The Hedgehog was a large, folding-wing fleet reconnaissance biplane designed against an Admiralty requirement issued through the Air Ministry. It met the stated specification, but needed almost 24 minutes to reach 10,000 feet and was slower than the Blackburn Blackburn. Although the prototype was purchased for further tests, the requirement was cancelled because its performance did not sufficiently surpass the Bison, Blackburn, and Panther. Even folded, its wings left it more than 16 feet wide, illustrating the stowage penalties facing early carrier aircraft. The Hedgehog gave Hawker useful naval-design experience without securing production.
Notable Point · 53:27-1:02:34
The Hedgehog as Hawker's first naval-aircraft attempt
Hawker's three-seat Hedgehog met a fleet reconnaissance requirement but offered too little improvement over aircraft already entering service.