One of 55 “Baghdad Furies.” For the Iraqi order, Hawker built a “de-navalized” Sea Fury that lacked a tail hook, folding wings and other naval equipment. Iraq used these fighters until well into the 1970s, when a couple of enterprising warbird collectors bought Iraq’s remaining 24 Furies and all spares and shipped them to Florida.

Fury I

In December 1946, the Iraqi government ordered 30 Furies. Known unofficially as the “Baghdad Furies”, these were delivered to Iraq during 1948. These were joined in 1949 by two twin-seat trainer versions. A further 25 single-seaters and three two-seat Furies (some sources say four) were ordered and delivered to Iraq in 1953. All of these aircraft were powered by Bristol Centaurus 18 engines driving five-bladed propellers.