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De Havilland Venom

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The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night-fighter; while the navalised version, the Sea Venom, served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy (RN).

The Venom served as an interim between the first British jet fighter aircraft, the Gloster Meteor and the Vampire and later, more advanced designs including the Hawker Hunter and Hawker Sea Hawk

Both the Venom and Sea Venom were very successful exports and saw service with Australia, New Zealand, Iraq, Sweden, Switzerland and Venezuela. The French Navy operated the Sud-Est Aquilon, a licence-built Sea Venom FAW 20.

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. As the DH 112, the Venom was developed in response to an Air Ministry requirement for a fast, manoeuvrable and capable fighter-bomber (FB) to replace the de Havilland Vampire which had first flown late during the Second World War.

In 1948 de Havilland proposed a development of the Vampire with a thin wing and more powerful engine as a high alitude fighter; the Vampire FB 8 (project number DH 107). 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.

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 and it became one of the first jet ground-attack aircraft in the world. It was armed with four Hispano Mk V 20 millimetre cannon 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 the only improvement over the Vampire FB.5. It was powered by a single 4,850 pounds-force (21.6 kN) thrust de Havilland Ghost 48 Mk 1 centrifugal turbojet engine.

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.

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.

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.

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 Sea Venom also saw service with the French Navy built under licence by Sud-Est and renamed Aquilon ("Sea-Eagle"). It was withdrawn from service with the French Navy in 1963.

Variants

NF 2
A two-seat night-fighter variant, the NF 2 was intended to replace the Vampire NF 10, an interim night-fighter originally intended for Egypt. The NF 2 first flew in 1950 and entered service in 1953, having been delayed after some minor problems with the type, with 90 eventually being built. The NF 2 had some structural differences, including the two crew being positioned side-by-side as well as being radar-equipped.NF 2A
The NF 2A was a 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
The NF 3 was the last night-fighter variant of the Venom, first flying in 1953, and entering service in 1955, with about 130 being built for the RAF. It included a number of modifications, including the fitting of ejector seats, a new engine, the de Havilland Ghost 104 turbojet, and it had a new (American) radar, which led to the NF 3's nose being slightly altered. It had a relatively brief career with the Royal Air Force, being withdrawn in 1957 and replaced by the Gloster Javelin.FB 4
The final Venom variant built for the Royal Air Force, the single-seat FB 4, first flew on 29 December 1953. It entered service in 1955 and 150 were eventually built for the RAF. 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 FB 4 is widely regarded to be the definitive Venom variant.FB 50
Export version used by Iraq and Switzerland in the 1950s.NF 51
Export version of the night-fighter. A total of 60 were purchased by Sweden and used under the designation J 33. 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.

Sea Venom

The Sea Venom was the navalised version of the Venom NF 2 two-seat night-fighter. The necessary modifications for use on the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers included folding wings, a tailhook and strengthened undercarriage. The first prototype made its first flight in 1951, and began carrier trials that same year. A further two prototypes were built.FAW 20
The first production Sea Venom took the designation FAW 20 (Fighter All-Weather), of which 50 were built, and which first flew in 1953. It was powered by a single de Havilland Ghost 103 turbojet engine and its armament was the same as the RAF version.FAW 21
The next variant was the FAW 21 (167 built) which included the modifications introduced in the NF 2A and NF 3 RAF variants. Some of these modifications included the de Havilland Ghost 104 turbojet engine, clear-view canopy and new radar.ECM 21
Seven FAW 21s were modified in 1958 for Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) purposes with ECM equipment fitted instead of the cannon. 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 FAW 22
The final Royal Navy variant was the FAW 22 powered by the de Havilland 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.ECM 22
Seven FAW 2s modified in 1958, description and service as the ECM 21 above. FAW 53
Australian designation for the Sea Venom, 39 built.

Sud-Est Aquilon

The French company Sud-Est licence-built 121 Sea Venom FAW 20s under the name Aquilon for the French Navy. Their versions were:Aquilon 20
Sea Venom FAW 20 assembled from the parts provided by de HavillandAquilon 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.

Operators

Venom operators

Sea Venom operators

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.

Specifications (Venom FB 1 & FB 4)

See also

References

Notes

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.

External links



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