Elements from eight Hawker Hurricane aircraft

Despite the war, State Aviation Museum of Ukraine continues to expand its exposition.

Search groups collaborating with the museum found locations where utilization of combat aircraft received from allies via Lend-Lease, took place. In June they recovered and delivered to the museum elements, parts, and airframe components from eight Hawker Hurricane aircraft. Currently, museum researchers are examining name plates with the goal to establish specific modifications and prepare proper information for museum exposition.

The world learned about this discovery due to reporting of BBC correspondent James Landale, who personally participated in recovering of the fuselage parts from one of the aircraft. This news widely resonated among aviation history enthusiasts in Ukraine and around the world. The colleagues from aviation museums, experts in restoration of vintage aircraft, and individual enthusiasts offered generous help: copies of factory drawings, parts and elements of the airframes, and technologies among others. This makes it possible to restore this historic aircraft.

Unfortunately, not a single World War II era aircraft is available in Ukraine. It is virtually impossible to restore Yak or Lavochkin fighters even in cases when they are excavated from the ground or retrieved from water (rivers, lakes, or Black Sea). The Soviet aircraft were manufactured mostly from wood and covered with fabric. Both these materials cannot sustain environmental conditions and be adequately restored.

American and British aircraft received in 1941 – 1945 via Lend-Lease, were entirely metal, manufactured mostly from aluminum alloys. They are also having damage from corrosion, although their structural elements often allow restoration. Western museums or private owners do this by combining maximum number of the parts and elements from the original plane, and missing or unrestorable elements are fabricated from modern materials. Full-scale static display with sufficient number of original parts can be officially called an artifact.

Hurricanes were widely used during WWII with over 14,500 aircraft produced. It was the first Western combat aircraft received by the Soviet Union. The first shipment arrived on August 30, 1941. Overall, the Soviets received almost 3,000 of these fighters. Several hundreds of them were defending the skies over Ukraine in air defense units. After the war they were considered obsolete and were quickly written off. After removing of engines, armament, and equipment, the planes were destroyed, frequently by dropping them into ditches and covered by earth. It was exactly this type of aviation graveyard that was discovered by enthusiast search parties. Due to their perseverance and passion, it became possible to open new pages of aviation history for wider audience. In USSR aid from allies during the war was silenced and belittled.

In the State Aviation Museum of Ukraine, restoration of Hurricane will open the beginning of new collection – Combat Aircraft of WWII, especially that this fighter aircraft is considered the classics and the symbol of British military aid. Eighty-two years later, another symbol of such an aid was also British long-range cruise missile Storm Shadow, which is used by Ukrainian military for deadly strikes of the targets in rear areas of Russian occupation forces.