DH Venom, Vampire & Swallow

[Weaver]

Jon, the Venom with DH.108 wing looks great.  The Sea Venom was a good choice, the exhaust fairing makes for a very pleasant form in plan, resembling the Ho.229.

'Tis good isn't it? A good candidate for an alternative Batplane too....

[Weaver]

Here's a mad one: VSTOL. 

Replace the Vampire/Venom's engine with a Pegasus-style turbofan (you know, just like that... ). You might want to make the intakes a tad bigger..... The single hot nozzle exhausts in the usual place, but has a 90 deg. thrust deflector, for which the Sea Venom's tail fairing is useful. The cold nozzles go out to clang boxes in much-enlarged booms. For normal flight, they exhaust backwards through the boom, but for VTOL, they go forwards to vertical nozzles in the extended tips of the booms.

[ChernayaAkula]

^ Now that looks cool! 

[Just call me Ray]

Oh, and in regards to the bizjet conversion:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Jetcraft%20Mystery%20Jet/0196893/L/&width=1000&height=693&sok=WHERE__(aircraft_generic_%3D_%27Jetcraft_Mystery_Jet%27)_&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=NEXTID

It's my understanding that, though built from a real Vampire, it's only a mock-up.

[Mossie]

Just had a thought on RP's in the booms.  The booms are in line with the intake edges, so you wouldn't be able to fit them without either redesigning the intake or moving the booms outboard.  Might be a possibility for the Venom/Swallow hybrid if the designers were willing to fiddle with the design.  Another option would to be replace the cannon with retractable housings for the RP's, in a similar way to the Sea Vixen.

[jcf]

Just had a thought on RP's in the booms.  The booms are in line with the intake edges, so you wouldn't be able to fit them without either redesigning the intake or moving the booms outboard.  Might be a possibility for the Venom/Swallow hybrid if the designers were willing to fiddle with the design.  Another option would to be replace the cannon with retractable housings for the RP's, in a similar way to the Sea Vixen.

RPs?

Naah, go for the 4.5" recoilless guns as on the Gloster P.272 concept drawing. 

Jon

[Mossie]

Now that'd give an FB version some wallop!

[PR19_Kit]

FOUR 4.5" guns? ? ? ?

Strewth, that's more firepower than a Type 42 destroyer! 

[Mossie]

I gather from the diagram that it's one shot per barrel?  So it's probably not quite as formidable as it looks, the Supermarine 508 in BSP Fighters carries seven rounds for one rifle.

The MoD seemed quite keen on this weapon, there are a few designs kicking around that used.  This weapon would have been the largest calibre gun used on an aircraft IIRC.  4.5" is just over 114mm, a touch larger than the 105mm Howitzer used on later AC-130's.

[GTX]

This weapon would have been the largest calibre gun used on an aircraft IIRC.  4.5" is just over 114mm, a touch larger than the 105mm Howitzer used on later AC-130's. Shocked

Not even close:

280 mm recoiless cannon:



or better yet a 356 mm Gerät 104 Münchhausen:



Regards,

Greg

[Weaver]

The Germans struggled mightily to protect the carrier aircraft from the back-blast of these weapons with angled venturi tubes passing though the aircraft at odd angles, thick skin plating etc..., and yet never seemed to latch onto the twin-boom layout as a solution. That gets you back to the De Havilland twin-boomers of course, which is many respects would be ideal RR carriers.

[Mossie]

Chuffin' Nora!

[jcf]

Yep, the flying 'Big Berthe' concepts are amusing but, like many 'napkinwaffe' concepts,
a waste of time and energy as the thing would have been useless in combat.
Tie up a valuable twin-engine bomber airframe for a one-shot cannon?
To fire a single shot that would most likely miss? 

Jon

[Mossie]

I can see why they were researched, in an era when guided weapons & rockets were in their infancy.  A weapon that could easily kill a tank or small to medium surface vessel, & more accurate than a bomb might be useful, even if you could only launch a handful.  That depends on it being succesful, of course.

[kitbasher]

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal7/6301-6400/gal6325-Viper-Drake/00.shtm was flagged up on this forum in June 2007.  Fits the Venom/Vampire/Swallow whif thread, I think.
This thread reminded me of the odd claims in cyberspace that the Vampire was based upon captured German technology, specifically the FW Flitzer.  Patent nonsense as we all know, but it has inspired a cunning plan.
Take one Revell 'Flitzer' and remove forward fuselage.  Add old dH Hornet forward fuselage left over from last year's Gloster Mercury and modified Airfix Canadian Chipmunk canopy (the Hornet one was missing from the box).  Leave to dry and then add some wing tip tanks to Venomise it a bit.  I may take some old and unused Merlin (aaaaaarrrrrrgghhh!!!!!) Vampire NF10 intakes and replace the kit items.
Paint in high altitude Medium Sea Grey/PRU Blue scheme, add 504 Sqn markings and (hopefully) admire from a distance!
Might not work, but there's no harm in trying.