A British jet fighter first flown in 1951, the Hawker Hunter entered service with the Royal Air Force in 1954. Capable of supersonic flight in a shallow dive, the Hunter had a combat radius of 230 miles without external fuel stores. Armament consisted of four 30mm cannons in the nose as well as bombs and rockets. The Hunter saw service with 19 air forces and was license-produced in Belgium and the Netherlands. Production continued until 1966 with a total of 1,972 aircraft built.