Hurricane Mk IIC
| World War II aircraft | |
| Hurricane Mk IIC | |
| |
| Variant of | Hurricane |
|---|---|
| Type | Fighter/attacker |
| Country of origin | Britain |
| Manufacturer | Hawker |
| Crew | Single-seat |
| Dimensions | Wing span 40' Length 32'3" Height 13'3" |
| Internal fuel | 121 gallons |
| how to edit | |
The Hurricane Mk IIC in World War II[edit]
Development[edit]
Looking for a way to improve both the performance and the firepower of the Hurricane, Hawker engineers started work in January 1940 on a version to be powered by the new Merlin XX engine to be armed with twelve Browning .303 machine guns. The first stage of this development culminated in the introduction of the Hurricane Mk IIA, which was fitted with the new engine but retained the eight-gun armament of the Mk IA.
The second stage resulted in the development of two different wings, each of which was stressed to carry a pair of 500 lb. bombs. The first wing was fitted with the originally intended twelve machine guns, however the second wing was designed around an armament of four 20mm Hispano cannon.
The Mk IIC, as the cannon-armed version was known, proved to be the most useful and widely used variant of the Hurricane, with 4,711 examples being produced. Additionally, most IIA and IIB machines were retrofitted with the IIC wing and were thus redesignated as IIC models. In 1943 the IICs were themselves retrofitted with four rocket rails under each wing, allowing the plane to carry eight air-to-ground 3" rockets.
The Hurricane IIC's engine was a Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquid-cooled V-12 which produced 1,185 hp at 21,000 ft (883 kW at 6,400 m).
Unit Deployment[edit]
External Links[edit]
| Aces High II aircraft | |
| Hurricane Mk IIC | |
| Variant of | Hurricane |
|---|---|
| Type | Fighter/attacker |
| Crew | Single-seat |
| Aces High II loadout options | |
| Package 1 | 4x 20mm Hispano Mk II 91rpg |
| Options | 2x 500lb bombs, or 2x 44gal drop tanks |
| Aces High II Main Arenas | |
| Earliest MA | Early War |
| Typical perk cost | 0 (Late War) |
| ENY value | 10 (Late War) |
| Available on carrier | no |
| how to edit | |
The Hurricane Mk IIC in Aces High II[edit]
The thought of mounting four Hispano cannons on a Hurricane is almost insane but that's what the Hurri IIC did. In AH where firepower is often king, it makes for an interesting aircraft, one that certainly differentiates itself from a run-of-the-mill Hurricane. The Hurri IIC is the plane that everyone must respect, but not typically fear, for it can show its power in an instant but also show the weakness of a plane that is simply out-classed in a number of other ways. Still, for the average furballer looking for a challenge where you won't have to chase anything, the Hurri IIC can wreck havoc in short order.
Engine Power[edit]
Never a strong point for Hurricanes, the Hurri IIC has a slight upgrade in engine power though this is mostly offset by an increase in weight of the aircraft (up 1000 pounds). The Hurri IIC is not fast, clocking a poor 262mph at sea-level (273mph with WEP), leaving it close to the back of the pack of finishers in any speed race. Some bombers are actually going to be faster than you at most altitudes, so chasing things is not advised. Speed increases marginally with altitude, breaking 310mph at 11K and topping out at 327mph at 18K. WEP use is important to make sure you have as much power available when you need it. Climb rate is reasonable, though not stellar, at 3,100ft/minute, dropping slowly and steadily to 2,600ft/minute at 15K. Acceleration is tragic, consistently towards the back of the pack at all altitudes though the very low speed acceleration is not all that bad. Fuel range is 22 minutes on full internal, which is a little short, but you can add another 22 minutes with external drop tanks. Drop tanks are not used often as you tend to not travel very far in the Hurri IIC, though they will help you lighten up on internal fuel a bit if you so desire.
Aces High II Performance Charts[edit]
Firepower[edit]
It's amazing how four 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon can make a plane that was pretty much a non-issue (Hurricane Mk I) into something that frightens just about everyone. The Hispanos offer instant credibility and a level of respect from other aircraft as they are pretty much the best air-to-air weapons in the game. Ammunition loading is light, only 91 rounds/gun so you need to have a light finger on the trigger and not waste ammunition as you might if you had more. You can extend your ammunition a bit by only selecting to fire one bank at a time on lower percentage shots, saving the full-broadside of all 4 guns for those "can't miss" type situations. Snapshots, deflection, tracking and even Head-Ons will be deadly at almost any range. You will likely see a lot of people fearful to get anywhere close to the nose of a Hurricane, regardless of version, for fear that it is the Hispano equipped model. If they get nice and close though, and know what to look for, they can pick you out instantly as a Hurri IIC. There is provision to mount a bomb up to 500lbs in size though doing so will cost some speed though it's hard to say if you'll miss it.
Maneuverability[edit]
The Hurri IIC handles really well at all speeds. It is a plane that can comfortably handle down to as little as 100mph or up over what the speedometer will display in excess of 500mph. I don't think many people realize that, but the Hurricane is a pretty tough bird and can take some punishment from maneuvering. Roll rate can be a little sluggish at very low speeds, but that is common to almost everything. At high speeds the controls are still quite good and you will have structural creaking and possibly Mach buffet if you dive the Hurricane to high enough speed. Unusually, the ailerons will actually fail first, peeling away and leaving the plane still intact but basically unable to roll. Turn rates are good and the radius is very small. This is a little surprising as the Hurri IIC gained 1,000lbs of weight yet no increase in wing area. I tend to feel it turns slightly worse than a standard Hurri I though it has more power with enables it to maintain a turn longer. I also think the Hurri IIC feels a little less nimble and slight less balanced, against probably because of the weight gain. It is still a pretty stable plane though, not one that is known to depart flight easily. The pointability of the Hurri IIC is part of what makes it very dangerous though, it can spin around so quickly and face almost anyone down with a frightening decision to face 4 Hispanos.
Fighting in the Hurricane Mk IIC[edit]
Try and grab a little bit of altitude to work with, something around 8-10K should suffice. This will help with cruise speed and give you some altitude to trade in order to pick up additional speed. Only climbing that high shouldn't take very long as the climb rate is pretty reasonable. Extended chases are not practical though a quick dive on someone can provide a short-lived closure into firing range.
Offensively, your greatest assets are a very good turn-rate, tight radius, and big firepower. Your weaknesses are in anything extended, such as a chase or escape manuever. Most Hurricanes are flown as strict turn-fighters though and it seems to suit them. Using as many energy conserving maneuvers as you can, turn-fight people to get into position to take brief snapshots at short ranges with your cannons. This is really effective and it can't be stressed enough that you can take out any plane in the game with only a half second burst. Being slow isn't great because of the defensive liabilities but you should be able to turn with almost anything as speeds bleed off. Don't get overly greedy with chasing people in dives as they tend to lead to more extended chases which won't favor you. If someone simply tries to run though, a quick burst of Hispano from only 1 bank might make him reconsider that.
Defensively you don't have that many options and typically you'll end up in a sort of turning defense. You can't really run and diving away isn't going to help you in most cases. Your turn rate can be very high though, placing the enemy in a poor offensive situation. If you are alert, you can basically force your enemy to face a Head-On option or break off the attack. I don't really think this is a great option though as it basically assures the demise of you both unless one of you is a terrible shot. Junior pilots see this as a prime shot, while veteran pilots will tend to avoid, so it is risky. If you can trick an enemy into slowing down in an inferior turning aircraft though, which are most planes in the game, then you may be able to win angles quite quickly in a sustained turn-fight.
Fighting against the Hurricane Mk IIC[edit]
The Hurri IIC should be like food you can play with until you are ready to eat it. The only real thing to fear is a turn-fight and those Hispanos. Lots of people who fly the Hurri IIC will burn up their ammo rather quickly though and have nothing left to shoot. This often comes from having had experience in planes with more ammunition that would allow spray'n'pray tactics, which the Hurricane IIC doesn't. You can also easily identify the different Hurricane variants if you can get close. Tan/Brown is the IID, Grey/Green is the IIC and Green/Brown is the Hurri I. Don't let yourself get cornered and if you sense danger, look to extend.
Offensively, just try to land hits and don't slow down long enough let the Hurricane get a shot in. You should be able to dictate the terms of the fight fairly easily by using superior speed to stay out of harm's way. Never get into an extended turn-fight with a Hurricane unless you are in a Zero as there is nothing else that can clearly beat the Hurricane. Take shots whenever possible as the Hurri IIC isn't terribly tough to large calibre damage. Be careful of collisions too, the Hurricane tends to be moving so slowly that it is not uncommon to ram into one accidentally. Never accept a Head-On unless you have no other options.
Defensively, you probably just have to break free from a Hurricane once in order to escape clean. Even if the Hurricane starts with a large energy advantage in speed or altitude, keep your speed up and then try to maneuver to break free. Break turns are not a great idea as the Hurricane will try and follow you since you probably have slowed down a bit. Instead, build up as much a speed as you can, knowing the Hurricane is paying a terrible price to maintain a high speed. Never let the Hurricane settle into guns range though, keep him outside D1.0 if at all possible and you should consider any time spent inside that range as dangerous. I would maneuver very aggressively at the first sign that he is shooting at you at almost any range under D1.0. As a minimum, rock your wings to make the shot more difficult while you extend. Hispanos have a nasty habit of blowing you to bits even at D1.1 sometimes. A steep, high speed, dive can be an effective escape though you will likely have to throw in some serious maneuvers to try and break free on the way down. Once free, extend in any direction away from the Hurricane and he will likely be unable to follow.
