Hawker F-58 Hunter
Pima Air and Space Museum Aircraft
Manufacturer
Hawker
Markings
Swiss Air Force, 5th Fighter Squadron, 1994
Designation
F-58
Serial Number
J-4035
Hawker F-58 Hunter
Development of the Hunter began with the Royal Air Force’s search for a replacement for the Meteor in 1947. The first prototype was ready in mid-1951. The initial versions of the Hunter suffered from numerous problems with their aerodynamics, range and weapons. However development continued and most of the problems were fixed in the Mark 4 and Mark 6 versions of the aircraft. Hunters served as the primary fighter for the Royal Air Force well into the 1960s while two-seat trainers and ground attack variants were used until the 1970s. The Hunter was also an extremely popular export fighter eventually serving with twenty-one air forces outside of England. The Hunter Mk. 58 is the export version of the Mk. 6 fighter built for Switzerland. The Swiss Air Force used the Hunter from 1958 to 1994.