Designed by Sidney Camm, the Hawker Typhoon (nicknamed "Tiffy") had the distinction of being the RAF's first 400 mph fighter, built initially as a replacement for the venerable Hurricane but suffering from poor performance at high-altitudes which almost ended its carrer. At low-altitudes, however, it was very effective against low flying German fighters and later came to its own as one of the war's most successful ground attack aircraft thanks to a combination of ruggedness, availability, and firepower in addition to excellent handling. Typhoons became an enduring symbol of the RAF's 2nd Tactical Air Force over occupied Europe beginning in 1943, knocking out locomotives and other transport vehicles and became legendary during the Normandy campaign (especially during the Falaise encirclement)  where 'cab ranks' of Typhoons could be called in by ground troops to suppress and destroy enemy defenses, especially tanks. Overall, its speed and ruggedness made it an invaluable Allied asset for the liberation of Europe and one of the finest British aircraft of the war used also by Canada and New Zealand and with production continuing up to late 1945.

The Typhoon entered the drawing boards back in 1937 and was first flown on 24 February 1940. The principal variant of the Typhoon was the Mk. IIB which featured four 20-mm cannon in place of the 12 .303-in machine guns of the earlier and less widely produced Mk. IA. Typhoons would usually be armed with a pair of 1,000 lb bombs or 8 60-lb rockets and were produced until the final months of 1945, the grand majority of them by Gloster.