De Havilland Vampire Trainer
| Vampire Sea Vampire |
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| Vampire T.11 of the UK Vampire Preservation Group displays at the Cotswold Air Show | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer |
de Havilland English Electric |
| First flight | 20 September 1943 |
| Introduction | 1946 |
| Retired | 1979 Rhodesian Air Force |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users |
Royal Air Force Royal Navy |
| Number built | 3,268 |
| Developed into | de Havilland Venom |
 Vampire engine start at AFB Swartkop
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In cockpit flight view of South African Air Force Museum Vampire T 55 flown by Col. Rama Iyer |
The de Havilland Vampire was a British jet fighter developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Work on the aircraft began during the Second World War as a largely experimental aircraft suitable for combat that harnessed the groundbreaking innovation of jet propulsion; it was quickly decided to opt for a single-engine, twin-boom aircraft equipped with the Halford H.1 turbojet engine (later the de Havilland Goblin). Originally ordered as an experimental aircraft only, the decision to mass-produce the aircraft as an interceptor for the Royal Air Force (RAF) was finalised in May 1944.
In 1946, the first production aircraft entered service with the RAF, only months after the conflict had come to a close. The Vampire was the second jet fighter, after the Gloster Meteor, operated by the RAF and the first to be powered by one jet engine. Aside from its propulsion system and twin-boom configuration, it was a relatively conventional aircraft. The Vampire quickly replaced many wartime piston-engine fighter aircraft and was in front-line service until 1953, after which the Vampire was primarily assigned to secondary roles such as pilot training and ground attack, for which specialist variants of the type were produced.
In 1966, the type was retired by the RAF, after being replaced by more capable jet-powered fighters such as the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. During its service, the Vampire had achieved several aviation firsts and records, including becoming the first jet aircraft to traverse the Atlantic Ocean. It had been sold to many nations and operated in a wide range of environments around the world. Vampires participated in several conflicts, including the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Malayan emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War.
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Wikipedia