The Vampire was the second jet fighter after the Gloster Meteor operated by the RAF and the first to be powered by a single jet engine. The RAF used the Vampire as a front line fighter until 1953 before it assumed secondary roles such as pilot training.

With almost 3,300 Vampires manufactured, it had many export sales and was operated by various air forces, The Vampire was developed into the DH.115 dual-seat trainer which entered RAF service as Vampire T.11 while the export version is known as Vampire T.55.

The vampire T.55 was the first jet aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force. It arrived in 1955 and assembled in Bandung, Java. It began squadron operation in 1955 up to 1963, and replaced by MiG-15 UTI.

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The Kit
This new 1/72 kit of the Vampire T.11 from Airfix is a nice little jewel. Fit was excellent and no putty was required. The only trouble was the molded-in antennae on the port tail, which as predicted, snapped off during construction and eaten by the carpet monster. Painted with rattle can. Decal is from CJM Decal for MiG-15 UTI.

Reference:

• Wikipedia : de Havilland Vampire

Iwan Winarta