de Havilland Sea Vixen
de Havilland Aircraft Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1951 · fighter
The Fleet Air Arm's twin-boom, all-weather carrier fighter, the Sea Vixen was the first British two-seat aircraft to exceed the speed of sound and the first conceived as an integrated weapons system.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 16.94 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Twin tail-booms with a high tailplane bridging them
- Asymmetric cockpit, pilot to port and observer in the side coal-hole
- Swept wings with carrier-folding tips and a radar nose
Like the Vampire it uses twin booms, but it is far larger, with swept wings, a radar nose and an offset two-seat cockpit. The high tailplane links the booms above the jet exhausts.
Specifications
- The de Havilland Sea Vixen has a length of 16.94 m (56 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.54 m (51 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 1110 km/h (690 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed from the de Havilland DH.110, which first flew in 1951, the Sea Vixen entered Royal Navy service in 1959. Its swept wings and twin booms carried two crew, the observer working radar from a flush side hatch known as the coal-hole, with armament built around guided missiles rather than guns.
Variants
The FAW.1 introduced the type with Firestreak missiles, and the improved FAW.2 of 1964 added Red Top missiles and extra fuel in extended forward boom fairings. Later airframes were converted into D.3 drones and TT.2 target tugs.
Where you'll see it
The Sea Vixen was the Fleet Air Arm's all-weather carrier interceptor through the 1960s until its retirement in 1972. The Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton holds a FAW.2, the last production aircraft.
Related aircraft
- de Havilland DH.112 Venom
- de Havilland Chipmunk T.10
- de Havilland Vampire
- de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2
- Avia S-102
- Bell X-5
- Dassault Mystère IV
- de Havilland Sea Venom
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