An aluminium extra large scale model of a Hawker Hunter supersonic fighter. This is a rare scale model, more than likely employed as an early wind tunnel model, the likes of which were commissioned by the makers of the actual manufacturers of the aircraft to dedicated manufacturers and often given to high ranking servicemen and women, members of the air forces or government's that commissioned their order, usually in very limited numbers.

Designed by Sir Sydney Camm in the late 1940s, the Hawker Hunter was Britain’s answer to the first generation of true jet fighters, created at a moment when aviation was moving from wartime improvisation to refined, purposeful engineering. Built around the Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet and developed from Hawker’s earlier Sea Hawk work, the Hunter introduced a clean, swept-wing silhouette, a high-set tail and a nose intake that gave it a distinctive, balanced profile. The prototype, known as the P.1067, flew for the first time in 1951, and within two years a modified Hunter had set a world air speed record of over 700 miles per hour, a statement piece for British aeronautical design in the early jet age.

In service with the Royal Air Force from 1954, the Hunter quickly became the standard day fighter, replacing types such as the Meteor and Sabre. Early teething troubles with fuel systems and the powerful 30 mm ADEN cannon were methodically engineered out, leading to the more mature F.4 and F.6 variants that pilots remember as honest, capable aircraft that were as happy at low level as at altitude. As newer supersonic designs arrived, the Hunter shifted naturally into ground attack and reconnaissance in marks such as the FGA.9 and FR.10, flying hard, unglamorous work in the Middle East and Far East. At the same time it became something of a showpiece at home, with RAF display teams like the Black Arrows and Blue Diamonds using formations of Hunters to demonstrate precision flying on a grand scale.

The Hunter’s real legacy, however, lies in the breadth and length of its career beyond Britain. Nearly two thousand examples were built and supplied to air forces across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. It saw combat in Indo-Pakistani conflicts, in Middle Eastern wars and later in South American service, yet also spent decades as a reliable training and air defence platform in countries such as Switzerland. Many remained in front line or secondary service long after more modern types had already been retired. Today, preserved Hunters still fly on the civilian register and in museum collections, a reminder of a period when British jet design managed to combine performance, proportion and longevity in a way that feels quietly assured rather than ostentatious.

This model is an exceptionally rare example of a wind tunnel model in excellent condition. The base connects to the rear of the aircraft into the aircraft's underbelly. 

Made in England, circa 1950's.  A great piece of military history, and a rare an unusual find in such scale.