page_title: De Havilland Venom
section_title: Further development
hierarchical_section_title: De Havilland Venom / Development / Further development
caption_attribution_description: English: De Havilland Venom FB.4 WR540, newly built, at Manchester Airport
context_page_description: The de Havilland DH 112 Venom is a British post-war single-engined jet aircraft developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Much of its design was derived from the de Havilland Vampire, the firm's first jet-powered combat aircraft.
  The Venom entered service with the Royal Air Force, where it was used as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter. A dedicated model for aerial reconnaissance was also operated by the Swiss Air Force. The Venom functioned as an interim stage between the first generation of British jet fighters – straight-wing aircraft powered by centrifugal flow engines such as the Gloster Meteor and the Vampire – and later swept wing, axial flow-engined combat aircraft, such as the Hawker Hunter and de Havilland Sea Vixen. Accordingly, the type had a relatively short service life in the RAF, being withdrawn from frontline operations by the service in 1962 as a result of the introduction of more capable designs. However, it was used in combat during the Suez Crisis, the Malayan Emergency, and the Aden Emergency.
context_section_description: On 22 August 1950, an improved Venom, the NF.2 night fighter, performed its first flight, piloted by John Derry. de Havilland had developed it from the single seat ground attack-oriented Venom to serve as a replacement for the Vampire NF 10. For this variant, the fuselage was redesigned to accommodate a two-man crew, (pilot and navigator/radar operator), seated in a side-by-side configuration, and an airborne interception radar installed in the extended nose. During late 1953, the Venom NF.2 entered squadron service, after being delayed to resolve minor problems that had been discovered. Specifically, preliminary handling trials had revealed unsatisfactory performance in poor weather conditions.
  The Venom NF.2 was modified after being involved in several accidents in which pilots had difficulty making night-time approaches. Changes included the adoption of jettisonable clear canopies and alterations to the flight control surfaces, and the altered aircraft were re-designated NF.2As. The Venom NF.2 was soon followed by the NF 3, which was the ultimate night fighter variant of the Venom. It incorporated further improvements, including power-actuated ailerons and an improved air interception radar. In 1953, the Venom NF 3 performed its first flight; it entered operational service with the RAF during June 1955.
  The final Venom for the RAF was the single-seat FB.4 which first flew on 29 December 1953. It entered service in 1955 and 250 were built. It was powered by a single 4,850 lbf (21.6 kN) thrust de Havilland Ghost 103 turbojet engine. It was the first Venom to be fitted with an ejector seat, as well as being furnished with redesigned tail surfaces and hydraulically-powered ailerons. The new rudder design prevented excessive yaw and eliminated incidents of rudder locking at low speeds. The FB 4 variant was the first to be compatible with the underwing fuel tanks.
  The majority of the type's production was conducted by de Havilland themselves. Following the completion of an initial batch of 15 production Venoms, manufacturing was transferred from de Havilland's Hatfield facility to their larger production plant at Hawarden Airport. On 26 July 1952, the first Hawarden-built Venom was delivered to the RAF. In addition, the construction effort was augmented by numbers of Venom FB.1, FB.4 and NF.51 aircraft that were produced by Fairey Aviation at Manchester (Ringway) Airport. At one point, the production of further Venoms at the Bristol Aeroplane Company's Filton facility was considered but was ultimately not pursued. During the early 1950s, the prospects for Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat Aviazione producing the type under license were explored; these did not materialise however. Due to substantial demand from the Swiss Air Force, a license production arrangement was established with a consortium of Swiss aviation manufacturers in 1953, who did produce large numbers of Venoms.
caption: Venom FB.4 with revised tail surfaces. This aircraft served Nos. 28 and 60 Squadrons of the RAF.
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