US Naval Ordnance Test Station Hawker F12-W SeaHawk, 1958 Bullpup Missile Trials Aircraft
Following a series of catastrophic structural failures during carrier landings the US grounded the F2H Banshee fleet in early 1954. By this point the Banshee was soldiering on as a stopgap until more capable fighters such as the Cougar, Skyray, Skyhawk were brought into the fleet. But even as a stopgap fighter the sudden loss left a gap that the USN was uncomfortable tolerating. With US manufacturers already operating close to capacity the Navy looked overseas for a short-term solution. One up and coming Pentagon Naval Staff Officer had served an exchange tour with the Royal Navy in 1952 and had been involved in developmental testing of the Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk. Impressed with the potential of the aircraft he made a compelling case for the Sea Hawk as the Navy's solution.
In late 1954 the USN placed an order for 128 Sea Hawks, to be designated in US service as the F12-W SeaHawk. US SeaHawks were based on the Mk.100 version ordered that same year for the West German Navy. The first example was delivered in eight months, and the aircraft went to see aboard the USS Midway in November 1955. While popular with pilots, the SeaHawk lagged in performance compared with the new generation of fleet fighters arriving in great numbers, and the type's short front-line service life ended in January 1958, with only 94 of the original 128 order delivered. Five SeaHawks were lost in accidents (with no loss of life), 45 airframes were sold to Brazil, 26 converted to target drones, and the remaining 18 assigned to the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake in the Mojave Desert to serve as trials aircraft.
This example served at China Lake from April 1958 until the type was completely retired from US service in 1967. It holds the distinction of being the final US SeaHawk to launch from an aircraft carrier, and after a long period in storage was refurbished and displayed at the Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at China Lake. It is depicted here as it appeared in 1958 during trials for the AGM-12 (then ASM-N-7) Bullpup missile.
