de havilland vampire

The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British subsonic fighter jet developed and manufactured by the de Havilland British jet company. Having been developed during the Second World War to harness the newly developed jet engine, the Vampire entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1945.

The Royal Air Force used the Vampire as a front line fighter until 1953 before it assumed secondary roles such as pilot training. It was retired by the RAF in 1966. It achieved several aviation firsts and records, including being the first jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The Vampire had many export sales and was operated by various air forces. Almost 3,300 Vampires were manufactured, a quarter of them built under license in several countries. Some of its former operators were Canada, Austria, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico, Venezuela, etc.

It participated in subsequent conflicts such as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Malayan emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War.