The De Havilland DH-100 Vampire was the RAF's second jet fighter. In addition to its function as a day-fighter, the Vampire was also used for ground attack, training, night-fighting and aerobatic displays. The first prototype of an eventual 3268 DH-100s made its maiden flight in 1943, but Vampires became operational with the RAF only after World War II. The DH-100 was the first jet fighter to cross the Atlantic and to be based on an aircraft carrier.
After the Second World War, the RCAF made the transition to the jet age. The Vampire was Canada's first operational jet, but it had to be subjected to rigorous arctic tests before it was accepted. The RCAF took the Vampire on strength in 1948 and retired the last one in 1956. A total of 85 DH-100s served in the RCAF.
The CWH Vampire was built under license for the Swiss Air Force in 1969 as an FB-6 (fighter-bomber, Mk VI). The museum acquired this aircraft in 1995 and it is restored in the colours of the RCAF and markings of an F-3 (fighter, Mk, III) flown by 400 (City of Toronto) Squadron, based at Downsview (North York), Ontario.
