DONE @ p.4 +++ D.H. Sea Venom Mk. 23, MFlGr 1, Deutsche Marineflieger; Jagel, 1961

[Dizzyfugu]

Slight delay, had to re-shoot some pics. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Did a long evening editing session to finally finish this project before the upcoming 1WGB, and here she is:


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
Because placing naval aviation units under the command of the Air Force during World War II had proven unsuccessful—often forcing the Navy to operate without air support—the Federal Navy regained its own aviation forces starting in 1956. The Naval Aviation Command (later the Naval Aviation Division and Naval Aviation Flotilla) was at times the fleet's largest type of command. At its peak, it comprised five naval aviation wings operating up to 200 aircraft and helicopters. A notable feature was the large number of fighter-bombers—reaching up to 121 at times; these were intended to engage Warsaw Pact amphibious landing forces and were distributed across two naval aviation wings in Schleswig-Holstein.

Starting in 1957, the German Marineflieger (initially "Marinefliegergruppen der Bundesmarine", abbreviated with MflGr, later renamed into Marinefliegergeschwader or MFG) received their first jet aircraft. This included 68 Hawker Seahawk (34 Mk.100 day fighters and 34 Mk.101 with search radar in a wing pod, necessitating an enlarged vertical stabilizer), which were to serve as interceptors, fighter-bombers, and reconnaissance aircraft, plus 34 de Havilland DH.112 Sea Venom FAW.23 as dedicated all-weather fighters with a secondary attack capability.
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1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The de Havilland DH.112 Sea Venom was a British postwar carrier-capable jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Venom. It served with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Australian Navy, and the French Aéronavale (as the license-built SNCASE (Sud-Est) Aquilon). The Sea Venom was the navalized version of the Venom NF.2 two-seat night fighter. The necessary modifications for use on the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers included folding wings, a tailhook (which retracted into a characteristic "lip" over the jet pipe) and strengthened, long-stroke undercarriage. Internal systems and structure were better protected against humidity and salty environment, too. The canopy was modified to allow ejection from underwater. The first prototype made its first flight in 1951 and began carrier trials that same year.


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The German export aircraft were newly built and tailored to the operator's needs, mainly through different mission equipment. The FAW.23 variant featured ejection seats, an American AN/APQ-65 radar as well as American radio equipment, and air-conditioning. They were powered by a Ghost 105 engine, giving improved high-altitude performance and lacked the avionics to deploy the British IR-guided Firestreak AAM, which was not part of the German inventory, anyway.
Pilots and maintenance personnel underwent training in the USA and Great Britain. Delivery of the aircraft to the Federal Navy's naval air groups took place between November 1957 and February 1959.
The German Sea Venoms were distributed evenly between MFlGr 1 and 2 and operated alongside the Sea Hawks. The identification codes for the MFlGr1 aircraft were VA+237 to VA+253 while those operated by the MFlGr2 were VB+241 to VB+257.


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Soon after their introduction the German Sea Venoms were re-painted with domestic RAL colors (though basically retained their original paint scheme) during scheduled overhauls and upgraded with avionics for the American IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. The introduction of the AIM-9 into the German Air Force in general took place in several phases, beginning in the early 1960s. Initial procurements of AIM-9B guided missiles were part of the modernization and equipping of the new jet squadrons, primarily for the Luftwaffe's F-86 Sabre interceptors. The Marineflieger Sea Venom all-weather fighters were included in this initial program, and the new weapon considerably improved their combat effectiveness. Up to four AIM-9B missiles could be carried on single launch rails under the outer wings, but in practice most of the time only two were carried, together with a pair of 230l (50 imp. gal.) drop tanks to extend range and loiter time.


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


However, due to rapid advancements in jet aircraft, radar technology and their armament, as well as the fact that the British jet aircraft types were already obsolete at the time of their procurement, they began to be replaced in Marineflieger service as early as 1963 by the F-104G Starfighter, which was a technological quantum leap. Plans to modify five German Sea Venom fighters for Electronic countermeasures (ECM) purposes, similar to British practice with the Royal Navy's ECM.21 and 22 variants, were not executed.
The last German Sea Venoms were retired together with the Sea Hawk fleet between 1964 and 1965. Of the remaining 27 German Sea Venoms at the time of their retirement two were preserved in museums, while the other 25 were mothballed and offered for sale, but they did not find any taker and were subsequently scrapped by 1970. One has been preserved at the Military History Museum Berlin-Gatow Airfield in Berlin, another at the International Aircraft Museum in Villingen-Schwenningen.


General characteristics:
    Crew: 2
    Length: 36 ft 7 in (11.15 m)
    Wingspan: 42 ft 11 in (13.08 m)
    Height: 8 ft 6.25 in (2.5972 m)
    Gross weight: 15,400 lb (6,985 kg)
    Max takeoff weight: 15,800 lb (7,167 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× de Havilland Ghost 105 centrifugal-flow turbojet engine, 5,300 lbf (24 kN) thrust

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 576 mph (927 km/h, 501 kn) at sea level
                                    555 mph (482 kn; 893 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
    Range: 705 mi (1,135 km, 613 nmi)
    Service ceiling: 39,500 ft (12,000 m)
    Rate of climb: 5,750 ft/min (29 m/s)

Armament:
    4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk. V cannon (150 RPG) in the lower nose
....Underwing hardpoints for:
    • up to 4× AIM-9B Sidewinder IR-guided AAMs, or
    • 8× "60lb" RP-3 unguided rockets, or,
    • 2× 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, or
    • 2× 50 or 100 Imp. Gal (~ 230 or 450 liters) drop tanks


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 de Havilland DH.112 'Sea Venom' FAW.23; 'VA+251' of the MFlGr 1 (1st Naval Fighter Wing), Deutsche Bundesluftwaffe, Fliegerhorst Jagel near Schleswig (Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany), 1961 (What-if/FROG Kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

Nice work, Dizzy!   

I remember ours at the RAN FAA Museum starting with a fair BANG! & a big cloud of smoke when the starter cartridge went off. 

[PR19_Kit]

I remember ours at the RAN FAA Museum starting with a fair BANG! & a big cloud of smoke when the starter cartridge went off. 

A characteristic of many British jets of the period.

Quite a few squadrons practiced all starting together while lined up on the pad, resulting in the whole area vanishing under a dense smoke cloud! 

A cracking looking model, and excellent pics too Thomas. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you both, glad you like it (and the pics). 

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well Dizzy