DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE F.3

The De Havilland DH.100 Vampire is a British jet-powered fighter. It was the second jet aircraft (after Gloster Meteor) in RAF service. The flight of the prototype took place in 1943, but the machine did not reach the first line units until April 1945, and it reached operational readiness in 1946. Such significant differences resulted from the fact that the DH.100 was initially planned only as an experimental aircraft, which was not intended to be mass-produced. However, it was different and in total nearly 3,300 aircraft were produced for the RAF as well as for over 30 other countries, also under license. This machine served in the RAF until the 1960s, and from the end of the 1950s the DH.100 aircraft were treated only as training and training machines. The Vampire was the first RAF fighter to exceed 800 km / h in level flight, and was also the first jet in Royal Navy history to land on an aircraft carrier. The DH.100 was also the first jet (with stopovers) to cross the Atlantic. More than a dozen versions of this aircraft were created, of which the FB.5 version was more widely produced. Technical data (version FB.6): Maximum speed: 882 km / h, speed of climb: 24.4 m / s, maximum ceiling 13,045 m, maximum range: 1960 km, armament: fixed-4 Hispano Mk.V cal. 20mm, suspended - up to 296 kg of unguided rockets and up to 450 kg of bombs.