Sea Venom FAW 20
This page is about the British naval jet fighter Sea Venom FAW 20. For the standard version, see Venom FB.4. |
Contents
Description
Following the development of the de Havilland Venom for the RAF, the Royal Navy also expressed an interest in acquiring the aircraft for its Fleet Air Arm. The twin-seat night-fighter variant NF.2 was modified to be suitable for aircraft carriers, featuring a strengthened undercarriage, folding wings, and tailhook. This first navalised variant was designated the Sea Venom FAW.20, operating as naval interceptors from 1951. It eventually began to be replaced by the de Havilland Sea Vixen in 1959, with the final units withdrawn from second-line service in 1970.
Introduced in Update 1.57 "Battle March", the Sea Venom is a shadow of its land-based sibling, with remnants of its power and manoeuvrability marred by the significant increase in weight from the naval modifications. However, with its relatively advanced airframe and nonetheless powerful engine, the lower BR causes the Sea Venom to be one of the fastest aircraft at the BR. Unlike the Venom, turnfighting should be avoided, as the Sea Venom will lose significant amounts of energy while doing so and will soon end up floating in the air. Instead, use its speed to make fast passes against unsuspecting opponents, and quickly zoom away from danger before they can even think about giving chase.
General info
Flight performance
The Sea Venom is a relatively light jet but heavy compared to other planes it will face, especially prop planes. Despite the high agility of the Venom compared to other jets, it is really mediocre against prop planes as most of them will outturn you within seconds. It maintains energy much better than it is to turn, meaning the Sea Venom should be flown as a Boom and Zoom plane rather than a turn fighter. Its acceleration isn't impressive compared to other jets and almost subpar to even prop planes. The Venom will lose a tremendous amount of energy when trying to turn fight a plane. Fighting at sea level is the way to go of this plane as only a couple of planes, like the MiG-15 will be able to catch you up. Be aware of jets like Sea Hawk Mk.100 as they have air-to-air missiles which will catch you up.
Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 3,048 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
Stock | 935 | 908 | 12192 | 26.1 | 26.8 | 22.9 | 21.5 | 850 |
Upgraded | 1,033 | 985 | 24.2 | 25.0 | 33.5 | 28.0 |
Details
Features | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
Limits | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
1,045 | 420 | 425 | 393 | 320 | ~9 | ~4 |
Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
< 650 | < 640 | < 640 | N/A |
Engine performance
Engine | Aircraft mass | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | ||||
de Havilland Ghost-103 | 1 | 4,707 kg | 246 kg/m2 | ||||
Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Takeoff Weight | |||||
Weight (each) | Type | 9m fuel | 20m fuel | 30m fuel | 32m fuel | ||
1,000 kg | Centrifugal-flow turbojet | 5,211 kg | 5,747 kg | 6,267 kg | 6,387 kg | 7,080 kg | |
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%) | ||||||
Condition | 100% | WEP | 9m fuel | 20m fuel | 30m fuel | 32m fuel | MTOW |
Stationary | 2,100 kgf | N/A | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.34 | 0.33 | 0.30 |
Optimal | 2,100 kgf (0 km/h) |
N/A | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.34 | 0.33 | 0.30 |
Survivability and armour
- 3 mm Steel plate under the jet engine.
Modifications and economy
The engine is somewhat underpowered, so it is recommended to research compressor and engine modifications first for better acceleration and top speed.
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Sea Venom FAW 20 is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 600 total)
Usage in battles
The Sea Venom has a fully air fighting role as the lack of ordnance and penetration for the 20 mm cannons make the aircraft useless for CAS or ground attack. The Sea Venom has 2 primary combat roles, as well as 1 last resort:
Bomber hunter:
The radar, speed, acceleration, and firepower make this jet usable for bomber hunting, especially when on cloudy maps as many planes at the BR lack radar. Pilots should use 30° climb to gain speed and altitude to be able to hunt bombers (always use aircraft carrier take-off when possible). Depending on the type of bomber that the Sea Venom encounters (jet bomber or prop bomber), tactics should vary.
For jet bombers:
Ar 234 B-2, Ar 234 C-3, IL-28 (all variants), etc, the pilot must try to use their agility to their advantage as most of them carry both offensive and defensive weaponry and sometimes will try to dogfight you (with exception of Ar 234 B-2 and B-57A). IL-28 should be approached carefully as the 23 mm offensive and defensive cannons can tear the Sea Venom apart with small bursts. Use your speed to your advantage.
For prop bombers:
B-29/Tu-4, etc, the pilot must use boom and zoom tactics as big planes lack agility but have powerful firepower. These aircraft should be approached as any other prop bomber (head-on or from below). Be aware of B-29 and Tu-4 as both have ventral turrets that will harm you, approach them in a head-on or in a frontal arc of 45° (blind spot for most turrets) or in a very steep angle from above (although this should not be the main angle of approach as both B-29 and Tu-4 have a turret elevation of 89°).
Air superiority fighter:
The Sea Venom is one of the fastest jets at its BR (909 km/h at sea level with no upgrades) and will outrun most planes when energy is kept. Do not attempt to turn fight as you will lose a tremendous amount of energy and most planes will outturn you (Ho 229, Kikka, etc). Boom and zoom and do not be afraid of running, most planes will not be able to chase you. Do not attempt to outrun enemy jets when uptiered as aircraft like MiG-15 will catch you easily.
Bait:
This tactic should be a last resort when you are unable to take down any aircraft. The Sea Venom is a pretty easy target due to its small and tight cabin and small wingspan (although this can sometimes be beneficial) but can be used as bait for enemy planes for the same reason. Let friendlies deal with them while you grab their attention.
Radars
The sea venom is equipped with an AI Mk. X search radar, located in the nose of the aircraft.
AI Mk. X | |||
---|---|---|---|
Target Detection Radar | |||
Maximum Detection Range |
Guaranteed Detection Range |
Max Azimuth Scan Angle |
Max Elevation Scan Angle |
14,000 m | 8,500 m | ±75° | -20°/+40° |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Adequate ammo supply of 600 rounds (150 RPG)
- Able to land on carriers in case an airfield is not available
- Able to take off from carriers, allowing acceleration from 0 to 300 km/h in couple seconds
- Good turn time and roll rate
- Good at defensive flying
- Very good at diving with a high rip speed of 1,040 km/h IAS
- Retains energy well
- Low compression at high speeds
- Faster than most aircraft it faces when down-tiered
- Has access to a search radar (max range 18 km, fast sweep)
Cons:
- G-LOCs easily
- Does not prepare you well for top rank combat (for new top tier pilots in air realistic battles)
- No payload (for tank realistic battles)
- Subpar acceleration
- Rudder effectiveness is inadequate, due to small size
History
Development
The Sea Venom, designed to succeed the de Havilland Sea Hornet, was the first all-weather jet-propelled fighter aircraft of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Initially without folding wings, the initial Sea Venom prototypes were trialled aboard HMS Illustrious in July 1951. After a further two years of testing, the Sea Venom F.A.W. 20 designation models entered production in March 1953, forty were constructed over two years, finishing in June 1955.[1]
Further Sea Venom developments culminated in the production of F.A.W. 21 and 22 variants, respectively. These variants made improvements to the control surfaces and canopy; and incorporated upgraded ejection seats and American manufactured radar. The Sea Venom made great strides in safety in many areas, examples include the strengthened catapult and arrestor hook capability which increased the safety of take-off and landing; and the canopy advancements which allowed it to be jettisoned from the aircraft when submerged underwater. These were essential upgrades as the early F.A.W. Sea Venoms lacked any ejector seat at all which caused pilots great risk.[2]
Overall, 256 units of the de Havilland Sea Venom were produced and delivered to the Fleet Air Arm.[1]
Operation
During their service life, Sea Venoms saw significant combat. Their activity peaked with their involvement in the 1956 Suez Crisis, in which five squadrons of Sea Venoms conducted ground-strike sorties from their deployed carriers HMS Albion and HMS Eagle.[1]
Due to the all-weather nature of the aircraft, they were uniquely able to intercept jet bombers at night. Slight modifications to the breathing apparatus and oxygen distribution allowed the aircraft to reach these heights, though after the late mid-fifties they were decreasingly in consideration for interception duties.[3]
The Sea Venom is also credited with the first operational firing of Firestreak infrared guided missiles by a Royal Navy fighter squadron aircraft, after successfully destroying drone targets in an exercise off the coast of Malta in 1959.
After the Sea Venom's retirement from carrier service in 1960, it was subsequently replaced by the de Havilland Sea Vixen. It was retired from ground service at RNAS Yeovilton in October 1970.[1]
Devblog
The carrier-based Sea Venom FAW.20 fighter appeared as a version of the two-seater (seats for the pilot and radar operator) ground-launched Venom NF.Mk2 fighter, fitted with radar equipment. At the request of the navy, the base interceptor was equipped with an arrestor hook, a "folding" mechanism to store the wings for convenient storage on aircraft carriers, and a tail bumper to protect the tail unit from strikes on the deck. The aircraft completed testing and went into service with the "all-weather fighter" designation (FAW – Fighter, All-Weather).
Media
- Skins
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
- Official data sheet - more details about the performance
- [Devblog] Sea Venom FAW.20: Two-seat Jet-Fighter
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Thetford, O. (1991) British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, pp. 111-13.
- ↑ Hobbs, D. (1992) Aircraft of the Royal Navy since 1945. Liskeard: Maritime Books Duloe, p. 18.
- ↑ Jackson, A. (1987) De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, pp. 479-82.
De Havilland Aircraft Company Limited | |
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