List of Hawker Hunter operators

The following is a list of units that have used the Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft.

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Operators

 Abu Dhabi /  United Arab Emirates

• Abu Dhabi Defence Force Air Wing

United Arab Emirates Air Force

 Belgium

Belgian Air Force

(112 x F.4, 144 x F.6)

 Chile

Chilean Air Force

Hawker Hunter FGA9 Chilean Air Force

 Denmark

Danish Hawker Hunter F.Mk.51

Royal Danish Air Force

 Iraq

Iraqi Air Force

 India

Indian Air Force

• No. 7 Squadron "The Battle-Axes"
• No. 14 Squadron "The Bulls"
• No. 17 Squadron "The Golden Arrows"
• No. 20 Squadron "The Lightnings" - The Unit also flew the Hunters in a nine-aircraft formation aerobatic team rechristened "The Thunderbolts"
• No. 27 Squadron "The Flaming Arrows"
• No. 37 Squadron "The Black Panthers"
• Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) "The Young 'Uns" - This unit was briefly redesignated as No. 122 (Ad Hoc) Squadron IAF during the 1971 War.
• No. 2 Target Tug Unit "The Banners"

 Jordan

Hunter F.73 of the Royal Jordanian Air Force in 1971

Royal Jordanian Air Force

 Kenya

Kenyan Air Force

 Kuwait

Kuwait Air Force 4 x FGA.57 and 5 x T.67

As part of a defence agreement between the United Kingdom and Kuwait four FGA Mk 57 single-seaters (converted from former Belgian Mark 6 aircraft) and five T Mk 67 twin-seat trainers (converted from former British, Belgian and Dutch single-seat aircraft were sold to Kuwait. The single-seaters were delivered between 1965 and 1966 and the two-seaters in two batches, two in 1965 and thee in 1969. The single-seat aircraft were withdrawn in 1976 when they were replaced by the A-4 Skyhawk but the two-seat Hunters carried on in a training role.

 Lebanon

Lebanese Air Force

Lebanon received 19 aircraft (12 from UK, 7 from Belgium). One was lost in the Six-Day War, 8 remaining are a mix of FGA.70, FGA.6 and T.66C. Three were sold as spare parts. The Last 4 active Hunters were withdrawn from service the by the end of 2014.

 Netherlands

A Hunter F.6A of the Dutch Hawker Hunter Foundation painted to represent a Royal Netherlands Air Force aircraft in 2009

Royal Netherlands Air Force

• 322 Squadron
• 323 Squadron
• 324 Squadron
• 325 Squadron
• 326 Squadron
• 327 Squadron

 Oman

Royal Air Force of Oman

 Peru

The Peruvian Air Force received 16 Hunter F.52 in 1956 and one Hunter T.62 in 1960. They equipped the 12th Fighter Group based in Talara, near the border with Ecuador. The last Peruvian Hunters were withdrawn from service in 1980.^[1]

Peruvian Air Force

 Qatar

Qatar Emiri Air Force

 Rhodesia

Royal Rhodesian Air Force

• No. 1 Squadron

 Saudi Arabia

Royal Saudi Air Force 4 x F.60 and 2 x T.7

As part of the Magic Carpet arms deal between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four single-seat Hunter F.6s and two Hunter T.7s were ordered from Hawker in 1966. The aircraft were delivered to No. 6 Squadron at Khamis Mushayt Airbase in May 1966. Although the Hunters were operational following attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Egyptian Air Force they were not a success as interceptors as they lacked any ground control but were used for ground attack. One single-seat aircraft was lost in 1967 and the remaining aircraft were presented to Jordan in 1968.

• 6 Squadron RSAF

 Singapore

Hawker Hunter F.74S Singapore Paya Lebar Air Base

Republic of Singapore Air Force

Ordered in 1968 with delivery starting in 1971 and completed in 1973, the RSAF operated a total of 46 Hunters (12× FGA.74s, 26× FR.74A/Bs and 8× T.75/As, excluding one T.75A which was lost in accident before delivery) from 1971 to 1992.^[2] Only 4 were preserved as museum exhibits while the remaining 21 airworthy airframes were sold to an Australian Warbird broker, Pacific Hunter Aviation Pty, in 1995.^[3]

• 140 Sqn "The Ospreys"
• 141 Sqn "The Merlins"

 Somalia

Somali Air Corps

 Sweden

Swedish Airforce J34 Hunter, 1955

Royal Swedish Air Force

• F 8 Barkarby
• F 9 Säve Last base to use the Hawker Hunter in Sweden, now a museum outside Gothenburg.
• F 10 Ängelholm
• F 18 Tullinge (home base to Acro Hunters display team)

  Switzerland

Swiss Hawker Hunter Mk58 on display

Swiss Air Force

 United Kingdom

Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment

Empire Test Pilots' School

Royal Air Force

• No. 1 Squadron
• No. 2 Squadron
• No. 3 Squadron
• No. 4 Squadron
• No. 8 Squadron
• No. 12 Squadron
• No. 14 Squadron
• No. 19 Squadron
• No. 20 Squadron
• No. 26 Squadron
• No. 28 Squadron
• No. 34 Squadron
• No. 41 Squadron
• No. 43 Squadron
• No. 45 Squadron
• No. 54 Squadron
• No. 56 Squadron
• No. 58 Squadron
• No. 63 Squadron
• No. 65 Squadron
• No. 66 Squadron
• No. 67 Squadron
• No. 71 Squadron
• No. 74 Squadron
• No. 79 Squadron
• No. 92 Squadron
• No. 93 Squadron
• No. 98 Squadron
• No. 111 Squadron
• No. 112 Squadron
• No. 118 Squadron
• No. 130 Squadron
• No. 208 Squadron
• No. 222 Squadron
• No. 234 Squadron
• No. 245 Squadron
• No. 247 Squadron
• No. 257 Squadron
• No. 263 Squadron
• No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit
• No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit
• No. 237 Operational Conversion Unit
• No. 1 Tactical Weapons Unit
• Air Fighting Development Squadron
• Central Fighter Establishment
• Day Fighter Leader School
• Fighter Weapons School

Royal Navy - Fleet Air Arm

• 736 Naval Air Squadron
• 738 Naval Air Squadron
• 759 Naval Air Squadron
• 764 Naval Air Squadron
• Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit (Blue Herons)

 Zimbabwe

Air Force of Zimbabwe

• No. 1 Squadron

References

1. John Andrade, Latin-American Military Aviation, (Leicester: Midland Counties Publications, 1982), p. 239.
2. Peter, Atkins (November 1994). "Singapore or Bust". Air Forces Monthly (Key Publishing Ltd) (67). ISSN 0955-7091.
3. "HUNTERS FOR SALE". Pacific Hunter Aviation. Retrieved 15 April 2011.

Related content

• Hawker Hunter