de Havilland Venom
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| DH.112 Venom / Aquilon | |
|---|---|
 Long-nosed Swiss Venom FB.54 |
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| Type | Fighter-bomber |
| Manufacturer | de Havilland Aircraft Company SNCASE |
| Maiden flight | 2 September 1949 |
| Introduced | FB 1952 NF 1953 |
| Retired | FB 1962 NF 1960 |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Royal Navy |
| Number built | 1,431 (including Aquilon)[1] |
The de Havilland DH.112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire[2]. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night-fighter, a navalised version - the Sea Venom - serving with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy (RN).
The Venom was an interim between the first generation of British jet fighters - straight-wing aircraft powered by centrifugal flow engines such as the Gloster Meteor and the Vampire - and later swept wing, axial flow-engined designs such as the Hawker Hunter and de Havilland Sea Vixen. Both the Venom and Sea Venom were successful exports and saw service with Australia, New Zealand, Iraq, Sweden, Switzerland and Venezuela. The French Navy operated the Aquilon (sea eagle), the Sea Venom FAW.20 licence built by Société Nationale des Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est (SNCASE / Sud-Est).
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[edit] Design and development
The Venom's lineage lay in the aircraft it was intended to replace, the Vampire, which had been the second jet aircraft to enter service with the RAF.[3] In 1948 de Havilland proposed a development of the Vampire with a thin wing and more powerful engine as a high alitude fighter; the DH.107, Vampire FB.8. In most respects, the Venom was quite similar to the Vampire; sharing the distinctive twin-boom tail and composite wood/metal structure although the Venom differed in parts. The idea was adopted and a Vampire F.1 was converted by fitting the new de Havilland Ghost engine, which was more powerful than the de Havilland Goblin used on the Vampire. As the DH.112, the Venom filled an Air Ministry requirement for a fast, manoeuvrable and capable fighter-bomber to replace it's progenitor.
The first Venom prototype flew on 2 September 1949 and the first Venom variant, a single-seat fighter-bomber, entered service in 1952 as the FB 1. Three hundred and seventy-five of these would be built. It was armed with four Hispano Mk V 20 millimetre autocannons in the nose and could carry either two 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs or eight RP-3 60 lb air-to-ground rocket projectiles - the heavier bombs being an improvement over the Vampire FB.5. It was powered by a single 4,850 pounds-force (21.6 kN) thrust Ghost 48 Mk.1 engine.
The next Venom, the NF.2 night fighter, first flew in 1950 and entered service in 1953, having been delayed after some minor problems with the type. To accommodate the necessary two man crew (pilot and navigator/radar operator it was structurally different. The two crew were positioned side-by-side and an airborne interception radar was fitted in the nose; it replaced the Vampire NF.10. The NF.2 was followed by NF.3, which was the last night-fighter variant of the Venom. First flying in 1953 and entering service in 1955. It had a relatively brief career with the Royal Air Force, having been only an interim solution. It was withdrawn in 1957 and replaced by the Gloster Javelin twin engined all-weather fighter.
The final Venom for the RAF was the single-seat FB.4 which first flew on 29 December 1953. It entered service in 1955 and 250 were eventually built. It was powered by a single 5,150 lbf (22.9 kN) thrust de Havilland Ghost 105 turbojet engine. It also received an ejector seat and some modifications to its structure.
The Sea Venom was the navalised version of the Venom NF.2 two-seat night-fighter and was used by an all-weather interceptor by the FAA. The necessary modifications for use on the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers included folding wings, a tailhook (which retracted into a characteristic "lip" over the jetpipe) and strengthened, long-stroke undercarriage. The canopy was modified to allow ejection from underwater. The first prototype made its first flight in 1951, and began carrier trials that same year. A further two prototypes were built.[4]. The first production Sea Venom took the designation FAW.20 (Fighter, All-Weather). It was powered by a single de Havilland Ghost 103 turbojet engine and its armament was the same as the RAF version. The next variant was the FAW.21, which included the modifications introduced in the Venom NF.2A and NF.3. Some of these modifications included theGhost 104 engine, a clear-view canopy and the American radar. The final Royal Navy variant was the FAW.22 powered by the Ghost 105 engine. Thirty-nine of this type were built in 1957-58. Some were later fitted out with the de Havilland Firestreak air-to-air missile.
Seven FAW.21s were modified in 1958 for Electronic countermeasures (ECM) purposes, with the cannon replaced by the ECM equipment. These became the ECM.21. No. 831 Naval Air Squadron was the sole squadron to be equipped with it. From 1963 it was shore-based at RAF Watton and disbanded in 1966. The converted FAW.22 was known as the 'ECM.22. A modernised Sea Venom project, the DH.116, with swept wings and upgraded radar was considered but this project was cancelled as the Royal Navy believed that any replacement needed two engines; it would transpire as the Sea Vixen.
[edit] Operational history
The RAF fighter-bomber Venoms saw service during the Malayan Emergency which took place between 1948 and 1960, although the Venom did not begin operations there until the mid-1950s with Nos. 45 and 60 Squadrons RAF. While there, the Venom supported operations against Communist guerrillas as part of Operation Firedog; the codename for Royal Air Force operations in Malaya. Venoms were lent to the Royal New Zealand Air Force for use in the same conflict where they operated with No. 14 Squadron RNZAF.
The Venom, along with its Royal Navy counterpart, the Sea Venom, also saw service during the Suez Crisis being operated by Nos. 6, 8 and 249 Squadrons RAF flying from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. The Anglo-French invasion, codenamed Operation Musketeer, took place in response to the nationalisation of the Suez Canal by Egypt's leader, General Nasser. The air war began on the 31 October 1956 signalling the beginning of the Suez War. The Venoms launched a number of sorties, attacking a variety of military installations on the ground. The aircraft also saw much action in the Middle East, supporting operations against terrorists in Aden and Oman, losing some Venoms in the process. Venoms additionally saw service during the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya.
All Venoms in RAF service were withdrawn from first-line service in 1962, having proven their worth in a variety of locations across the world, in peace and war, and in some of the most difficult climates the RAF has ever faced. The last non-RAF Venoms to leave active service were Swiss Air Force Venoms which retired in 1983. About 20 Venoms continue to fly as of 2004, performing at various air shows, while a number of examples are preserved in museums in the United Kingdom and abroad, in non-flying, static display condition.
[edit] Royal Navy service
The Sea Venom saw much service during its time with the Royal Navy. In 1956, they, alongside RAF Venoms, took part in the Suez War which began on 31 October. They were part of Nos. 809, 892 and 893 Naval Air Squadrons based on the light fleet carrier HMS Albion and fleet carrier HMS Eagle. The Sea Venoms launched many sorties, bombing a variety of targets in Egypt in the process. In 1958, during the Cyprus Emergency, Sea Venoms of 809 NAS, operating off Albion, flew a number of sorties against the Cypriot terrorists. The type also saw service during conflicts in the Middle East.
By 1959, the Sea Venom began to be replaced in Royal Navy service by the de Havilland Sea Vixen, an aircraft that also had the distinctive twin-boom tail. The Sea Venom would be withdrawn from frontline service soon afterwards.
[edit] Service with other nations
Thirty-nine Sea Venoms saw service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), replacing the Hawker Sea Fury. The Sea Venom entered service in 1956 and, during its service with the RAN, operated off the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. It was taken out of first-line service in 1967, replaced by the American A-4 Skyhawk. The Aquilon saw service with the French Navy . It was withdrawn from service with the French Navy in 1963.
[edit] Variants
[edit] Venom
- NF.2 - Two-seat night-fighter, an interim night-fighter developed from a planned export for Egypt. 91 produced.
- NF.2A - Modified NF.2, which received some strengthening improvements to the wing spar after problems, that had led to a number of accidents, had been found with the NF.2 and other Venoms.
- NF.3 - Modified NF.2, including the fitting of ejector seats, the Ghost 104 engine, a new (American) radar which led to the NF 3's nose being slightly altered. 123 produced.
- FB.4 - Final Venom for the RAF, single seat fighter-bomber. Ghost 105 engine, ejector seats and structural modifications. 250 built.
- FB.50 - Export version used by Iraq and Switzerland in the 1950s. 15 Built.
- NF.51 - Export version of the night-fighter. A total of 60 were purchased by Sweden and used under the designation J33. It served 1953–1960 at the dedicated night-fighter F1 wing at Västerås.
- FB.54 - Export version. Used by Venezuela and Switzerland in the 1950s. 22 built.
[edit] Sea Venom
- FAW.20 - Navalised NF.2. Ghost 103 turbojet engine, otherwise similar to the RAF version. 54 produced.
- FAW.21 - Naval version incorporating the updates to the NF.2A and NF.3. 167 built.
- ECM.21 - Seven FAW.21s modified in 1958 for ECM purposes. No armament.
- FAW.22 - Based on FAW.21 and powered by the Ghost 105 engine. 39 built.
- ECM.22 - Equivalent of ECM.21, based on FAW.22
- FAW.53 - Australian designation for the Sea Venom. 39 built.
[edit] Sud-Est Aquilon
SNCASE licence-built 121 Sea Venom FAW.20 as the Sud-Est Aquilon for the French Navy.
- Aquilon 20 - Assembled from the parts provided by de Havilland
- Aquilon 201 - Single prototype built in France.
- Aquilon 202 - Two-seat version with ejector seats, an American AN/APQ-65 radar and air-conditioning.
- Aquilon 203 - Single-seat version with an American AN/APQ-94 radar and equipped with racks for air-to-air missiles.
- Aquilon 204 - Two-seat training version without guns.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Venom operators
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- Royal Swedish Air Force
- F1 wing
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[edit] Sea Venom operators
- Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm
- 724 Squadron
- 805 Squadron
- 808 Squadron
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[edit] Survivors
The Venom has been preserved in significant numbers, thanks in part to their longevity with the Swiss Air Force. In the UK, a number of Sea Venoms are preserved, along with examples of the NF 3 and Swiss-built FB 50 and 54. In Sweden, two examples of the NF 51 are preserved. There are many survivors in Switzerland, and other Swiss aircraft are scattered throughout Europe. In Australia, a number of Sea Venom FAW 53s have also survived. Venezuela has the only complete surviving British-built single-seat Venom.
Although the Venom was, for a time, a popular and cheap warbird, the number of airworthy aircraft is dwindling. Currently there is just one in the UK that flies regularly, along with single examples in New Zealand, Switzerland and the USA. All are license-built Swiss examples.
[edit] Specifications (Venom FB.1)
Data from Fighters of the Fifties[5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m)
- Wingspan: 41 ft 8 in (12.70 m)
- Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
- Wing area: 279 ft² (25.9 m²)
- Empty weight: 9,202 lb (4,173 kg)
- Loaded weight: 15,400 lb (7,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× de Havilland Ghost 103 turbojet, 4,850 lbf (21.6 kN)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 556 knots (640 mph, 1,030 km/h)
- Range: 934 nm (1,080 mi, 1,730 km)
- Service ceiling 39,400 ft (12,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 9,000 ft/min (45.7 m/s)
- Wing loading: 56.17 lb/ft² (274.2 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.41
Armament
- Guns: 4× 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannon, 150 rounds per gun
- Rockets: 8× RP-3 "60 lb" (27 kg) rockets, or;
- Bombs: 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Green, William. The World's Fighting Planes. London: Macdonald, 1964.
- Gunston, Bill. Fighters of the Fifties. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1981. ISBN 0-85059-463-4.
- Winchester, Jim, ed. "De Havilland Sea Vixen." Military Aircraft of the Cold War (The Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: The Grange plc., 2006. ISBN 1-84013-929-7.
[edit] External links
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