de Havilland DH.103 Hornet
| de Havilland DH.103 Hornet / Sea Hornet | |
|---|---|
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| Type: | Fighter aircraft , fighter-bomber , reconnaissance aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 28, 1944 |
| Commissioning: |
1945 |
| Production time: |
1945–1952 |
| Number of pieces: |
383 |
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet / Sea Hornet was a twin-engine, single-seat long-range fighter from the British designer and aircraft manufacturer Geoffrey de Havilland . The original purpose of this pattern was to be in fighting Japanese fighters in the South Pacific. Ultimately, however, the DH.103 was mainly used as a fighter-bomber in various conflicts in the Far East .
history
Building on the tried and tested timber construction of the DH.98 Mosquito model , de Havilland submitted the first drafts of the DH.103 to the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP) in September 1942. In essence, the Hornet was a scaled-down further development of the Mosquito, which was completely tailored to the then latest version of the Merlin engine. Unlike the Mosquito, the Hornet had counter-rotating propellers. In June 1943, the order to build two prototypes was placed. Due to the urgency of the procurement, the requirements in Specification F.12 / 43 were only specified on October 5, 1943 after the order was placed.
The first prototype of the DH.103 (registration number RR915) flew for the first time on July 28, 1944 in Hatfield . After initial problems with stiff ailerons and tail shaking, the maneuverability and climbing performance in particular exceeded all expectations. The top speed of the prototype in straight flight was an impressive 776 km / h, and its maximum range with two 900-liter auxiliary tanks was over 4000 km.
Series production of the first Hornet F.Mk.1 version began in December 1944. The first deliveries to the Royal Air Force (RAF) took place in April 1945.
The DH.103 Hornet came too late for active use in World War II. However, it was used from 1951 as a replacement for the Spitfire and the Beaufighter in the jungle of Malaya in ground combat against partisans. After a total of 211 Hornets had been delivered to the Royal Air Force , series production of the model ended in June 1952.
The last Hornet unit of the RAF was converted to the successor model DH.100 Vampire in June 1955 .
Sea Hornet
It was recognized early on that the Hornet could also be deployed from aircraft carriers . Several Hornet F.Mk.1 airframes were therefore converted into Sea Hornet prototypes. De Havilland transferred this work to the Heston Aircraft Company , which adapted the machines to the needs of the Navy according to specification No. 5/44.
After the first flight of the Sea Hornet F.Mk.20 on April 19, 1945 and the subsequent test phase , the first unit of the Royal Navy (RN) was not equipped with Sea Hornets until June 1947.
The Royal Navy's urgent demand for a powerful night fighter led to a modification of the Sea Hornet to a radar - equipped two-seater (version designation: NF.Mk.21 ).
The first flight of the night fighter version took place on July 9, 1946. It was not until 1954 that the Sea Hornet night fighter was withdrawn from active service. They then served as training aircraft for around two years before most of them were scrapped.
The last Sea Hornet variant was a reconnaissance version called PR.Mk.22 . The standard cannon armament of the Sea Hornet was replaced in this version by a set of cameras in the front part of the fuselage. A total of 43 pieces of this reconnaissance variant were built.
variants
- Hornet F.Mk.1 (original single seat production version)
- Hornet PR.Mk.2 (conversion version of a Mk.1 with trunk cameras)
- Hornet F.Mk.3 (further developed Mk.1, most common Hornet version)
- Hornet FR.Mk.4 (modified Mk.3 with trunk camera)
- Sea Hornet F.Mk.20 (original marine version)
- Sea Hornet NF.Mk.21 (two-seat night fighter version)
- Sea Hornet PR.Mk.22 (pure reconnaissance version without on-board cannons)
Military users
- Royal Australian Air Force 1 × for tests
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- Royal Canadian Air Force : 1 Ex RAF at the CEPE Canadian Experimental and Proving Establishment
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (Hornet F.Mk.3) |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 11.18 m |
| span | 13.72 m |
| height | 4.32 m |
| Empty mass | 5842 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 9480 kg |
| Top speed | 760 km / h at an altitude of 6700 m |
| Service ceiling | 10675 m |
| Rate of climb | 23.6 m / s |
| Range | 4830 km |
| drive | 2 × Rolls-Royce Merlin 130/131 |
| power | 1544 kW (2070 hp) |
| Armament | 4 × 20 mm Hispano Suiza cannons, additionally max. 907 kg bombs or missiles |
literature
- AERO , No. 63. Marshall Cavendish International, London 1984.
- Hans Redemann: Good wood . In: Aviation Classics . No. 6 , 2008, ISSN 1860-0654 , p. 10-23 .
- Tony Buttler: Type Analysis: Hornet and Sea Hornet. In: David Donald: International Air Power Review. Volume 10, 2003, pp. 112-123.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Larry Milberry: Sixty Years. The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924-1984 . Canav Books cop., Toronto 1984, ISBN 0-07-549484-1 , pp. 73 .