Sea Vixen Question: Did the Sea Vixen engage in combat?

[28ZComeback]

Hi all, 

 

i have read a number of generalized histories of the Sea Vixon and couldn’t find any record of combat. I do know that the Sea Vixen of HMS Centaur flew patrols off the coast of Indonesia in 1964, and further there is a report that Sea Vixens enforced sanctions against Rhodesia. Other than those engagements, (and routine intercepts of Soviet Bears) did the Sea Vixen engage any adversaries during its long career?  Thank you in advance for your kind assistance. 

[David Womby]

I don't remember ever reading of one firing in anger.

David

[71chally]

They did fly combat support missions in the Radfan, Yemen in June 1964.  892 squadron made 3" and 2" rocket attacks in support of Army operations on the ground.

 

Other than that, the closest that it got was the Tankanikan Uprising, and the Indonesian Confrontation when 893 sqn flew close air support and intercepts were carried out, but no actual combat.  Victorious and her Sea Vixen squadrons was active for all of theses campaigns and other emergencies such as the Kuwait Crisis and the various actions in Aden.

899 sqn flew important recce and CAP missions in the withdrawal of British forces Aden, late 1960s.

[David Womby]

40 minutes ago, 71chally said:

They did fly combat support missions in the Radfan, Yemen in June 1964.  892 squadron made 3" and 2" rocket attacks in support of Army operations on the ground.

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Made my day to read that.  I'm delighted to hear the Sea Vixen got to actually go into combat.  It always seemed to me that it and the Scimitar never got much chance to show what they could do.

 

David

[71chally]

All be it a minor footnote in history, but I doubt that it felt that way for the crews involved.

 

I think the Scimitar was a victim of its own delayed service entry. For the first couple of years it was without peer in the Royal Navy but after then it couldn't do anything as a fighter that the Vixen couldn't, nor anything in the strike attack role that the Buccaneer couldn't.  All types could carry out bombing and recce roles, but again the Vixen and Buccaneer had the advantage, chiefly in having an observer and a radar.

 

The Scimitar did see CAP service in the Kuwait and Radfan emergencies, but I haven't seen reference to actual dropping or firing things.

[John R]

it couldn't do anything as a fighter that the Vixen couldn't, nor anything in the strike attack role that the Buccaneer couldn't. 

For that reason I always wondered what was the point of having the Scimitar.

John

[Giorgio N]

28 minutes ago, John R said:

it couldn't do anything as a fighter that the Vixen couldn't, nor anything in the strike attack role that the Buccaneer couldn't. 

For that reason I always wondered what was the point of having the Scimitar.

John

 

Simply the Scimitar was available a few years before the Buccaneer so had a role until the latter entered service.

In the '50s the progress in aeronautics was so fast that a lot could happen in 3-4 uears, as a result several types ended having short careers. The Scimitar was one of these

[71chally]

The Scimitars' origins lie in the Supermarine 508, the idea being a lightweight (ish!) powerful pure day, carrier based fighter designed to specification N.9/47. 

It was single seat, twin Avon powered, armed with four powerful cannon, and it originally did away with having a conventional undercarriage by being able to land on a 'flexible' rubber deck.  This kept weight down and the wing was remarkably thin, however the flexible deck idea was quickly dropped.

The 508 first flew in August 1951 and was originally planned to enter service by the mid 1950s.

 

The Sea Vixen started out as the de Havilland DH110 designed to joint RAF and Navy specifications F.4/48 & N.14/49 (encompassing N.40/46). 

An all weather fighter also with two Avons and four cannon armament, but having two crew and a powerful AI radar.  First flying in September 1951, it was also planned to enter service in the mid '50s. 

It's development was knocked back due to differing Air Ministry and Admiralty demands (though both disliked the cockpit layout).  As we know, the RAF pulled out and the Navy took up the aircraft, but this led to a lengthy development period.

 

Supermarine ditched the 508/529s straight-wings and V-tail arrangement to come up with a swept-wing carrier based design with blown flaps.  

More crucially the design was tailored to fit a new Admiralty requirement, N.113, which was much more of a low-level strike/attack role, and thus moving away from the pure-fighter beginnings.  This all took time to develop via the 525 and 544 types.

 

The DH110 Mk.20X (Naval variant) took a lot of development to a newer specification NA.38 / N.139, as the first aircraft started out as land based only (unlike the Supermarine N.9/47 designs), and was far more complex in weapon and flight systems.  The design also now expanded into secondary roles of bombing and recce.

 

Doubtless with an eye on Sea Vixen development and likely production orders, Supermarine offered up a twin seat radar equipped version of the Scimitar, the 556, to N.139.

 

The Scimitar and Sea Vixen were coincidentally both ready for service carrier trials at the same time, Scimitar WW134 and Sea Vixen XJ474 sharing the deck of HMS Ark Royal in July 1957.

 

In the meantime Blackburn were working on their B103 design to a mid 1953 Admiralty requirement M.148 / NA.39 for a carrier based strike aircraft. 

Though a far more complex type (and representative of the next generation of aircraft) it didn't suffer from the problems of big changes to role specifications or major design changes and was a lot quicker in development.  The NA.39 made its first flight in April 1958.

 

The relatively straightforward Scimitar entered service in June 1958, followed by the Sea Vixen in July 1959, the Buccaneer entering service in January 1963.

 

In short,

the Scimitar bridged the gap in the strike role between the Wyvern and Buccaneer.

The Sea Vixen bridged the gap in the all weather fighter role between the Sea Venom and the Phantom.

Both replaced the Seahawk in the fighter and ground attack role.

The Buccaneer affectively replaced the Scimitar, but due to power issues with the Gyron engines actually required the Scimitar to remain in service as a tanker aircraft to support it.

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by 71chally

[missile-monkey]

Every day's a school day.  Thanks 71chally

 

Regards

 

MM