FUSELAGE CREATIONS D.H SEA VIXEN FAW.2

Description

The de Havilland DH110 Sea Vixen is yet another masterpiece created by the British engineers at the Hatfield factory. The Sea Vixen features a unique twin-boom tail, twin-engine, and two-seat air defence fighter design. It was primarily carrier-based and operated by the Royal Navy.

The DH110 first flew in 1951 and entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1959. Its operational career was relatively brief: the aircraft was retired from service in 1972, and the final flying example was permanently grounded in 2017 following a landing mishap. During its time in service, however, the Sea Vixen was deployed in several conflicts, including operations in Tanganyika, Persian Gulf (Yemen), and Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. Notably, all of these deployments were carried out from HMS Centaur, a light fleet aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy.

The Sea Vixen tag in your possession was crafted from XJ607, which first flew on 22 November 1960. Delivered to the Royal Navy in January 1961 as an FAW.1 variant, ‘607’ served with 890, 893, and 899 Naval Air Squadrons. In 1964, the aircraft was upgraded to FAW.2 variant and continued its service with the Fleet Air Arm, operating with 766, 890, and 892 Naval Air Squadrons.

In 1971, XJ607 was struck off charge and became a ground trainer at the engineering schools at Cranwell and Cosford. For a short period, the aircraft was preserved at Southampton airport before being moved to Dunsfold, where it was ultimately scrapped in March 1996. The nose section of Sea Vixen ‘607’ is preserved today at the Queensland Air Museum in Caloundra, Australia, being one of two Sea Vixen preserved outside of the UK (both located in the same museum). 

In the fall of 2025, our team partnered with RAWTAG to craft these beautiful, one-of-a-kind tags for aviation enthusiasts around the world to enjoy!