Navy Wings' SX336 joins one of the strongest warbird lineups in the UK this summer

When the Supermarine Seafire Mk XVII SX336 takes to the skies above Headcorn Aerodrome on 27–29 June 2026, she will do something no other aircraft of her exact type can: fly. SX336 is believed to be the only airworthy Seafire Mk XVII in the world - and she is coming to the Headcorn International Airshow.

From Yeovil to the carrier deck

Built by Westland Aircraft at Yeovil in April 1946 - just fifteen miles from where she is now based at RNAS Yeovilton - SX336 entered Royal Navy service the same year. She flew with 833 Naval Air Squadron, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, before being transferred to RNAS Stretton in 1953. Two years later, she was condemned to be scrapped.

Rescue, restoration, and return to the air

SX336's fuselage was discovered in a derelict state in 1973. Restoration began in 1978, passed through several owners, and was finally completed by Kennet Aviation at North Weald under the ownership of former US Navy pilot Tim Manna. A Certificate of Airworthiness was issued in 2003, and SX336 made her first post-restoration flight in 2006 - more than sixty years after she was built.

Navy Wings acquired the aircraft from Manna in November 2021. She now flies in the markings of 767 Naval Air Squadron, RNAS Yeovilton, with the code VL on her tail and 105 on her rear fuselage.

Griffon-powered, carrier-capable, combat-proven

The Mk XVII represents the Seafire at its postwar peak. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon VI producing 1,850hp, she is capable of 387mph - fast enough to intercept kamikazes over the Pacific, which earlier-mark Seafires did with lethal effect during the final year of the Second World War. The type went on to fly hundreds of combat missions during the Korean War before being retired in the mid-1950s, replaced by the Hawker Sea Fury and the first generation of naval jets.

The Seafire was always a Spitfire at heart - folding wings, arrester hook, and carrier undercarriage grafted onto one of the most elegant airframes ever designed. The Mk XVII refined that formula to its ultimate piston-engined expression.

Part of a Navy Wings formation at Headcorn

SX336 doesn't arrive alone. Navy Wings - the charity that preserves and flies the Fleet Air Arm's historic aircraft from their heritage hangar at RNAS Yeovilton - are bringing a remarkable trio to Headcorn 2026. Alongside the Seafire, visitors can expect the iconic Fairey Swordfish and the North American Harvard: three aircraft that between them span the full arc of naval aviation from biplane torpedo bomber to the threshold of the jet age.

For anyone with an interest in Fleet Air Arm history, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see all three in the air on the same weekend.