de Havilland Venom
| Location: Kemble | In Service: 1952-83 |
| Manufacturer: de Havilland Aircraft Company, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK | Purpose: Single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night-fighter |
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Power Plant: One de Havilland Ghost 105 turbojet developing 5,150 lbf (22.9 kN) thrust |
Length: 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m) |
| Construction: Twin-boom mixed materials comprising wooden fuselage and all-metal booms and wings | Maximum speed: 556 knots (640 mph, 1,030 km/h) Range: 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: Four Hispano Mk V 20mm cannon mounted beneath the nose. Capability to carry either two 1,000lb (450kg) bombs or eight RP-3 60lb air-to-ground rockets
History: The Venom was developed directly from the Vampire, which it closely resembles. Its main innovations were a thinner, higher-performance wing, and the de Havilland Ghost engine to replace the Vampire's somewhat primitive Goblin. These two factors gave it more speed, a higher service ceiling, faster rate of climb and the ability to carry heavier ordinance. The success of this diminutive fighter led to its adoption by various navies in its Sea Venom guise. This was a development of the two-seat night-fighter, equipped with strengthened undercarriage and a tailhook for aircraft carrier landings. It's worth mentioning here that the Royal Navy considered a modernised Sea Venom featuring swept wings, but abandoned the project when the decision was made that two engines were required. The resulting revised specification gave rise to the Sea Vixen. The first Venoms to enter service were bought by the RAF, and saw service in the Malaya Emergency against the Malayan National Liberation Army. They also played a part in the RNZAF's involvement in the conflict. Venoms were active in the Suez crisis in 1956, attacking ground targets around the contested canal. The Venom was withdrawn from RAF service in 1962, while the Sea Venom gave way to its twin engined cousin, the Sea Vixen, in 1960. Other airforces kept these doughty little battlers in service long afterwards, and the last to be withdrawn from service - in 1983 - belonged to the Swiss Air Force.
