The Hawker Hunter was designed by Sir Sydney Camm (who also created the Hurricane and the Harrier) as a high-altitude daytime interceptor, and could carry bombs and rockets. Only 1,972 were produced, but it was the longest-serving RAF jet of its time and also was used by the Royal Navy. It also was popular with fighter pilots in 19 different countries. At one point, there were a thousand Hunters in operation at the same time around the world. The RCAF has never flown the Hawker Hunter in service.

The Museum’s Hawker Hunter was in service with the Swiss Air Force (SAF) from 1953 to 1995, when the SAF Hunters were decommissioned. In addition to regular service with the SAF, it flew as one of the original four Hunters of the force’s elite Patrouille Suisse, the official SAF aerobatics team, from its founding in 1964 until 1994. It is currently painted in the team colours of red and white.The Government of Switzerland, represented by the Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss Air Force, donated Hawker Hunter J4029 to the Government of Canada in 1995 for display at the National Air Force Museum of Canada. The Swiss flew the aircraft to Lyneham, England, where it was disassembled and shipped to CFB Trenton in a CC-130 Hercules. It was towed into the Museum’s Air Park on September 16, 1995.