‘Very rare’: Ukraine finds remnants of British WWII Hurricane fighter planes outside Kyiv

British media reports citing officials in Ukraine, on Sunday (July 2) reported that eight Hurricane fighter planes dating back to World War Two from the United Kingdom were found in a forest near Kyiv. The National Aviation Museum of Ukraine began excavations after a World War II-era bomb was discovered near Kyiv which prompted the local authorities to check the entire ravine with metal detectors when they stumbled upon the remains of the aircraft.

About the discovery

The remnants of the aircraft were found near an unexploded bomb dating back to the same conflict, in the forest south of Kyiv which until 1991 was a part of the USSR. “It is very rare to find this aircraft in Ukraine,” said Oleks Shtan, a former airline pilot who is leading the excavation, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “It’s very important for our aviation history because no lend-lease aircraft have been found here before.”

The British Hurricane fighter jets were sent aspart of a package of Allied military support for the USSR by Britain after the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941, and paid for by the United States under the so-called lend-lease scheme. Notably, Washington is currently using similar legislation to send military aid to Kyiv amid its conflict with Moscow.

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The discovery is said to be unique since Hawker Hurricanes are rarely found in Ukraine. According to historians, some of these aircraft were purposely broken and buried by the Soviets so that they did not have to pay back the US as a part of the legislation requiring the USSR to pay for donated military equipment that remained intact.

What is the Hawker Hurricane fighter jet?

“The Hurricane was a strong, easy to fly machine,” said Shtan, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “It was stable as a gun platform and suitable for inexperienced pilots. A reliable aircraft.” It is also reported that the rusty remains of the aircraft had been stripped of its valuable components like radios and machine guns as well as any useful scrap metal.

The Hawker Hurricane is said to be key in the Battle of Britain and shot down more than half of the enemy aircraft when Nazi Germany attempted to invade the UK. While its role was overshadowed by the Spitfire plane, Hurricane’s role was seen as significant in 1940.

As per British media reports, a total of 3,000 Hurricanes were sent to the USSR between 1941 and 1944 to support their war efforts. However, most of them were destroyed in combat or dismantled later for parts. The National Aviation Museum of Ukraine aims to reassemble the Hurricanes fighter jets found and put them on display.

“The Hurricanes are a symbol of British assistance during the years of the Second World War, just as we are very appreciative of British assistance nowadays,” said the head of research at the museum, Valerii Romanenko, as quoted by the BBC. He added, “The UK is one of the largest suppliers of military equipment to our country now.”

He also spoke about how even in 1941, Britain was the first one to supply fighter aircraft to the Soviet Union on a mass scale and currently the UK is the first country to provide Storm Shadow cruise missiles to the Ukrainian forces.

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