Fighter aircraft; first single-engine jet in RAF service
Vampire Sea Vampire
Preserved de Havilland DH.115 Vampire trainer in Royal New Zealand Air Force markings
Role
Fighter aircraft
Type of aircraft
National origin
United Kingdom
Manufacturer
de Havilland English Electric
First flight
20 September 1943
Introduction
1946
Retired
1979 (Rhodesian Air Force)
Primary users
Royal Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Fleet Air Arm (RAN) Royal Navy Royal Canadian Air Force
Number built
3,268[1][2]
Developed into
de Havilland Venom
The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by a single jet engine.
Development of the Vampire as an experimental aircraft began in 1941 during the Second World War, to exploit the revolutionary innovation of jet propulsion. From the company's design studies, it was decided to use a single-engine, twin-boom aircraft, powered by the Halford H.1 turbojet (later produced as the Goblin). Aside from its propulsion system and twin-boom configuration, it was a relatively conventional aircraft. In May 1944, it was decided to produce the aircraft as an interceptor for the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1946, the Vampire entered operational service with the RAF, only months after the war had ended.
The Vampire quickly proved to be effective and was adopted as a replacement of wartime piston-engined fighter aircraft. During its early service it accomplished several aviation firsts and achieved various records, such as being the first jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vampire remained in front-line RAF service until 1953 when its transfer began to secondary roles such as ground attack and pilot training, for which specialist variants were produced. The RAF retired the Vampire in 1966 when its final role of advanced trainer was filled by the Folland Gnat. The Royal Navy had also adapted the type as the Sea Vampire, a navalised variant suitable for operations from aircraft carriers. It was the service's first jet fighter.
The Vampire was exported to many nations and was operated worldwide in numerous theatres and climates. Several countries used the type in combat including the Suez Crisis, the Malayan Emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War. By the end of production, almost 3,300 Vampires had been manufactured, a quarter of these having been manufactured under licence abroad. de Havilland pursued the further development of the type; major derivatives produced include the DH.115, a specialised dual-seat trainer and the more advanced DH.112 Venom, a refined variant for ground attack and night-fighter operations.
^Gunston 1981, p. 52.
^Mason 1965, pp. 10, 12.
and 27 Related for: De Havilland Vampire information
The deHavillandVampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the deHavilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter...
was derived from the deHavillandVampire, the firm's first jet-powered combat aircraft; it was initially referred to as the Vampire FB 8 prior to the adoption...
Mk. 35 export version. The Goblin was the primary engine of the deHavillandVampire, and was to have been the engine for the F-80 Shooting Star (as the...
prototype and restoration shops for the deHavilland Mosquito and also includes several examples of the deHavillandVampire – the third operational jet aircraft...
The deHavilland Aircraft Company Limited (/də ˈhævɪlənd/) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey deHavilland at Stag...
This is a list of surviving deHavillandVampires and variant aircraft. A79-617 – T.35 airworthy with the Air Force Heritage Squadron at Temora, New South...
by deHavilland, was a twin-engined all-weather fighter. The design of the DH 110 used the twin-boom-tail design layout of the deHavillandVampire and...
section and engine of the deHavillandVampire mated to a longer fuselage with a single fin and swept wings, the deHavilland DH 108 was proposed in 1944...
The deHavilland Ghost (originally Halford H-2) was the deHavilland Engine Company's second design of a turbojet engine to enter production and the world's...
The deHavilland DH.103 Hornet, developed by deHavilland, was a fighter aircraft driven by two piston engines. It further exploited the wooden construction...
The deHavilland DH.106 Comet is the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by deHavilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet...
production as the de Havilland Goblin powering de Havilland's first jet, the Vampire. DeHavilland controlled the company until it was bought by the Hawker...
VF273 a DeHavillandVampire of 203 AFS dived into the ground near Thwaites, Northumberland, one killed. 13 January 1951 T6524 a DeHavilland Tiger Moth...
and Charles Gray. The Mosquito plays an important role with the deHavillandVampire in Frederick Forsyth's 1975 novella The Shepherd. Scott Summers and...
deHavilland Aircraft Pty Ltd (DHA) was part of deHavilland, then became a separate company. It acquired the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1985...
such as the Aero L-29 Delfin, Aero L-39 Albatros, BAC Jet Provost, DeHavillandVampire, and PZL TS-11 Iskra have seen the conception of their own racing...
The deHavilland Sea Venom is a British postwar carrier-capable jet aircraft developed from the deHavilland Venom. It served with the Royal Navy Fleet...
SE-535, which was in turn a licence-built version of the British deHavillandVampire. In September 1947, a series of talks outlining the project took...
Retrieved 27 May 2019. [1] The history of the deHavillandVampire" by David Watkins p.35 "DeHavilland DH-100". Aeronautica Militare. Retrieved 13 July...
of the codename Rampage to refer to the Meteor, as similarly the deHavillandVampire would initially be referred to as the Spider Crab. Test locations...
Retrieved on 2010-09-08. Jackson 1988, pp. 76–77. Jackson 1988, pp. 78 "DeHavilland DHC-4 Caribou". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved...
Global Information