The
British 'de Havilland DH.100 Vampire' was the second
jet-engined aircraft commissioned by the
Royal Air Force during the
Second World War (the first being the
Gloster Meteor), although it did not see combat in that conflict. The Vampire served with front-line RAF squadrons until
1955. It also served with numerous other air forces worldwide (see Operators). Almost 4,400 Vampires were built, a quarter of them under licence.
Design and development
The Vampire began as an experimental aircraft, unlike the
Gloster Meteor which was always specified for production. Under
specification E.6/41, design work on the DH-100 began at the
de Havilland works at
Hatfield in mid-
1942, two years after the Meteor.
Originally named the "Spider Crab," the aircraft was entirely a
de Havilland project, exploiting the company's extensive experience in using moulded
plywood for aircraft construction, as used in the
Mosquito bomber. It was the last time composite wood and metal construction was used in high performance military aircraft. It had conventional straight mid-wings and a single jet engine placed in an egg-shaped,
aluminium-surfaced fuselage exhausting in a straight line. To reduce the losses caused by a long jetpipe the designers used the distinctive tail with
twin booms, similar to that of the
Lockheed P-38.
The Vampire prototype ''LZ548/G''
, the de Havilland chief test pilot and son of the company's president, test flew prototype ''
LZ548/G'' on its maiden flight
20 September 1943 from Hatfield. The flight took place only six months following the Meteor's maiden flight. The first Vampire flight had been delayed due to the need to send the sole remaining flight engine to Lockheed to replace one destroyed in ground engine runs in the prototype
XP-80. The production Vampire Mk I did not fly until April
1945 with most built by
English Electric Aircraft due to the pressures on de Havilland's production facilities, busy with other types. Although eagerly taken into service by the RAF, it was still being developed at war's end, consequently the Vampire never saw combat in the Second World War. A total of 3,269 Vampires were built in the UK, and about 1,100 in other countries although there is some uncertainty about the numbers built in Italy. There were 15 versions, e.g. a twin seated night fighter, trainer and carrier-based aircraft.
It was used by some 31 air forces. Of the major Western powers, Germany, Spain and the US were the only ones not to use the aircraft type.
Operational history
RAF service
The Vampire was first powered by a
Halford H1 (later renamed the "Goblin") producing 2,100 lbf (9.3 kN) of thrust, designed by
Frank B Halford and built by de Havilland. The engine was a centrifugal-flow type, a design soon superseded post-war by the slimmer axial-flow units. Initially, the Goblin gave the aircraft a disappointingly limited range, a common problem with all the early jets. Later marks were distinguished by greatly increased fuel capacities. As designs improved the engine was often upgraded. Later Mk Is used the Goblin II; the F 3 onwards used the Goblin III. Certain marks were test-beds for the
Rolls-Royce Nene but did not enter production. An unusual characteristic of the low positioning of the engine meant that a Vampire could not remain on idle for longer than a certain time because it would melt the tarmac on which it stood.
In postwar service, the RAF employed the
Gloster Meteor as an interceptor and the Vampire as a ground-attack fighter-bomber (although their roles probably should have been reversed
[1]). The first prototype of the "Vampire Fighter-Bomber Mk 5 (FB 5)," modified from a Vampire F 3, carried out its initial flight on
23 June 1948. The FB 5 retained the Goblin 2 engine of the F 3, but featured armor protection around engine systems, wings clipped back by 30 centimeters (1 foot), and longer-stroke main gear to handle greater takeoff weights and provide clearance for stores/weapons load (an external tank or 225 kilogram (500 pound) bomb outboard on each wing, and eight
"3 inch" rocket projectiles ("RPs") stacked in pairs on four attachments inboard of the booms). Although an
ejection seat was considered, it was not fitted.
At its peak, 19 RAF squadrons flew the FB 5 in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. The FB 5 undertook attack missions during the successful British campaign to suppress the
insurgency in Malaya in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The RAF eventually relegated the Vampire to advanced training roles in the mid-1950s and the type was generally out of RAF service by the end of the decade.
The Mk 5 was navalised as the Sea Vampire, the first
Royal Navy jet aircraft. The navy had been very impressed with the aircraft since
3 December 1945, when a Vampire carried out the flying trials on the carrier
HMS ''Ocean''. The RAF's Mk 5 was altered to extend the aircraft's role from a fighter to a ground-attack aircraft, the wings being clipped, strengthened and fitted with hard-points for bombs or rockets. The Mk 5 (FB 5) fighter-bomber became the most numerous variant with 473 aircraft produced.
Two-seat Vampire trainer.
The final Vampire was the T 11 trainer. First flown in
1950, over 600 were produced in both air force and naval models. The trainer remained in service with the RAF until
1966.
Vampires in Canada
An F Mk 1 version began operating on an evaluation basis in Canada at the Winter Experimental Establishment in
Edmonton in 1946. The F 3 was chosen as one of two types of operational fighters for the
Royal Canadian Air Force and was first flown in Canada on
17 January 1948 where it went into service as a training aircraft at Central Flying School at
RCAF Station Trenton. With 86 in total, the F 3 was the first jet fighter to enter RCAF service in any significant numbers. It served to introduce fighter pilots not only to jet flying, but also to cockpit pressurization and the tricycle landing gear. The "Vamp" was a popular aircraft, easy to fly and considered a bit of a "hot rod." It served in both operational and air reserve units until retirement in the late 1950s.
Vampires in Finland
D.H.100 Vampire Mk 52 "VA-7"
Koskue
The Finnish Air Force received six FB 52 Vampires in 1953. The model was nicknamed "Vamppi" in Finnish service. An additional nine twin-seat T 55s were purchased in 1955. The aircraft were initially assigned to 2nd Wing at Pori, but were transferred to 1st Wing at Tikkakoski at the end of the 1950s. The last Finnish Vampire was decommissioned in 1965.
Vampires in Sweden
The
Swedish Air Force purchased its first batch of 70 FB 1 Vampires in 1946, looking for a jet to replace the
P-51D Mustangs and the outdated
J 22s of its fighter force. The aircraft was designated J 28A and was assigned to the F 13 air wing at
Norrköping. It provided such good service that it was selected as the backbone of the fighter force. A total of 310 of the more modern FB 50, designated J 28B, were purchased in 1949. The last one was delivered in 1952, after which all piston-engined fighters were decommissioned. In addition, a total of 57 two-seater DH 115 Vampire called J 28C were used for training.
The Swedish Vampire fighters were retired in 1956 and replaced with J 29 (
SAAB Tunnan) and J 34 (
Hawker Hunter). The trainers remained in service well into the 1960s. The last Vampire was retired in 1968. (All Vampire warbirds being flown in
Sweden today originate from the
Swiss Air Force.)
Records
The Vampire was an exceptionally versatile aircraft, setting many aviation firsts and records, being the first RAF fighter with a top speed exceeding 500 mph. Piloted by Captain
Eric "Winkle" Brown, a Sea Vampire was the first jet to take off from and land on an
aircraft carrier and in
1948,
John Cunningham set a new world altitude record of 59,446 ft (18,119 m). On
14 July 1948, Vampire F 3s of
No. 54 Squadron RAF became the first jet aircraft to fly across the
Atlantic Ocean. They went via
Stornoway in the
Outer Hebrides of
Scotland,
Keflavik in
Iceland, and
Goose Bay at
Labrador, before going on to
Montreal to start the RAF’s annual goodwill tour of
Canada and the
US where they gave several formation aerobatic displays.
At the same time, USAF Col.
David C. Schilling was leading a group of
F-80 Shooting Stars flying to
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base in
Germany to relieve a unit based there. There were conflicting reports later regarding competition between the RAF and USAF to be the first to fly the Atlantic. One report said the USAF squadron delayed completion of its movement to allow the Vampires to be "the first jets across the Atlantic".
[2] Another said that the Vampire pilots celebrated “winning the race against the rival F-80s”.
[3]
Survivors
Several Vampires are still airworthy, and many have been preserved. Some examples are on display at:
★
Alberta Aviation Museum
★
Aviation Museum of Central Finland
★
Calgary Aero Space Museum
★
Canada Aviation Museum
★
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
★
[1] Finnish aviation museum in Helsinki.
★
Indian Air Force Museum, Palam, New Delhi
★
Mosquito Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire
★
Museum of Transport and Technology in
Auckland
★
Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum
★
Temora Aviation Museumat Temora, New South Wales, Australia
One example, a two-seater, is hangared at Tatui, São Paulo, Brazil, after establishing the longest travel ever for a Vampire. The last airworthy Vampire T 11 in the world is operated by the Vampire Preservation Group from North Weald in Essex, UK. Several ex-Swiss and ex-Australian Vampires operate as collectors' aircraft in the US. One ex-Australian two-seat Mk 35W Vampire, S/N ''A79-617'' was restored by Red Star Aviation of Hackettstown,, New Jersey and then repatriated to Australia where it is displayed in airshows regularly, thus undoubtably setting the record for most miles traveled by a civil Vampire. Several other US-based Vampires are abandoned and in disrepair, as is an ex-airworthy example presently stored at Sullivan County Airport, in New York State.
Variants
★ 'DH 100' : Three prototypes.
★ 'Vampire Mk I' : Single-seat fighter version for the
RAF, 244 production aircraft being built.
★ 'Vampire Mk II' : Three prototypes, with Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine. One built and two conversions.
★ 'Vampire F 3' : Single-seat fighter for the RAF. Two prototypes were converted from the Mk 1 and 202 production aircraft were built.
★ 'Vampire Mk IV' : Nene engined project, not built.
★ 'Vampire FB 5' : Single-seat fighter-bomber version. Powered by the Goblin 2 turbojet, 930 being built for the RAF and 88 for export.
★ 'Vampire FB 6' : Single-seat fighter-bomber built in
Switzerland for the
Swiss Air Force. Powered by a Goblin 3 turbojet, 178 being built.
★ 'Vampire Mk 8': Ghost engined, one conversion from Mk 1.
★ 'Vampire FB 9' : Tropicalised fighter-bomber . Powered by Goblin 3 turbojet, 326 being built.
★ 'Vampire Mk 10' : Goblin powered two-seater prototype, two built.
★ 'Vampire NF 10' : Two-seat night fighter version for the RAF, 95 built including 29 as the NF54.
★ 'Sea Vampire Mk10' : Prototype for deck trials. One conversion.
★ 'Vampire Mk 11' or 'DH 115 Vampire Trainer' : Private venture, two-seat jet trainer prototype.
★ 'Vampire T 11' : Two-seat training version for the RAF. Powered by a Goblin 35 turbojet engine, 731 were built.
★ 'Sea Vampire F 20' : Naval version of the FB 5, 18 were built.
★ 'Sea Vampire Mk 21' : Three aircraft converted for trials.
★ 'Sea Vampire T 22' : Two-seat training version for the Royal Navy, 73 were built.
★ 'Vampire FB 25' : FB 5 variants, 25 exported to New Zealand
★ 'Vampire F 30' : Single-seat fighter-bomber version for the
RAAF. Powered by Roll-Royce Nene turbojet, 80 built in Australia.
★ 'Vampire FB 31' - Nene engined, 29 built in Australia.
★ 'Vampire F 32' - One Australian conversion with air conditioning.
★ 'Vampire T 33' : Two-seat training version. Powered by the Goblin turbojet, 36 were built in Australia.
★ 'Vampire T 34' : Two-seat training version of the Royal Australian Navy, five were built in Australia.
★ 'Vampire T 34A' : Vampire T 34s fitted with ejector seats.
★ 'Vampire T 35' : Modified two-seat training version, 68 built in Australia.
★ 'Vampire T 35A' - T33 conversions to T35 configuration.
★ 'Vampire FB 50' - exported to Sweden as the 'J 28B', 310 built, 12 of which were eventually rebuilt to T 55 standard.
★ 'Vampire FB 51' - export prototype (one conversion) to France.
★ 'Vampire FB 52' - Export version of Mk 6, 101 built.
★ 'Vampire FB 52A' : Single-seat fighter-bomber for the
Italian Air Force, 80 built in Italy.
★ 'Vampire FB 53' : Single-seat fighter-bomber for the
Armee de l'Air, 250 built in France, as the 'Sud-Est SE 535 Mistral'.
★ 'Vampire NF 54' : Export version of Vampire NF 10 for the Italian Air Force, 29 being built.
★ 'Vampire T 55' : Export version of the DH 115 trainer, 216 built and six converted from the T 11.
Operators
★
★ :
Royal Australian Air Force,
Royal Australian Navy
★
★
★
Canada
★
★
★ (F.1: 25 (ex Swedish); FB.50: 17 (ex Swedish))
★
★ (
Eire)
★
★
★
★ (T.11: 6)
★
★
★
JPN
★
★
22x20px
(T.11: 2 (ex Portuguese))
★
★
★ :
Royal New Zealand Air Force
★
★
★
★
★ (F.1 (J 28A): 70; FB.50 (J 28B): 310; T.55 (J 28C): 57)
★
★
★ :
Royal Air Force,
Fleet Air Arm
★
Specifications (Vampire FB 5)
References
1. Watkins 1996, p. 58. Quote: "The Vampire had been conceived during the war as a high-altitude fighter..."
2. Dorr 1998, p. 119.
3. Wood - second paragraph after Figure 6
★ Bain, Gordon. ''De Havilland: A Pictorial Tribute''. London: AirLife Publishing Ltd., 1992. ISBN 1-85648-243-X.
★ Dorr, Robert F. "Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, Variant Briefing." ''Wings of Fame: The Journal of Class Combat Aircraft, Vol. 11''. London: AIRTime Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-86184-017-9.
★ ''de Havilland Vampire and Sea Vampire (1946 - 1969)''.
[2] Access date; 27 December 2006.
★ Watkins, David. ''de Havilland Vampire: The Complete History''. Thrupp, Stroud, Great Britain: Budding Books, 1996. ISBN 1-84015-023-8.
External links
★
Vampire Preservation Group's Web Site
★
Autobiography of Bill Wood who flew Vampires and was part of the team that crossed the Atlantic by jet for the first time
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