Back to the drawing board: The de Havilland Sea Vixen

The Sea Vixen originated with de Havilland’s DH 110 design of 1947, developed to meet RAF and Fleet Air Arm requirements for a jet-powered all-weather and night fighter. The RAF eventually adopted the simpler Gloster Javelin, but the DH 110 formed the basis for the development of the Sea Vixen, which finally entered service in 1959. The type retained the twin-boom tail layout of de Havilland’s earlier Vampire and Venom fighters but was a far more powerful aircraft, with a top speed of 690mph (1,110kph; Mach 0.91). In keeping with the accepted wisdom of the period, a two-man crew was regarded as essential for the carrier-borne all-weather/night-fighter role, but the Vixen’s prolonged