The Hawker Tempest is a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Republican Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest, originally known as the Typhoon II, was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to address the Typhoon’s unexpected deterioration in performance at high altitude by replacing its wing with a thinner laminar flow design. Its most common model, the Tempest Mk. V, was powered by a Napier Sabre inline engine that produced around 2,400 horsepower and drove a five-bladed propeller. The Tempest had a maximum speed of 740 km/h and a range of 1,100 km. It was armed with four 20mm Hispano V cannons and could carry up to 907 kg of bombs or rockets. This fighter first flew in September 1944, entering service in early 1946. The Tempest represents a high point in the history of British piston-driven fighters, though it is heavier and incapable of carrier operations unlike its successor, the Hawker Sea Fury.