The DH110 inherits the twin-boom-tail design layout o? the de Havilland Vampire and de Havilland Venom, with major improvements.
A?ter World wᴀʀ II, the RA? remained an important air ?orce in the world, carrying out the mission o? the British and allied armies. UK engineers created a number o? notable aircra?t designs during the decades o? the Cold wᴀʀ, one o? which was the de Havilland DH.110 “Sea Vixen”. Designed by de Havilland in the late 1940s, the Sea Vixen was a twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based ?ighter, in service with the Royal Navy ?rom 1959 to 1972. Only 145 built, the Sea Vixen was used to replace the de havilland “Sea Venoms” ?eaturing the same two-seat, twin-boom con?iguration.
Sea Vixen is operated by a crew o? 2: a pilot and a radar operator. It has a length o? 55 ?t 7 in (16.94 m), a wingspan o? 51 ?t 0 in (15.54 m), a height o? 10 ?t 9 in (3.28 m), an empty weight o? 27,950 lb (12,678 kg), and Maximum take-o?? weight is 46,750 lb (21,205 kg). Since the aircra?t was designed as a carrier-based ?ighter, the swept-wing appendages could be ?olded, allowing ?or improved stowage o? large aircra?t on British carriers o? the day. The undercarriage is ?ully retractable, consisting o? two wheeled main legs and a single-wheeled nose leg.
The DH110 is powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon 208 turbojet engines, with 11,000 lb? (49 kN) thrust each. It can reach a top speed o? 690 mph (1,110 km/h), or Mach 0.91, a range o? 790 mi (1,270 km), a service ceiling o? 48,000 ?t (15,000 m), and a rate o? climb o? 9,000 ?t/min (46 m/s).
As a ?ighter, the Sea Vixen has 6 hardpoints to carry its arsenal, including up to 4 “?irestreak” air-to-air missiles, or 4 Matra rocket pods ?or a total o? 72 rockets. Like other aircra?t o? the Cold wᴀʀ era, the Sea Vixen can carry a single “Red Beard” ?ree?all nuclear bomb i? necessary. Interestingly, the Sea Vixen was the ?irst British aircra?t not equipped with a gun ?or close combat.
The De Havilland DH110 Sea Vixen was involved in a grave tragedy at the ?arnborough Air Show in 1952, when the prototype was being displayed to the crowd with the intention o? creating a sonic boom. A?ter taking the aircra?t to a supersonic speed in a dive, it su??ered a sudden structural break-up during a high G turn. Tragically, the break-up saw the engines continued ?orwᴀʀd into the crowd, killing 29 spectators and injuring many others. In addition, Test Pilot John Derry and ?light Engineer Tony Richards both lost their lives.