Designed to meet the 1934 Air Ministry Specification P.4/34 for a light bomber, the Hawker Henley first flew on 10 March 1937. By the time the Henley and the competing Fairey P.4/43 flew, the Air Ministry had dropped its requirement for a light bomber. This decision appears to have been based on the potential for propeller overspeed when dive bombing. Although this could be alleviated with constant speed propellers, they were not then available in the required quantities. When they did become available in 1940, they were need for Hurricane fighters.
Based on the Hurricane, the Henley was capable of carrying 550lb of bombs within the fuselage and had provision for another 200lb of bombs to be carried on underwing racks. An order for 350 Henleys was placed before the decission to cancel the project was made. This was reduced to 200 Henley target tugs, which was fulfilled by Gloster as Hawker was committed to Hurricane production.
The Henley was disappointing as a target tug. Capable of 300 mph, it was forced to fly at 220 mph for its new role. The addition of the high drag target drogue placed great strain on the engine, with high revs and slow speed resulting in insufficient cooling. This resulted in an unacceptable rate of engine failures.
Henleys were accordingly passed onto anti-aircraft co-operation units, where the drogue was even larger. This resulted in even poorer performance. As a result in mid-1942, the Henley was withdrawn, in favour of modified Boulton Paul Defiants, and purpose-built Miles Martinet aircraft.
The Hawker Henley was also used as an engine testbed, the original prototype (K5115) being fitted with a Rolls-Royce Vulture, 24-cylinder engine in 1939. This engine proved troublesome however, and another example (L3302) was also similarly converted during the following year.
Additionally in 1940, a Hawker Henley (L3414) was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine and was used for much of the engine trials work carried out for its further use in the Fairey Firefly.
Hawker Henley Prototypes
Hawker Henley TT Mk.III
Hawker Henley Mk.III Line drawingHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3261Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3261Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3243. The first production HenleyHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3261 showing the bomb bay which could accommodate two 250 Ib bombsHawker Henley TT Mk.IIIHawker Henley TT Mk.IIIHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3243 the first production Mk.IIIHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3251Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3259Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3276 at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, March 1942Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3276 was powered by a Merlin V and underwent trials at A&AEE between February and March 1942Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3286Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3276 with bombs mounted externally outboard of the undercarriageHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3288 of No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Cooperation UnitHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3353 No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit, parked a few feet from a bomb crater at Bircham NewtonHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3433Hawker Henley TT Mk.IIIHawker Henley TT Mk.III behind airfield machine gunHawker Henley TT Mk.III towing a target over an anti-aircraft gun positionHawker Henley propeller-driven winch to haul in a target tug’s drogue cable
Hawker Henley Evaluation and Test-Beds
Hawker Henley with Rolls-Royce Griffon engineHawker Henley with Rolls-Royce Vulture engineHawker Henley Mk.I K5115 First Prototype fitted with the 1,760 h.p. Rolls-Royce Vulture engineHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3276 with bombs mounted externally outboard of the undercarriageHawker Henley Mk.I prototype was tested with underwing bombsHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3276 was powered by a Merlin V and underwent trials at A&AEE between February and March 1942
Crashed Hawker Henley Target Tugs
Hawker Henley TT Mk.III L3245 crashed on beachHawker Henley TT Mk.III L3245 crashed on beach