de Havilland DH.112 Venom

de Havilland Aircraft Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1949 · fighter

The de Havilland Venom was a British single-engine jet fighter-bomber developed as a successor to the Vampire, featuring a thinner wing, more powerful Ghost engine, and improved performance.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Twin tail fins on twin booms, no conventional fuselage rear
T — Tail	Twin fin

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Spot it by:

Vampire successor with thinner wing and twin-boom tail
Single de Havilland Ghost turbojet in central nacelle
Twin tail fins on twin booms, no conventional fuselage rear

Shares the Vampire's distinctive twin-boom layout but is visually slimmer with a thinner wing section and longer nose; the Ghost engine gives a slightly larger central pod than the Vampire's Goblin.

Specifications

The de Havilland DH.112 Venom has a length of 9.7 m (32 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.7 m (42 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1030 km/h (640 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in September 1949, the Venom entered RAF service in 1952 and saw combat during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and in operations in Kenya and Aden. The Sea Venom was a carrier-capable two-seat version for the Fleet Air Arm and French Navy.

Variants

The Venom FB.1 and FB.4 were the main RAF ground-attack versions; the Sea Venom FAW.20 and 21 served with the Fleet Air Arm; Switzerland operated the type for decades.

Where you'll see it

Served with the RAF, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Australian Navy, and Swiss Air Force, among others; Switzerland was the last operator, retiring its Venoms in 1983.

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