No Gloster Javelin!

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Discussions about the 1957 Sandys axing of the Manned Aircraft from the RAF always give the impression that many Hawker Hunters smoothly gave way to far fewer English Electric Lightnings.
But there was also
The Javelin has always seemed to me the aircraft we should have either avoided or replaced much earlier.
The US had the Northrop Scorpion we had the Javelin. Except the Jav only had 4 Firestreaks at the end of its career.
To be fair, noone else in Western Europe bothered with anything similar.
On another thread I suggested we should have replaced the Javelin in the late 50s early 60s with the Avro Arrow. If Canada had gone for the F106 Delta Dart that might have been an alternative.
 
Gloster’s found themselves in what is now called a first movers dilemma. The success of the Meteor was only partially due to their contribution. The key enabler I.e the gas turbine was a fast moving technology and in these situations fortune favours the brave. The problem was Gloster’s weren’t very brave, indeed really complacent. The Javelin’s lack of performance step is best illustrated by the Meteor NF11-14 saga. These were developed as a cheap export version assuming the top of the line Javelin wouldn’t be available for some time. Except when the RAF looked at the performance of the NF Meteor and Javelin there wasn’t much difference, it was available, cheap so they bought 200 Meteor NF11 and NF14.

The Thin Wing Javelin was yet another example of Gloster’s timid management. It was barely supersonic and would have flown at about the same date as the F4 Phantom.

Many of the Javelins were bought using US mutual assistance funding. So one could argue the presence of this funding was the reason the Javelin went into such a long production run which did Gloster’s more harm than good. Having said that, had Javelin been a quick flop they would have only had enough for one more throw of the dice and I’m unconvinced they would have made an ambitious choice. Still you never know;- Vought’s delivery of the abysmal Cutluss galvanised them into the superb Crusader. The Gutless really was Uncle Sam Javelin.
 
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Easy ! Buy Avro Canada CF-100s, first. No Javelin. And a very sane aircraft, far better than early F-89s who did their best to try and match the coming F-104 love for crashes.

Then remember Tony Buttler book - the CF-105 Arrow was considered as an interim type pending F155T, replacing... the Thin Wing Javelin, in the same role.

Canada rules the skies !

Second best alternative: the DH-110 Vixen. Another major screw up, not the aircraft itself (despite the horror of 1952) but the never-ending delays by the RN, DH-116 included. Could have been in service by 1954, languished until 1959, way too late.
 
One of my childhood books comes to mind reading Archibald's comments about buying Canadian.
My copy of Timothy's book of aircraft may well explain my rather basic approach to our subject.. One of the pages inside shows Sabres wearing the Maple Leaf roundel. So Canada would have suited me. Years later I have a varied collection of Arrow toys and models.
 

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Had they stuck with DH.110 I could imagine a plausible in service date of 1954 (1955 might be more plausible given the inevitable delays) for a gun-armed Vixen NF.Mk.1. A missile-armed Vixen FAW.Mk.2 (4x Firestreak) should have been ready by 1956 or 1957 and escape the 1957 cuts by being an 'interim' all-weather defender until Bloodhound was ready.

I assume a mix of British and US radars would still be likely (partially to get modern equipment and partially due to US MDAP funding).
A Vixen NF.Mk.1 would probably mean fewer Meteor and Venom night fighters, especially the latter and maybe even less Venoms of all types as DH would be pretty heavily loaded.
Would there be enough Avons to go around or would DH put Sapphires into the Vixen?
It might still have caused development delays with the Sea Vixen but the Admiralty would have had less excuse to dither if the RAF were buying them.
Some good exports might have been made too, especially if MDAP funded a repeat of the NATO Venom deal (Fiat-built Vixens anyone? Belgian Vixens instead of CF-100).

I share Zoo Tycoon's view on Gloster's abilities. The Javelin was a delta but the most conservative of deltas and never had enough thrust to really get going. It did the job (and by the end with four 30mm and four Firestreak was potently armed) but it was torn between not being advanced enough (subsonic, fat wing) and too advanced (not as cheap as straight-wing Meteor or single-engine Venom which offered much the same performance). The "thin wing" Javelin was a joke too far.
 
Arguably Fairey was the original winner of the whole process, though not really much better from our vaunted perspective and in some ways worse.
While Westlands and Blackburn were decent runners up.
And Saro was surprisingly innovative.
 
This aero-grump, so ready to moan at UK industry, has some sympathy with Gloster's expiry caused by the Abysmal Dragmaster. It wasn't all their fault.

* 18/11/50: Ministers assign Highest Priority equally (!?) to (UK Bomb+Bombers and to) 5 GW Projects: (to be Bloodhound/Seaslug/Thunderbird SAMs, Blue Boar ASM and Fireflash AAM. By 13/10/52 Super-Priority had been extended to more a/c, including 3 civil, thus negating the concept: so, supply hiccups.

* 7/7/52: G.A.5 won RAF FAW, 200 ordered with ADEN guns, and with a US Mutual Security Program contribution, $ and APQ43/AI.22.

* 3/53: R&D ITP, V-A T.888 Red Dean AAM (for G.A.5, then TW Javelin): hiccup would be kind to describe the impact on a guns-only G.A.5 scheme of 7/52.

* 3/54: R&D ITP, Gloster P.364 Thin Wing Javelin.

This lot was the onset of System. Nobody in UK could spell that. MoS was Manager - Gloster was not - of engine, AI, AAM, gun, ejection seat and...and...

US Mutual Security Administration by mid-52 realised they had put too many Standard Type eggs in UK's basket. Far from Swift, Hunter, Javelin, Venoms being buildable for UK and for various other NATO Members, fitted with engines, radar and weapons, UK industry was, ah, over-stretched. So were Establishments doing radar, rockets, reheat.

Canada had made a Mutual Aid Agreement with UK, matching US' 27/1/50 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. Canada offered CL-13 Sabre airframes, US MSP offered J47s for them (R.T.Wakelam,Cold War Fighters,UBCP,2012,P90). We thanked them nicely and asked for ">300", 2/11/52 (430 set off for UK).
On that day CF-100 Mk.2 was on RCAF trials, Mk.3 about to enter early Service. Canada told UK they could deliver Sabres soon (it was 1/53) or CF-100s later but pls choose, we can't give both free. So we took more $ and US radars for more NF Meteors, NF Vampires/Venoms to bridge to Javelins, c.1956.

It all seemed to Sandys to be such a good idea at the time.
 
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Canada had made a Mutual Aid Agreement with UK, matching US' 27/1/50 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. Canada offered CL-13 Sabre airframes, US MSP offered J47s for them (R.T.Wakelam,Cold War Fighters,UBCP,2012,P90). We thanked them nicely and asked for ">300", 2/11/52 (430 set off for UK).

On that day CF-100 Mk.2 was on RCAF trials, Mk.3 about to enter early Service. Canada told UK they could deliver Sabres soon (it was 5/53) or CF-100s later but pls choose, we can't give both free. So we took more $ and US radars for more NF Meteors, NF Vampires/Venoms to bridge to Javelins, c.1956.


Ah yes I had forgotten the massive Sabre order. Never realized they were at least partially canadians.

So, had Hawker P.1052 / 1081 produced as an interim swept swing fighter for the "Korea panic" then no need for Canadian Sabres, and thus the CF-100 order could happen in place of Javelins ?

And then without a Javelin nor its Thin Wing variant; and with CF-100 "cuckoos" already in the RAF "nest", CF-105s could be ordered as interim types for F155T... with the interesting argument that the huge Red Dean / Red Hebe would gently fit inside the B-29-size missile bay, cutting a truly enormous amount of drag.

Would that survive Sandystorm, 1957 ? not sure at all. F155T did died, for sure. And the Arrow was quite late. Not because of the airframe (top notch) or the engines (top notch too) but because they had made a colossal mistake... borrowing the Skylancer radar and missiles, rather than the F-106. Shame, this bonker idea single-handedly killed the program, to eternal regreats.

Sandystorm was April 1957, the Arrow rolled-out exactly six months later just the right day to be screwed by Sputnik (October 4, damn it !), first flight was in March 1958.

One thing is sure, as far as GIUK "air" gap went, Arrows would be a far better bargain than Lightnings. And equal to Phantoms.

And then there is OR.339, and there the jury is split... could the Arrow fit there ?
 
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And then there is OR.339, and there the jury is split... could the Arrow fit there ?
Depends.
Time to height and speed was critical. Arguably with a scabbed on rocket pack it would do.
Alternatively the RB.128 might deliver....think of a scaled up Iroquois.
 
I thought about the TSR-2 specs. OR339 rather than OR329 (or whatever OR F155T was...)
 
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MAP philosophy was not so much "american aircraft at discount price" but "any aircraft production even a local one must be encouraged against communism".
MAP famously funded hundred of Mystere IVAs despite F-86. Same for Canada own Orenda Sabres and Belgium CF-100s even if F-89 had been rejected.
 
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Flicking through BSP:1 reminded me that Hawker's P.1057 was nearly given the green light, an order for three prototypes in July 1947 was shortlived but there been funds it might have been seen through.
A DH.110 and P.1057 competition would have been a tougher choice, but Hawker winning might have affected the later Hunter too (which was arguably late on the scene anyway).
 
Flicking through BSP:1 reminded me that Hawker's P.1057 was nearly given the green light, an order for three prototypes in July 1947 was shortlived but there been funds it might have been seen through.
A DH.110 and P.1057 competition would have been a tougher choice, but Hawker winning might have affected the later Hunter too (which was arguably late on the scene anyway).
HS.1057 was favoured in some quarters.

Would not a delayed Hunter put more demand on Supermarine to fix the Swift or accelerate the Crescent Wing development?
Or perhaps some other firm's design chosen instead?
 
Flicking through BSP:1 reminded me that Hawker's P.1057 was nearly given the green light, an order for three prototypes in July 1947 was shortlived but there been funds it might have been seen through.
A DH.110 and P.1057 competition would have been a tougher choice, but Hawker winning might have affected the later Hunter too (which was arguably late on the scene anyway).
HS.1057 was favoured in some quarters.

Would not a delayed Hunter put more demand on Supermarine to fix the Swift or accelerate the Crescent Wing development?
Or perhaps some other firm's design chosen instead?

But there's an industrial dimension to this, too. Gloster and Armstrong Whitworth were both part of the Hawker Siddeley Group. Remember AW built both Hawker designed (Sea) Hawks, AND Gloster Meteor night fighters, so the capacity is there to allow for P.1057 in place of Javelin . . .

cheers,
Robin.
 
Loosing Javelin, could have implications for Glosters. It would mean taking work on components for P.1057 for example. Or shake the company out of complacency.

Another thought is that Glosters earlier tailed deltas included a much lighter day fighter. It might have better served to see that realised in this and leave it a contest between DH and HS. This might then take the place of the Scimitar, which since Glosters design is easier for reheat has implications too.

This in turn makes me wonder if Glosters had a tailed delta of the Javelin Type for a single engine?
 
Would you want a single-engined 'Harmonious Drag Master'?
I don't think there were any advantages in having a delta wing for the kind of performance requirements for the Hunter/Swift.
The Javelin with its big wing proving amply fuel tankage was looked upon favourably as a long-range escort fighter/intruder, but again it failed to really impress once the numbers were crunched in comparison with other aircraft (Canberra, DH.110): https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/specification-f-5-49-long-range-fighter.7688/#post-362810
 
What also puzzles me is why the Javelin hangs around for so long in RAF service.
I suppose it has better range than the Lightning and carries 4 instead of 2 AAM.
 
It still seems strange to me that Sandys does not tell the RAF you can keep the Lightning but ditch everything else.
Yet in the 60s we find Javelins being sent to defend Zambia as if Sandys had never been.
Does the extra armament really make a difference?
 
This was the RAF's plan for Fighter Command to March 1960 at January 1955.

Plan L Fighter Command January 1955 after Swift cancellation.png
  • The amendments are the changes made following the Supermarine Swift was cancelled. In they original document the Swifts were crossed out with a ruler and the new figures for the extra Hawker Hunters were hand-written on the document.
  • F.153 refers to the aircraft being built to Specification F.153, i.e. the Gloster thin-wing Javelin.
  • F.23/49 is the Lightning.
 
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This is the same document without the amendments.

Plan L Fighter Command January 1955 before Swift Cancellation.png
  • Under both versions of the plan the Javelin Force was to build up from 16 aircraft in one squadron at the end of September 1955 to a peak standard Javelin strength of 352 aircraft in 22 squadrons at the end of March 1959. This would consist of 18 squadrons in Fighter Command and 4 squadrons in Germany.
  • A year later it would be 360 aircraft in 22½ squadrons. That is 216 standard-Javelins in 16½ squadrons and 96 thin-wing Javelins in 6 squadrons.
  • The half-squadron was at Malta. It had Meteors at March 1955 before converting to Venoms and finally Javelins in the quarter ending 30th June 1960.
  • A full-strength squadron had 16 aircraft.
However, the actual peak strength was only about two-thirds of that at 14 squadrons from January to December 1960.

The aircraft requirements section shows.
  • 557 Javelin Mk 1
  • 118 Javelin Mk 2
  • 27 Javelin Trainers
That's a total of 702 standard Javelins.

180 thin-wing Javelins to be delivered by the end of March 1960. Which makes a grand total of 882.

A total of 430 standard Javelins were actually built including 408 single and 22 two-seaters. Another 13 single-seat and 5 two-seat Javelins were cancelled. None of these totals include prototypes.

19 thin-wing Javelins were ordered, including one prototype. All were cancelled.

The aircraft requirements section also shows 169 Lightnings delivered by March 1960.

I've got some more, but I have to convert them into Microsoft Paint first.
 
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I thought that I had a transcript from Plan L at January 1955 for the AWF force that showed all the squadrons in Fighter Command and overseas converted to the thin-wing Javelin by the end of March 1963. However, I can't find it.

I assume that all 18 SRDF squadrons in Fighter Command were scheduled to have Lightnings by March 1963 too. However, I have no evidence to support my claim.

Edit 29.08.22

I was wrong.

It wasn't Plan L at January 1955. It was an appendix to Plank K (Star) dated 9th March 1954. I was wrong about what it said as well.
  • The main Plan K (Star) ran from 31st March 1954 to 31st March 1958.
  • The appendix started at 31st March 1955 and ended on 31st March 1961. It was only for the World Wide All-Weather Fighter Force (Fighter Command, Germany and Malta).
I might do a more detailed post about it.
 
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Dear Boys & Girls, wouldn't a British licence-built version of the wondrous SNCASO Vautour have been a suitable substitute for the Javelin?

Terry (Caravellarella)
 
This is a simplified version of what I uploaded into Post 24.

This version only shows the projected strength at the end of March of each year.

Plan L Fighter Command January 1955 before Swift Cancellation - March only.png
 
This is a simplified version of Plan L at January 1957. The simplification being that it only shows the projected situation at the end of March of each year.

Plan L Fighter Command January 1957 Simplified.png
 
This is a simplified version of Plan L at September 1957. In common with the other simplified plans it only shows the projected situation at the end of March of each year.

Plan L Fighter Command September 1957 Simplified.png
  • The original document didn't show the AWF and SRDF separately. I have done it like this to show the split between the two types of fighter and to make it easier to compare and contrast to the earlier versions of the plan.
  • The original table ended at March 1963. However, note (i) said that there would be 156 Lightnings in 13 squadrons of 12 buy 31st March 1964.
  • It didn't mention the Javelins so I assumed that the strength at 31st March 1963 would be the same as at 31st March 1963. However, having read the note again it might mean that the 8 Javelin squadrons were to be disbanded.
 
This is a simplified version of Plan P of March 1964 for Fighter Command. In common with the others I have only shown the projected strength at the end of March in each year.

Plan P Fighter Command - Simplified.png

In addition to the above there were also 24 Hunters in 2 squadrons of 12 in Transport Command. They were part of the Strategic Reserve. These were to convert to the P.1154 in the early 1970s.
 
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And this is the World Wide Fighter Force for Plan P of March 1964.

Plan P World Wide Fighter Force Simplified.png

At March 1964 the overseas commands had:
  • 32 Javelins in 2 squadrons in Germany
  • 12 Javelins in one squadron in Cyprus
  • 24 Javelins in one squadron in Singapore
By March 1967 there were to be:
  • 24 Lightnings in 2 squadrons in Germany
  • 12 Lightnings in one squadron in Cyprus
  • 24 Lightnings in 2 squadrons in Singapore
That is from 68 Javelins in 4 squadrons at March 1964 to 60 Lightnings in 5 squadrons at March 1967.
 
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MAP philosophy was not so much "american aircraft at discount price" but "any aircraft production even a local one must be encouraged against communism".
MAP famously funded hundred of Mystere IVAs despite F-86. Same for Canada own Orenda Sabres and Belgium CF-100s even if F-89 had been rejected.
A little late to this party, but there was a whole board within NATO (Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development -- AGARD) whose premise was promoting European aeronautical research in the hopes of seeding NATO-member industry.
 
I posted that lot to show that Duncan Sands plans included a much larger force than people think. He "only" planned to cut Fighter Command from 560 aircraft in 35 squadrons at the end of 1956 to 280 aircraft in 20 squadrons at the end of March 1963.

It was others that cut it further to the 88 aircraft in 7 squadrons that existed at the end of March 1964.

He also included many more Lightnings than were actually built by March 1964.
  • The January 1957 version of Plan L had 300 Lightnings delivered by March 1962 including 10 pre-production aircraft.
  • The September 1957 version of Plan L included 276 Lightnings by March 1963 excluding 15 pre-production aircraft which if added to the production aircraft produce a total of 291 aircraft.
  • The numbers in both versions were for single-seaters. Both versions also said that an indeterminate number of two-seat Lightnings were also required.
In the end a grand total of 236 single-seat Lightnings were built to British contracts and the last one wasn't delivered until 1968.
  • 20 pre-production aircraft were ordered in February 1954. This will have included some for the Ministry of Supply and that would account for the differences in the number in the the various versions of Plan L.
  • 50 Mk 1 aircraft were ordered in November 1956, but only 47 were built.
  • 50 Mk 2 aircraft were ordered in December 1959, but only 44 were built.
  • Another 125 aircraft were ordered in 3 contracts from June 1960 to January 1964 and all of them were built to Mk 3 or Mk 6 standard.
  • 12 were ordered in late 1964 but it was cancelled later.
According to Plan P all the Mk 1s and 2s and one Mk 3 had been delivered by March 1964. 124 aircraft were on requisition and another 12 were required for a total of 136 which were to be delivered by March 1968. Except that only 124 aircraft were built and the last delivery was about 6 months later than planned.
 
Discussions about the 1957 Sandys axing of the Manned Aircraft from the RAF always give the impression that many Hawker Hunters smoothly gave way to far fewer English Electric Lightnings.
Strictly speaking the Lightings replaced the Javelins and not the Hunters.

The Hunter Short Range Day Fighters (SRDF) in Fighter Command and the Hunters Day Fighter/Ground Attack (DF/GA) aircraft in Germany were withdrawn without replacement.

Some Hunters were refurbished as Fighter Ground Attack (FGA) to replace the Venoms in AFME and FEAF. They also equipped a pair of Fighter Command Hunter squadrons that were transferred to Transport Command instead of disbanding. Their job was to reinforce the squadrons in AFME or FEAF if required. Some other Hunters were converted Fighter Reconnaissance (FR) aircraft to replace the Swifts in Germany operating in that role. These aircraft were to have been replaced by the Hawker P.1154.

The plan had been to do it as you describe and it was actually the plan in the 1957 Defence Review. I think the Microsoft Paint images of Fighter Command in both versions of Plan L from 1957 prove that. However, they also prove that the cuts to Fighter Command were not as deep as people think. Though, the charts for RAF Germany do show all the Javelin and Hunter squadrons being disbanded by March 1963 and apart from the Canberra squadrons all that was left were the 2 FR squadrons which would still be operating Swifts.

The decisions that resulted in the Lightning replacing the Javelin and to reduce Fighter Command from 280 fighter aircraft in 20 squadrons in March 1963 as planned in September 1957 to the 88 aircraft in 7 squadrons that were actually in the command at May 1964 were made were made after 1957. I'll have to read the Air History Branch Narrative about the RAF from 1956 to 1963 properly to work out when the change was made.
 
What also puzzles me is why the Javelin hangs around for so long in RAF service.
I suppose it has better range than the Lightning and carries 4 instead of 2 AAM.
The aircraft was around for so long because the deliveries of the Lightnings that were to replace the Javelin fell further and further behind schedule.

This is the total fighter force in Plan P from March 1964 again.

Plan P World Wide Fighter Force Simplified.png

This is the total fighter force as planned at Mach 1966. It didn't have an identification letter. The next "lettered plan" was Plan Q in 1967.

Plan P-Star (March 1966) Fighter Force.png

As can be seen the transition to an all-Lightning force had slipped a year from March 1967 to March 1968.

Plan P had 24 Javelins in one squadron in FEAF. The 1966 Plan had 44 Javelins in 2 squadron in FEAF due to the Confrontation with Indonesia. The 1966 Plan includes an alternative FEAF if the Confrontation ended in March 1970 rather than March 1967 which showed a squadron of 12 Javelins remaining with the command from March 1967 to March 1970 inclusive.
 
Don't know if its already been said, but what about Britain collaborating with Canada to develop, manufacture and put into service the Avro Canada CF-103?
"Estimated first flight was July 1952. Increased shopwork on CF-100 Mark 3 and Mark 4 rescheduled first flight to June 1953."

Regards
Pioneer
 
* 7/7/52: G.A.5 won RAF FAW, 200 ordered with ADEN guns, and with a US Mutual Security Program contribution, $ and APQ43/AI.22.
Just pluck this one out and ponder the timing. 1952 is DH.116 territory.

March 1952 is NR/A.38 and formally issued in July as N.131T.
But has been sent to firms much earlier on 1 Nov 1951.

DH had to suggest DH.110 again Nov 1952.

Furthermore.
Gloster F.4/48 had been ordered in Nov '49 as insurance against DH.110.
By March '51 3 additional prototypes ordered as it supposedly had more potential thsn DH's design.
 
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4 Gloster G.A.5 prototypes were ordered initially, but WD814 and WD819 were cancelled as part of the 1949 defence cuts.
  • WD804 first flew on 26/11/51 and was written off on 29/06/52 which was 7 months later.
  • WD808 first flew on 20/08/52 and was written off on 11/06/53 which was 10 months later.
4 Gloster G.A.5 prototypes were ordered subsequently. All of them were built and weren't struck off charge/scrapped until the 1960s.
  • WT827 first flew on 07/03/53 - it was struck off charge on 16/11/62 and scrapped at No.49 MU Colerne.
  • WT830 first flew on 14/01/54 - it was struck off charge on 11/12/62 and scrapped at Bircham Newton. It had previously been at No.1 School of Technical Training, Halton for Ground Instruction as 7485M. (The source is not clear whether it was struck of charge or scrapped at Bircham Newton.)
  • WT836 first flew on 20/07/54 - was used by Cosford for Ground Instruction as 7552M and scrapped on 23/03/1964.
  • WT841 first flew on 20/08/56 - it was struck of charge on 25/07/60 and scrapped. This was the prototype two-seat trainer.
The dates and fates are from the UK Serials website.

My guess is that the loss of the first pair of prototypes after a combined total 17 months of flying delayed the Javelins entry into service. If I'm correct not cancelling WD814 and WD819 in 1949 would cancel some or all of that out.

Edit: NB this is not a direct reply to @zen's Post 37.

This is an opinion that I've had for years. Especially after discovering that the first pair of prototypes were lost after less than a year's flying. It's an opinion that I have in general for all British military aircraft of this period.

This is a lesson that seemed to have been learned by the middle of the 1950s. For example 20 prototype & development Buccaneers were built, 21 pre-production Sea Vixens were built, 20 pre-production Lightnings were built and one prototype & 18 pre-production Thin-Wing Javelins were ordered.

And to be honest I didn't notice @zen's post and read it properly until after I had uploaded this post, which is why this is an edit and not part of the post as originally uploaded.
 
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Philip Birtles claims on Page 93 of Postwar Military Aircraft: 5 De Havilland Vampire, Venom and Sea Vixen that a total of 13 DH.110 prototypes were planned by the Ministry of Supply in April 1949 as follows:
  • 7 night fighters for the RAF
  • 2 long range fighters for the RAF
  • 2 night fighters for the RN
  • 2 strike fighters for the RN
He also said that 4 prototypes of the competing Gloster G.A.5 were ordered.

However, he wrote on Page 94 that the RN pulled out in November 1949 for financial and political reasons in favour of the Sea Venom to replace the Sea Hornet while the RAF order was reduced to 2 DH.110 and 2 G.A.5.

I've only found serials for 5 DH.110s including three (WG247, WG249 and WG252) that were cancelled leaving:
  • WG236 which first flew on 26/05/51 and infamously crashed on 06/09/52 at the Farnborough Air Show killing 29 spectators and injuring many others.
  • WG240 which first flew on 25/07/52. According to the UK Serials website this aircraft became went to Arbroath on 13/02/59 for Ground Instruction as A2481, then it went to Manadon, Plymouth during 1962 and was scrapped on 05/07/65.
The RN became interested in the aircraft again and WG240 landed on Centaur on 23/09/54.

Meanwhile, XF828 a semi-navalised prototype was ordered in February 1954. It had Avon 208 engines rated at 11,230lb thrust which was considerably more powerful than the 7,500lb thrust RA7 Avons that WG236 and WG240 had. It made its first flight on 20/06/55 and the first deck landing trials were carried out on Ark Royal on 05/04/56. According to the UK Serials website this aircraft went to Culdrose on 28/11/60 for Ground Instruction as A2500 and perished in 1978.

The first production order was placed in January 1955 and covered a total of 78 aircraft including a pre-production batch of 21 aircraft. The aircraft was officially designated the Sea Vixen on 05/03/57. XJ474 the first aircraft was rolled out in February 1957 and made its maiden flight on 20/03/57.

Intensive flying trials were carried out by 700Y flight which used a total of 8 Sea Vixens. This unit became 892 Squadron on 02/07/59 and embarked on Ark Royal on 03/03/60 for sea trials and transferred to Victorious later in the year.

I haven't checked, but if I remember correctly Friedman wrote in British Carrier Aviation that the DH.110 and what became the Scimitar were originally planned to enter service in 1953 and 1954 respectively. I think it's reasonable to assume that a 1953 Sea Vixen would have been a considerably less capable aircraft than the 1960 version. It would have less powerful engines, i.e. Avons or Sapphires in the 7,500lb thrust class like WG236 and 240 instead of the 10,000lb thrust class. It's radar and other avionics would not have been as good. The main armament would have been four 30mm ADEN cannon instead of four Firestreak AAMs.

However, the 1953 Sea Vixen would have been a considerable improvement over the Sea Hornet which was the RN's night fighter in that year and a lot better than the Sea Venom which became operational in 1955.

Birtles in his chapter on the Sea Venom doesn't give an order date for the aircraft. However, WK376 the first of 3 prototypes flew on 19/04/51 and commenced carrier trials on Illustrious on 09/07/51. The first production aircraft flew on 27/03/53 or 4 years to the week before the first pre-production Sea Vixen. 890 Squadron exchanged its Attackers for Sea Venoms on 20/03/54 but was downgraded to second-line status as 766 Squadron on 18/10/55. The next squadrons were 890 which converted from Sea Hornets to Sea Venoms in May 1954 and 891 which received its first Sea Venoms in November. Both of these squadrons were receiving the improved FAW.21 by May 1955. However, the author doesn't say when these squadrons embarked on an aircraft carrier as operational squadrons. My guess is sometime in 1955 which is about 5 years before the Sea Vixen.

Had the RN stuck to the DH.110 instead of the Sea Venom and DH.116...

The original order for 5 prototypes isn't cut back from 5 to 2 in 1949 and the order for the Mk 20X is brought forward to February 1950. The first prototype flies on the same date as the real world but the others (including the Mk 20X) are flying by the end of 1952. The first production contract (which includes 21 pre-production aircraft) is brought forward to January 1951 and the first of these flies in February 1953 instead of February 1957. All other things being equal the first operational squadron would form in July 1955 but wouldn't be fully worked up until late 1956.

This version of the Sea Vixen would have the same airframe and engines as the "real world" FAW.1 of 1960 but it probably has a less advanced radar and won't have Firestreak missiles.

However, the Sea Vixen and Scimitar could only be operated from Standard C or better aircraft carriers that became available as follows:
  • 1955 Ark Royal as completed (Standard C)
  • 1958 Centaur after receiving steam catapults in her 1956-58 refit (Standard C)
  • 1958 Victorious after her great rebuild (Standard A)
  • 1959 Hermes as completed (Standard A-Star)
  • 1964 Eagle after her 1959-64 refit (Standard)
Albion, Bulwark, Centaur and Eagle were all completed to Standard D which limited them to the Sea Hawk and Sea Venom. As far as I know the Colossus and Majestic class carriers fitted with steam catapults were limited to aircraft in the Sea Hawk and Sea Venom class aircraft too and the others ships of those classes were limited to the Firefly, Sea Fury and Sea Hornet.

So unless the development of the steam catapults can be accelerated by at least 4 years so that Albion, Bulwark, Centaur and Eagle be completed with them the RN will still need an aircraft like the Sea Venom to operate from them. And even if that can be done it will still need a Sea Venom class aircraft to operated from the smaller light fleet carriers which I think was begun as an aircraft that could operate from the RAN's light fleet carriers.

Meanwhile, the land based version of the Sea Venom the Venom NF Mk 2 entered service in November 1953 with 23 Squadron at Coltishall. I think the Land Vixen could have been put into service with the RAF on this date if it hadn't lost interest. However, it would only have engines in the 7,500lb thrust class, an inferior radar, and a four 30mm cannon armament, but it would still be a great improvement on the Venom night fighter.
 
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Dear Boys & Girls, wouldn't a British licence-built version of the wondrous SNCASO Vautour have been a suitable substitute for the Javelin?

Terry (Caravellarella)
Could help myself when I saw your post:

gloster-javelin-faw4-xa730-escorts-vautour-9889967.jpg
 
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