De Havilland Sea Venom The de Havilland Sea Venom was a British postwar carrier - capable jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Venom . It served with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and with the Royal Australian Navy . The French Navy operated the Aquilon , a version of the Sea Venom FAW . 20 licence - built by SNCASE ( Sud - Est ) . Design and development . The Sea Venom was the navalised version of the Venom NF . 2 two - seat night fighter , and was used as an all - weather interceptor by the FAA . The necessary modifications for use on the Royal Navy ' s aircraft carriers included folding wing s , a tailhook ( which retracted into a characteristic " lip " over the jetpipe ) and strengthened , long - stroke undercarriage . The canopy was modified to allow ejection from underwater . The first prototype made its first flight in 1951 , and began carrier trials that same year . A further two prototypes were built . The first production Sea Venom took the designation FAW . 20 ( Fighter , All - Weather ) . It was powered by a single de Havilland Ghost 103 turbojet engine and its armament was the same as the RAF version . The next variant was the FAW . 21 , which included the modifications introduced in the Venom NF . 2A and NF . 3 . Some of these modifications included the Ghost 104 engine , a clear - view canopy and American radar . The final Royal Navy variant was the FAW . 22 powered by the Ghost 105 engine . A total of 39 of this type were built in 1957 – 58 . Some were later fitted out with the de Havilland Firestreak air - to - air missile . Seven FAW . 21s were modified in 1958 for Electronic countermeasures ( ECM ) purposes , with the cannon replaced by the ECM equipment . These became the ECM . 21 . 831 Naval Air Squadron , the sole squadron to be equipped with it , was shore - based at RAF Watton from 1963 and disbanded in 1966 . Converted FAW . 22s were similarly known as the ECM . 22 . A modernised Sea Venom project , the DH . 116 with swept wings and upgraded radar was considered , but cancelled as the Royal Navy believed that any replacement needed two engines . The de Havilland Sea Vixen ultimately replaced the Sea Venom . Operational history . Royal Navy service . The Sea Venom saw much service during its time with the Royal Navy . In 1956 , they , alongside RAF Venoms , took part in the Suez War which began on 31 October . They were part of Nos . 809 , 892 and 893 Naval Air Squadrons based on the light fleet carrier and fleet carrier . The Anglo - French invasion , codenamed Operation Musketeer , took place in response to the nationalisation of the Suez Canal by Egypt ' s leader , General Nasser . The air war began on the 31 October 1956 signalling the beginning of the Suez War . The Sea Venoms launched many sorties , bombing a variety of targets in Egypt in the process . In 1958 , during the Cyprus Emergency , Sea Venoms of 809 NAS , operating off " Albion " , flew a number of sorties against the Cypriot terrorists . The type also saw service during conflicts in the Middle East . By 1959 , the Sea Venom began to be replaced in Royal Navy service by the de Havilland Sea Vixen , an aircraft that also had the distinctive twin - boom tail . The Sea Venom would be withdrawn from frontline service soon afterwards . The type continued to fly with second line FAA units until the last were withdrawn in 1970 . Service with other nations . Thirty - nine Sea Venom FAW . 53s saw service with the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) , replacing the Hawker Sea Fury . The Sea Venom entered service in 1956 and , during its service with the RAN , operated off the aircraft carrier HMAS " Melbourne " . It was taken out of first - line service in 1967 , replaced by the American A - 4 Skyhawk . The Aquilon saw service with the French Navy until being withdrawn in 1963 . Variants . SNCASE Aquilon . SNCASE ( Sud - Est ) licence - built 121 Sea Venom FAW . 20 as the Aquilon for the French Navy .