Ängelholms Flygmuseum

Aeroplane J28 Vampire

Operational History

The Swedish Air Force purchased its first batch of 70 FB 1 Vampires in 1946, looking for a jet to replace the already outdated SAAB 21 and J 22s of its fighter force.

The aircraft was designated J 28A and was assigned to the F 13 Norrköping Wing.

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 Vampires called J 28C were used for training.

The Swedish Vampires were retired as fighters in 1956 and replaced with J 29 (SAAB Tunnan) and J 34 () . The last Vampire trainer was retired in 1968. All Vampire warbirds being flown in Sweden today originate from the Swiss Air Force .

The J28 DH.100 Vampire was a British jet fighter developed and manufactured by de Havilland .

Having been developed during the Second World War to harness the newly developed jet engine, the Vampire entered service with the (RAF) in 1945. It was the second jet fighter, after the , operated by the RAF and its first to be powered by a single jet engine.

The RAF used the Vampire as a front line fighter until 1953 before it assumed secondary roles such as pilot training. It was retired by the RAF in 1966, replaced by the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. It achieved several aviation firsts and records, including being the first jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vampire had many export sales and was operated by various air forces. It participated in subsequent conflicts such as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Malayan emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War.

Almost 3,300 Vampires were manufactured, a quarter of them built under licence in other countries. The 's first jet fighter was the Sea Vampire , a navalised variant which was operated from its aircraft carriers. The Vampire was developed into the DH.115 dual-seat trainer and the more advanced DH.112 Venom ground-attack and .

Design and development

The first Vampire F.1 , in 1945. Note the early squared fin and and high position.

The Vampire was considered to be a largely experimental design due to its unorthodox arrangement and the use of a single engine, unlike the Gloster Meteor which was already specified for production.

The low power output of early British jet engines meant that only twin- engine aircraft designs were consid- ered practical; but as more powerful engines were developed, particularly Frank Halford's H.1 (later known as the Goblin), a single-engined jet figh- ter became more viable. De Havilland were approached to produce an air- frame for the H.1, and their first de- sign, the DH.99, was an all-metal, twin-boom, tricycle undercarriage aircraft armed with four cannon.

The use of a twin boom kept the jet pipe short which avoided the power loss of a long pipe that would have been needed in a conventional fuse- lage. The DH.99 was modified to a mixed wood and metal construction in light of Ministry of Aircraft Produc- tion recommendations, and the design was renumbered to DH.100 by November 1941.

Cockpit layout of the Vampire FB Mk2 Under specification E.6/41 for two prototypes , 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 building with moulded plywood for aircraft construction.

Many of the basic design features were first used in their Mosquito fast . It had conventional straight mid-wings and a single jet engine placed in an egg-shaped, aluminium- skinned , exhausting in a straight line.

Comparison of the FB.5 single seat (left) and T.11 dual seat Vampire

The Vampire was first powered by a Halford H1 (later called 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. This was a common problem with all the early jets, and 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, leading to the FB30 and 31 variants built in Australia. 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 the heat from the jet exhaust would melt the tarmac on which it stood. De Havilland initiated a private venture night fighter, the DH.113 intended for export, fitting a two seat cockpit closely based on that of the Mosquito night fighter, and a lengthened nose accommodating AI Mk X . An order to supply the Egyptian Air Force was received, but this was blocked by the British government as part of a general ban on supplying arms to Egypt. Instead the RAF took over the order and put them into service as an interim between the retirement of the de Havilland Mosquito night fighter and the full introduction of the Meteor night fighter. Removal of the radar from the night fighter and fitting of dual controls gave a jet trainer, the DH.115 Vampire which entered British service as the Vampire T.11 . This was built in large numbers, both for the RAF and for export.

A total of 3,268 Vampires were built in 15 versions, including a twin-seat night fighter, a trainer and a carrier- based aircraft designated Sea Vampire . The Vampire was used by some 31 air forces. Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. were the only major Western powers not to use the aircraft type.

In 1947 Wing Commander Maurice Smith, then-Editor of Flight magazine, stated upon piloting his first jet- powered aircraft, a Vampire Mk III : "Piloting a jet aircraft has confirmed one opinion I had formed after flying as a passenger in the Lancastrian jet test beds, that few, if any, having flown in a jet-propelled transport, will wish to revert to the noise, vibration and attendant fatigue of an airscrew- propelled piston-engined aircraft".