typhoon with rockets largely replaced the Hurricane, though there were 500+ Hurricane IVs with the universal wing able to take the S guns, bombs or rockets, and the Hurricane V for ground attack in Burma.
Tony Buttler's British Secret Projects 4, Chapter 1 Light Bombers and Ground Attack, covers the un-numbered 1942 requirement for a single seat 'low attack' aircraft, which saw responses from Cunliffe Owen (biplane; twin; single), AW with the AW.49 twin-boom pusher with Merlin or Sabre, Boulton Paul with the P.99 (twin boom pusher with Griffon), P.100 (pusher with Griffon), and P.101 (biplane), Miles M.42 (2x Merlin, Libellula layout), M.43 (single pusher Libellula) and M.44 (twin Merlin). The Martin Baker Tankbuster was a late response to this. The Air Ministry opted to stick with the Hurricane IV followed by the Typhoon.
