The first of the Royal Air Force's eight-gun monoplane fighters, the Hurricane entered service in 1937. Quantity production prior to the outbreak of World War II enabled the RAF to field no fewer than 2,300 Hurricanes in the summer of 1940. Always outnumbering its more famous counterpart during the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane is credited with the destruction of more enemy aircraft than any other type in the defense of the United Kingdom.