On 2 September 1947, Hawker Aircraft Ltd figuratively and literally took to the air with their first jet design, the P. 1040. Conceived in the latter days of the Second World War, and developed in the straitened times of post-war austerity, the aircraft allowed Hawker to explore the new technology before moving on to more ambitious programs. Rejected by the Royal Air Force, subsequent development of the aircraft allowed the Royal Navy to find in it a useful role at sea.

As this project slowly wound its way through the government bureaucracy against a background of national insolvency, Hawker continued their research into more potent forms of jet travel with their first swept wing aircraft, the P. 1052, their first rocket powered example, the P. 1072, and, finally, the sleek, all swept P. 1081. These essentially research aircraft gave the company the experience and expertise it9789811571008