de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2
de Havilland Aircraft Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1962 · fighter
The Sea Vixen FAW.2 is the improved final production standard, distinguished by extended forward fairings on the twin tail booms that house additional fuel for greater range.
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:
- Extended forward fairings on each tail boom — elongated ahead of the wing leading edge, giving a pronounced dog-leg in side view
- Same asymmetric cockpit and twin-boom layout as the FAW.1 but with more fuel capacity in the extended booms
- Red Top missiles replace the FAW.1's Firestreaks — though both are slender rail-launched AAMs
Against the FAW.1, look for the boom fairings extending noticeably further forward of the wing root — they give the FAW.2 a different planform silhouette with an elongated leading-edge fairing on each boom. Both marks share the asymmetric cockpit offset to port.
Specifications
- The de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 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
The FAW.2 entered service in 1964, providing the Fleet Air Arm with a longer-ranged and better-armed all-weather interceptor. Many FAW.1s were converted to FAW.2 standard on the production line or during depot maintenance.
Variants
The FAW.1 and FAW.2 are the two main operational standards; later airframes were converted to D.3 unmanned drones and TT.2 target tugs. No further developed combat variants were built.
Where you'll see it
FAW.2s served as the Royal Navy's carrier-borne all-weather fighter from 1964 to 1972, operating from HMS Eagle, Ark Royal, Hermes and Centaur. The Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton holds XP924, the last production aircraft, in FAW.2 configuration.
Related aircraft
- de Havilland Sea Vixen
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- de Havilland Vampire
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- English Electric Lightning F.3
- English Electric Lightning T.5
- Lockheed A-12
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