The Hawker Sea Fury was to become the Fleet Air Arm's last piston-engined fighter. Development had started in 1943, for the Royal Air Force (RAF), intended as a successor of their highly successful Typhoon and Tempest fighters.
An Air Ministry Specification F.6/42 had been issued on 7 September 1942 and called for a single-seat (light) fighter aircraft. Submitted designs included a modified version of the Hawker Tempest: the Tempest Light Fighter, to be powered by a Bristol Centaurus radial engine. Some time later, the Admiralty also issued a specification for lightweight single-seat aircraft (Specification N.7/43). Hawkers succeded convincing the Admiralty and te Ministry of Aircraft Production that their proposal of their design with a Centaurus XII was capable of fulfilling both specifications, resulting in the issue of a new specification pooled under Specification F.2/43, dated 14 May 1943. Hawkers would work on the Royal Air Force design named the Fury and Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd at Wolverhampton would undertake the conversion of the aircraft conforming to naval standards (Specification N.22/43), named the Sea Fury.
The first two F.2/43 Fury prototypes for the RAF, NX798 and NX802, were ordered on 27 March 1943. Although the Centaurus XII radial was envisaged as the main powerplant for the Fury/Sea Fury, other engines were considered, as had also been the case with the Tempest. By December 1943 three prototypes were on order, of which one was to be powered by a Bristol Centaurus XII (NX798), one to be powered by the Bristol Centaurus XV (NX802) and one fitted with a Rolls Royce Griffon engine (LA610). On 27 February 1946 two other prototypes to Specification F.2/43 were ordered. These two were serialled VP207 and VP213. Early in 1944, the naval prototypes were ordered: on 24 February 1944 the order for two prototypes to Specification N.22/43 (SR661 and SR666) a month later, on 22 March, to be followed by the order for one F.X also to Specification N.22/43 (serial VB857).

1. NX798 (F.2/43) Fury prototype: first flight on 1 September 1944, fitted with a Centaurus XII and 4-bladed Rotol propeller; later re-engined with a Centaurus XVIII and 4-bladed Rotol and first flew in this configuration on 19 March 1946.

2. LA610 (F.2/43) Fury prototype: first flight on 27 November 1944, with a Griffon 85 and two contra-rotating three-bladed Rotol propellers. LA610 had originally been ordered as a Tempest III. It was refitted with a Napier Sabre VII and made her first flight with this engine on 5 February 1945.

3. NX802 (F.2/43) Fury prototype: first flight on 25 July 1945, with Centaurus XV and 4-bladed propeller. Later re-engined with a Centaurus XVIII and 5-bladed Rotol propeller.

4. SR661 (N.22/43) Sea Fury prototype. This semi-navalised aircraft was powered by a Centaurus XII and four-bladed propeller. First flight on 21 Februari 1945. Soon after, the aircraft was fitted with a Centaurus XV with 5-bladed propeller.

5. SR666 (N.22/43) Sea Fury prototype. Fully navalised, with folding wings and Centaurus XV with 5-bladed Rotol propeller. First flight on 12 October 1945. Later a Centaurus XVIII was fitted.

6. VB857 Sea Fury F.X prototype. Fully navalised with Centaurus XV and 5-bladed propeller. First flight on 31 January 1946.

7. VP207 Fury prototype: first flight on 9 May 1947. This aircraft was built from stock parts. Fitted with the Napier Sabre VII to become the second prototype with this engine after LA610 had been refitted with the Sabre.

8. VP213 Fury prototype. Although production was commenced, the aircraft was not completed.

During April 1944 production contracts were placed for 200 Fury I aircraft for the RAF and an equal number of Sea Fury aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm, of which 100 were to be built by Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd. A few months later, with the Allied armies gaining a strong foothold in France after the D-Day landings and with the end of the World War II in Europe in sight, the production order for the RAF Fury was cancelled. The Royal Navy however considered the aircraft a suitable replacement for its ageing carrier borne fighters and pressed for continuation of the development of the Sea Fury.

The first production model, Sea Fury F.X* TF895 on 15 August 1946 and by early 1947 the first F.10 had been delivered to No.778 Squadron at RNAS Ford for intensive Service flying trials. In May 1947 No.787 Squadron, the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit of the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF West Raynham accepted their first F.10 aircraft.

In August 1947 No.803 Squadron (Royal Canadian Navy) at RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland, became the first operational Sea Fury unit, shortly to be followed by No.807 Squadron RNAS Culdrose). The last two units to be equipped with the F.10 were No.802 Squadron at RNAS Lee-on-Solent and No.805 Squadron (Royal Australian Navy) at RNAS Eglinton.

By the end of 1948 the F.10 was removed from front line operations to be replaced by the FB.11.


*) In June 1948 the F.X was redesignated F.10.


Sea Fury FB.11 production and serials
The total production of the FB.11 was covered by 9 contract blocks and totalled 468 aircraft, this figure excluding the three prototypes SR661, SR666 and VB857:

TF956-973, TF985-999, TG113-TG129 (50 a/c).
VR918- 952 (35 a/c).
VX608-643, VX650-696, VX707-711, VX724-730, VX748-764, WF-610-WF627 (135 a/c).
WE673-694, WE708-736, WE785-806, WM472-482, WM487-WM495 (93 a/c).
WG564-575, WG590-604, WG621-630 (37 a/c).
WH581-594, WH612-623, WJ221-248, WJ276-292, WJ294-297, WJ229-301 (78 a/c).
WN474-479, WN484-487 (10 a/c).
WZ627-656 (30 a/c).