- Yes
- No
De Havilland Sea Vampire T.Mk.22
History:
In 1972 the FACH (Chilean Air Force) needed transition aircraft to be able to fly the recently acquired Hawker Hunter. Previously the FACH operated the Vampire T.55 but these were at the end of their useful life and were therefore decommissioned with the exception of only one (J-301) which continued to operate because it still had remaining flight hours. For this reason Chile decided to buy a new batch of Vampires.
Thus, in August 1972, a purchase order was issued for ten aircraft: four ex-Royal Air Force Vampire T.11s (J-302 to J-305) and six ex-Royal Navy Sea Vampire T.22s (J-306 to J-311), offered by Hawker Siddeley Aviation Limited. The Sea Vampire T.22 was a special variant, essentially a Vampire T.11 but with modifications to adapt it to naval use, including a TR 1936 VHF radio, A.1271 and ZBX radio beacon equipment, a pilot-operated signal discharger, and anti-G fittings. Another difference that the Sea Vampire T.22s that arrived in Chile had was that they had the Mk 4AV seat, unlike the Vampire T.11s that had the Martin Baker Mk.3B seat. Chile and Great Britain were the only users of the Sea Vampire T.22.
This version was also known as the DH.115 Vampire Trainer, as it had two seats for the pilot and the student. Despite being considered trainer jets, they had all the available armament present in the single-seat Vampires, they had 4 Hispano Mk.V 20 mm cannons with 600 rounds as their main armament, although if the plane was piloted by 2 people, 2 cannons had to be removed due to the center of gravity. They also had hardpoints for carrying bombs, rockets, and fuel tanks with a capacity of up to 1,000 lb in weight on each wing.
By the end of 1972, all the new Vampires and Sea Vampires had begun service with the FACH’s 8th Aviation Group, being painted in desert camouflage. In 1973, twelve Goblin Mk3 turbines were purchased. With these engines, the FACH’s Goblin turbine inventory reached twenty-seven units.
Due to growing border tensions between Chile and its neighbors, it was decided in June 1974 that the Vampire and Sea Vampire would be used to support ground forces. They received rails for SURA and HVAR rockets, in addition to their corresponding bomb racks. The 5-inch HVARs weighed 140 lb each, and the Vampire could carry 4, while the SURA only 50 lb, allowing for 8, increasing firepower and allowing for increased bomb load weight. The SURA rockets had been obtained from F-80Cs, which were also part of the FACH. Another weapon considered was Italian-made napalm bombs, which were reserved for use exclusively on the Vampires. In March 1975 some Vampires were transferred to the aviation group number 4, among them only the Sea Vampire T.22 J-308 was transferred to said group, the remaining Sea Vampires remained in group 8.
By mid-September 1975, the weapons stockpile had been improved, with the arrival from Punta Arenas of a large quantity of 250 lb and 500 lb bombs, napalm tanks, and HVAR rockets for use by the Vampires. This war material was surplus to the southern ammunition stores following the retirement of the F-80s and T-33s. Spanish Expal 65-kilo war bomb groupers were also adapted to be able to carry several smaller bombs in each wing of the Vampires.
In 1976, the Vampire and Sea Vampire were equipped with a wider variety of armament configurations, allowing the use of 375 kg bombs, the aforementioned 500 lb Italian napalm bombs, 500 and 1,000 lb conventional bombs, HVAR, SURA, and SCAR (training) rockets, in addition to various types of 20-mm ammunition for the cannons. Because there was a shortage of 20 mm cannons due to wear and tear, the FACH acquired a batch of 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons with a significant amount of ammunition from the Dominican Republic, which remedied the ongoing shortage of this material.
Finally, in 1980, it was decided that the useful life of all Vampire and Sea Vampire aircraft had reached the end, and on December 31 of that year, their final retirement was ordered. Fortunately, today, the Sea Vampire T.22 J-306 and J-307 can be found in the Chilean Aeronautical Museum.
Specifications:
- Crew:
- 1 or 2
- Armament:
- Primary: 4 x 20mm Hispano MK.V cannons
- Secondary:
- Bombs: 2x 1000 lb bombs, 2x 500 lb bombs, 2x 250 lb bombs, 2x 500 lb Aerea 559G1 napalm bombs, 12x Expal 65kg bombs, 2x 375 kg bombs
- Rockets: 4x HVAR rockets, 8x SURA rockets
- Dimensions:
- Lenght: 10.34 m
- Wingspan: 12 m
- Height: 2 m
- Weight empty: 3347 kg
- Max Takeoff Weight: 5298 kg
- Performance:
- Powerplant: De Havilland Goblin MK 3
- Maximum Speed: 882 km/h at 4,572 m
- Initial rate of climb: 22 m/s
- Service ceiling: 10,668 m
Photos:
Sources:
- https://museoaeronautico.dgac.gob.cl/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/avion_vampire.pdf
- https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Del-Vampire-Viper-Recargado-Historia/dp/B09J6Z84KN
- De Havilland Vampire The Complete History by David Watkins