De Havilland Sea Vixen

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de Havilland Sea Vixen
Image:Sea.vixen.flying.arp.jpg
de Havilland Sea Vixen in Red Bull livery at an airshow (2004)
Type	Carrier-Fighter
Manufacturer	de Havilland
Maiden flight	26 September 1951
Introduced	July 1959
Retired	1972
Status	Retired
Primary user	Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Fleet Air Arm
Number built	145

The correct title of this article is de Havilland Sea Vixen. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.

The de Havilland Sea Vixen was a 1950s two-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm (the air wing of the Royal Navy).

1 History
2 Design
3 Operational history
4 Operators
5 FAA squadrons
6 Specifications (Sea Vixen FAW.2) <ref>Green, W, Swanborough, G (2001). The great book of fighters. MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.</ref>
7 References
8 External links
9 Related content

[edit] History

The aircraft was originally known as the DH.110; an aircraft designed for both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm as an all-weather, missile-armed, and high-speed jet fighter. The Admiralty had given a requirement for a Fleet defence fighter to eventually replace the de Havilland Sea Venom. However, the RAF chose the Gloster Javelin, a rival to the DH.110, after deciding the Javelin was a cheaper and simpler aeroplane. Despite this, de Havilland continued with the project, and by the late 1950s the Royal Navy had placed an order and the aircraft entered service with the Fleet Air Arm.

The prototype took to the skies on 26 September 1951 piloted by John Cunningham. The following year tragedy struck—it had been breaking the sound barrier when it disintegrated at the Farnborough Air Show on 6 September 1952, killing 31 people, including the aircraft's two crew, test pilot and record breaker John Derry and Tony Richards. Due to this incident, modifications were made to the other prototype. In 1955, a further DH.110 was produced, a semi-navalised variant (no folding wings), as a prototype for the production version, with it making its first flight that same year. The following year, the aircraft made its first arrested deck landing on the fleet aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. In 1957, the first true Sea Vixen, the Sea Vixen FAW.20 (fighter all-weather), flew. It was later redesignated the FAW.1. In July 1959, the first of over a hundred FAW.1's entered service with the Fleet Air Arm.

[edit] Design

The Sea Vixen had a twin-boom tail, as used on the de Havilland Sea Vampire and de Havilland Sea Venom, the latter for which the Sea Vixen was the replacement. The Sea Vixen became the first swept-wing aircraft and the first British aircraft to be solely armed with missiles, rockets and bombs. The FAW.1 was armed with four Fairey Firestreak air-to-air missiles, two Microcell unguided 2 inch (51 mm) rocket packs and had a capacity for four 500 lb (230 kg) bombs or two 1000 lb bombs. It was powered by two 50.0 kN (11,230 lbf) thrust Rolls-Royce Avon 208 turbojet engines; had a speed of 690 mph (1110 km/h) and a range of 600 miles (1000 km).

Interestingly the original De Havilland 110 Vixen design (as offered to the RAF) did have the fitting of cannons in its prospectus. Experiments with ADEN cannons were carried out and it was found that their firing caused failure of the mountings due to the force of the recoil. All sorts of ideas were tried but the only solution that worked was to put a baulk of timber in place to absorb this recoil force. Thus the Vixen was also the last British fighter to use wood in its construction! The cannons were soon removed and an all missile armament was developed.

A notable visual aspect of the Sea Vixen is that the pilot's canopy is offset to the left hand side. The other crew member (the navigator) was housed to the right completely within the fuselage, gaining access through a flush-fitting top hatch into his space (known in the service as the "coal hole") which had but a small window.

The FAW.2 was the successor to the FAW.1 and included many improvements. As well as Firestreak it could carry the Red Top AAM, four SNEB rocket pods and the air-to-ground Bullpup missile. An enlarged tail boom allowed for additional fuel tanks, in the "pinion" extensions above and before the wing leading edge, and there was an improved escape system and additional room for more electronic counter-measures equipment. However, the changes in aerodynamics meant that the 1000 lb bomb was no longer useable.

The FAW.2 first flew in 1962 and entered service with front-line squadrons in 1964, with twenty-nine being built and a further sixty-seven FAW.1s being upgraded to FAW.2 standard. The FAW.1 began phasing out in 1966.

Image:Dehav.sea.vixen.folded.arp.jpg

Visually the FAW.1 and FAW.2 may be distinguished by the tail booms which extend forward over the leading edge of the wing on the FAW.2.

In 1972, the career of the FAW.2 came to an end. It was planned to replace the Sea Vixen with the McDonnell Douglas Phantom, with both Ark Royal and Eagle refitted to take the new aircraft. In the event, due to defence cuts, on the decommissioning of HMS Eagle, only Ark Royal was converted to take the new aircraft.

A small number of Sea Vixen subsequently saw service in the less glamorous roles of drone, being redesignated D.3, though they were never used in the role and only a few were actually converted to the D.3 standard. Other Sea Vixens became target tugs and were redesignated as TT.2.

Image:13 Sea Vixen landing on Eagle Mediterranean Jan1970.jpg

[edit] Operational history

The Sea Vixen was not in any true wars during her career with the Fleet Air Arm though it took part in many operations. In 1961, President Abdul Karim Kassem of Iraq threatened to annex the neighbouring oil-rich state of Kuwait, which he believed belonged to the Iraqi nation. Kuwait soon appealed for external help. The United Kingdom, in response to these appeals, dispatched a number of ships, including two fleet carriers to the region. Sea Vixens aboard the fleet carriers flew numerous, and frequent, patrols in the region. Kassem's aggressive actions soon wilted in the face of such overwhelming naval might, thus averting a Gulf War over Kuwait.

In January 1964, trouble flared up in the East African state of Tanganyika after the 1st and 2nd Tanganyika Rifles mutinied against the British officers and NCOs who, despite Tanganyika being independent, still commanded the regiment. The mutineers also seized the British High Commissioner and the airport at the capital Dar-es-Salaam. The UK responded by sending the light fleet carrier HMS Centaur, accompanied by 45 Commando, Royal Marines. The Sea Vixens, flying off Centaur, performed a number of duties including the providing of cover for the Royal Marines who were landed in Tanganyika by helicopters. The operation to restore Tanganyika to stability ended in success. That same year, Sea Vixens saw service once again in the Persian Gulf. This time supporting British forces fighting against rebellious tribesmen in the Radfan, including launching air-strikes against the rebel tribesmen.

Sea Vixens saw further service during the rest of the 1960s. They performed vital duties during deployment on Beira Patrol, a Royal Navy operation designed to prevent oil reaching landlocked Rhodesia via the then Portuguese colony of Mozambique. The Sea Vixen also saw service in the Far East. In 1967, once again in the Persian Gulf, Sea Vixens helped cover the withdrawal from Aden. There were a number of Royal Navy warships involved, including the carriers HMS Albion and Eagle (carrying the Sea Vixens) and the LPD (Landing Platform Dock) Fearless.

The Sea Vixen also took to the skies in the aerobatic role, performing in two display teams; the Simons Sircus (spelt with S) and Fred's Five. A single Sea Vixen (G-CVIX) continues to fly under Red Bull livery as of 2004, putting on displays at numerous air shows. This aircraft is operated by De Havilland Aviation Ltd and can be viewed as a flying exhibit at Bournemouth Aviation Museum at Bournemouth Airport in Southern England. Many other Sea Vixens remain in good condition though do not fly, and are located in a variety of museums, most are based in the UK though a handful are located abroad.