Royal Navy Aircraft

Victory at Sea: Royal Navy Aircraft

The British air raid on the Italian port of Taranto demonstrated to the world the vulnerability of ships to air attack. The aircraft of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm proved to be a scourge to the Axis powers on all theatres of war.

Short Sunderland Flying Boat: The Sunderland was a flying boat developed for general reconnaissance from the S.23 Empire or C-class flying boat, the flagship of Imperial Airways. With British shipping under constant attack from German U-boats, the Sunderlands would patrol the approaches or fly convoy protection missions. When a U-boat was spotted, the Sunderlands would attempt to attack it before it submerged. Although sometimes referred to as depth charges, their bombs were set to explode at shallow depths and were equally effective against surfaced U-boats.

Hawker Hurricane: After gaining fame in the Battle of Britain where it was the mainstay of the RAF, the Hurricane was used throughout the war. As the war progressed, it slowly became obsolete as a front-line fighter and took on other duties such as ground attack and anti-tank roles. The Sea Hurricane was an important development but quickly fell out of favour for carrier operations.

Fairey Fulmar: Initially rejected by the RAF, the Fulmar met the Fleet Air Arm’s requirement for a fighter aircraft with the same firepower as a Spitfire or Hurricane. Although inferior to a pure single-seat fighter, the Fulmar was reliable and had a long range, making it suitable for carrier operations. However, it was to be replaced by the much more capable Seafire halfway through the war.

Contains 9 Royal Navy resin aircraft:
- 1 x Short Sunderland Flying Boat
- 4 x Hawker Hurricane Fighter/Bomber
- 4 x Fairey Fulmar Fighter/Bomber

Models supplied unassembled and unpainted