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The Hawker Sea Hawk F.G.A. Mark 6 was the designation given to the F.G.A.4 when it was powered by the Nene Mk.103 engine. The Sea Hawk was designed around a centrifugal jet engine, but in 1950 the Government withdrew support for the Rolls Royce Tay engine, leaving the Nene as the best engine of that type available.
By the mid 1950s the Sea Hawk had evolved from a fighter into a ground attack aircraft, a change that saw an increase in its normal loaded weight. Ideally this would have been balanced by an increase in engine power, and so Rolls Royce produced the Nene Mk.103. This engine produced 5,200lb of thrust, only 200lb more than the Mk.101 used in earlier Sea Hawks. The new engine was installed in the F.B.3, turning it into the F.B.5, and in the F.G.A. Mark 6. The Mk.6 used the same four-pylon system as the Mark 4, and was given a Green Salad UHF navigation system.
A small number of F.G.A.4s were re-engined to become F.G.A.6s, but the main source was an order for 86 new aircraft which was placed in 1955. The FG.A.Mk 6 served with Nos.800, 802, 804, 897, 898 and 899 squadrons before being phased out in 1958-60.
Engine: Rolls Royce Nene Mk.103
Power: 5,200lb thrust
Crew: 1
Wing span: 39ft 0in
Length: 39ft 8in
Height: 8ft 8in
Max Speed at Sea Level (clean): 599mph (Mach 0.79)
Max Speed at Sea Level (two tanks and two 500lb bombs): 518mph (Mach 0.68)
Max Speed at 20,000ft (clean): 528 mph (Mach 0.80)
Max Speed at 35,000ft (two tanks and two 500lb bombs): 523mph (Mach 0.77)
Time to 35,000ft: 11 minutes 50 seconds (clean)
Service Ceiling: 44,500ft (clean)
Operational Radius: 288 miles
Armament: Four fixed forward-firing 20mm cannon
Bomb-load: Four 500lb bombs or 4 90 gallon drop tanks or twenty 3in or 5in rockets