- Yes
- No
J 33: de Havilland Venom NF.51
Swedish J 33 Venom flying during a snowstorm, 1954. The image was taken by Captain Bo Bjernekull.
Summarized Background History:
The J33 is a Swedish night fighter that was used extensively by the Swedish Air Force during the 1950s and early 1960s. The J33 is an export variant of the de Havilland Venom NF.2 and NF.2A, designated as the de Havilland Venom NF.51. The Swedish Air Force initially had the J30 Mosquito as their primary night fighter, with the original plan being to replace it with the more advanced J32B Lansen in the mid-1950s.
However, the J30 Mosquito was taken out of service much faster than intended due to several fatal accidents between 1949 and 1950, which killed 12 pilots and highlighted the aircraft’s age. This prompted the Swedish Air Force to search for a replacement for the J30, as production of the J32B had not yet begun.
To solve the issue, the Swedish Air Force, already familiar with the J28 Vampire, began exploring the possibility of acquiring the two-seater DH-112 Venom night fighter variants: the NF.2 and the later NF.2A. With approval from the Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration (later amalgamated into the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration), an agreement was signed in January 1951 for the delivery of 35 aircraft, and in June, a second agreement was signed for an additional 25 aircraft. In total, 60 aircraft were ordered, and those exported to Sweden were designated as the NF.51.
Once they arrived to Sweden, they received the Swedish designation of J33. However… Of the 60 ordered Venoms, only 59 came to Sweden. One of the aircrafts crashed on take-off from Hawarden Airport in Great Britain. With both the pilot and the navigator killed. The rest arrived safely and were subseqentely incorperated to F 1 (Västmanlands flygflottilj). With the first J33 Venom entering service in 1952 and then completely replacing the J30 Mosquito by November of 1954.
The J33 Venom continued to be in Swedish service through the 1950’s and were a complete success:
The breakdown frequency & accidents calculated per 100,000 flight hours: Were only a quarter compared to the J30 and half compared to the J29. by 1959: The J33 Venom begun to be slowly replaced by the more advanced J32B Lansen. In October 1960 the last J33 Venom was put out of service.
Now what exactly is difference between the British Venom NF.2/NF.2A and the export variant, Venom NF.51?
While the aircrafts themselves has few differences. Compared to the regular Venom NF.2/NF.2A, the Swedish export variant used the RM-2A engine (DH Ghost engine), which was license-manufactured in Sweden by Flygmotor in Trollhättan. The RM-2 was also used in the J 29 Tunnan. The engines were shipped to Great Britain to be fitted into the aircraft before being delivered to Sweden.
Additionally, the armament—four 20 mm Hispano automatic cannons—was manufactured under license in Sweden by the Gevärsfaktoriet in Eskilstuna. Furthermore, the aircraft were mainly delivered without avionics, as the Royal Swedish Air Force Materiel Administration intended to transfer existing equipment from the J 30 Mosquito, including the PS-20 radar (the Swedish designation for the SCR-720 radar).
Specifications:
| J33: de Havilland Venom NF.51 | |
|---|---|
| Weight (Empty Weight): | ~3670 Kilograms |
| Weight (Max Weight): | ~5640 Kilograms |
| Length: | 11.2 meters |
| Width: | 12.66 meters |
| Height: | 2.06 meters |
| Wing area: | 25.9 m² |
| Crew: | 2 crew members |
| Climb rate: | 45,7 m/s |
| Max Speed: | 1020~1030 km/h |
| Service ceiling: | ~12000 meters |
| Engine: | 1 x RM-2A engine: 22,6 kN |
| Max Range: | ~1700 km |
| Armament (Offensive): | 4 x 20mm akan Hispano Mk.V |
| Ammunition Capacity: | Offensive Armament: 150 round per cannon: 600 Rounds |
| Number in Service: | 59 |
SOURCES:
RM 2 - DH Ghost (Engine)
https://flygvapenmuseum.se/utstallning/j-33-de-havilland-dh-112-venom-nf-2mk-51/
https://www.aef.se/Flygvapnet/Notiser/Flottiljer/F1/Nattjakt_1949_-_1959.pdf