The Hawker P.V.4 was developed in the mid-1930s as a private venture response to Air Ministry Specification G.4/31. This specification sought a "Standard General Purpose" aircraft capable of performing a wide array of duties, including reconnaissance, liaison, day and night bombing, torpedo bombing, and dive-bombing. Designed by Sydney Camm and his team at Hawker Aircraft, the P.V.4 was a two-seat biplane of mixed construction, intended to serve as a light bomber with a crew consisting of a pilot and an observer/gunner.
The prototype first flew from Brooklands airfield on 6 December 1934. To meet the rigorous demands of the specification, the P.V.4 featured reinforced wings and a fuselage that allowed it to dive while carrying a full bomb load of 570 lb (259 kg). During official trials, it distinguished itself as the only competitor fully suitable for dive-bombing. However, the aircraft had a critical flaw regarding the specification's other requirements: its cross-axle undercarriage prevented it from carrying a torpedo. When the Air Ministry subsequently removed the dive-bombing requirement from Specification G.4/31, the P.V.4's primary advantage was nullified. Consequently, the contract was awarded to the Vickers Wellesley monoplane, and the P.V.4 never entered production.
Technically, the P.V.4 was powered by a Bristol Pegasus nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine. While it initially flew with a Pegasus III, it was upgraded in 1935 to a Bristol Pegasus X producing 690 hp, paired with a two-bladed Watts wooden propeller. This configuration enabled a maximum speed of 183 mph at 6,600 ft and a service ceiling of 23,700 ft. Its armament consisted of one synchronized Vickers machine gun in the nose and one Lewis gun in the rear cockpit.
Beyond British trials, the Finnish Air Force evaluated the P.V.4 as a potential light bomber/dive bomber, though they ultimately selected the Fokker C.X. The sole prototype was struck off charge on 29 March 1939. No examples of the aircraft survive today, but the P.V.4 remains a significant example of the transition from biplane to monoplane bombers in the Royal Air Force's procurement history.