De Havilland Australia - Early Years and WWII

Early Years and WWII

In March 1927 the de Havilland Aircraft Company established DHA in Melbourne, its first overseas subsidiary. DHA was set up to sell de Havilland products in Australia, to assemble aircraft that had been sold, and to provide repair and spare parts services. In 1930 DHA relocated to Mascot aerodrome in Sydney.

Prior to World War II DHA did not undertake any production of aircraft (although de Havilland designs were licence-built by other Australian organisations, most notably Qantas, the Larkin Aircraft Supply Company and the Cockatoo Island Naval Dockyard under Lawrence Wackett). In the late 1930s DHA began production of propellers both for the local market and for delivery to the parent company. In 1939 DHA delivered 20 DH.82 Tiger Moths assembled from imported fuselages and locally-built wings to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). After the outbreak of war, the RAAF selected the Tiger Moth as its primary trainer and in 1940 DHA commenced licenced manufacture at a new facility at Bankstown; when production ended in February 1945 over one thousand had been built. DHA also licence-built 87 DH.84 Dragons from 1942 and 212 DH.98 Mosquitos from 1943 for the RAAF.

In 1942 DHA produced its first indigenous design. In March that year the RAAF issued a specification for a small transport glider. DHA responded with the DHA-G1 a high-wing design incorporating the nose section of the Dragon then being built. The first of two DHA-G1s was flown in June 1942. The RAAF ordered the improved seven-seat DHA-G2 in 1943: these differed from the DHA-G1 in having a larger fuselage and wing. By this time the threat of invasion of Australia by Japan and the rationale for the type had passed and only six were produced.