DH Venom NF2/3 – why so few?

Yep – that about sums it up – they were crap!

The NF3 was in service for less than a year – which is interesting, as the FAA operated the Sea Venom for much longer, and it was fundamentally the same aeroplane.

The Swedish operated a number of updated NF2’s (built for them), which were later converted to target tugs. Two survive – SE-DCA, and SE-DCD

Bruce

There are also many more Sea Venoms still in existence according to Barry Jones’ DH Twin Boom Fighters book. Having said that, according to said book there are more Night Fighter Venoms in the UK (three) than FB models (two) although there are a number of export and licence built models overseas.

I suspect the reason Sea Venoms were in service for longer had to do with lack of available replacements – Javelins were available to RAF squadrons from 1957 I believe, whereas the RN had to wait until 1959-1960 for Sea Vixens. (The RN fiddled about with the DH116 Avon engined swept wing ‘Super Venom’ before deciding the Sea Vixen was the better option).

Yep – that about sums it up – they were crap!

The NF3 was in service for less than a year – which is interesting, as the FAA operated the Sea Venom for much longer, and it was fundamentally the same aeroplane.

The Swedish operated a number of updated NF2’s (built for them), which were later converted to target tugs. Two survive – SE-DCA, and SE-DCD

Bruce

Okay, I’m not sure how many were built, but why are there only three survivors? Am I right in saying most were converted into Drones?

193 NF2s ordered but all after first 57 completed cancelled end of 1952 with remainder of the contract altered to NF3s. A further order of 34 NF2s was actually built as NF3s but cancelled after six aircraft completed. Over a dozen were used as development aircraft. The NF3 was introduced in 1955 but withdrawn very quickly and some aircraft went straight to the scrapman from maintenance units without ever seeing squadron service. With Javelins starting to become available, there was no need for the de Havilland aircraft which was only really a stop gap between the Meteor and the Javelin – RAF generally suspicious of single engine night fighters.