Nieuport 12

Nieuport 12
Nieuport 12 A.2 prototype
Role	Fighter/Reconnaissance
Manufacturer	Nieuport
Designer	Gustave Delage
Primary users	France Russian Empire United Kingdom
Developed from	Nieuport 10

The Nieuport 12 was a French biplane fighter aircraft used by both Great Britain and France during World War I.

Design and development

To improve the performance of the Nieuport 10 a larger and re-engined version was developed as the Nieuport 12. A Lewis gun was fitted to the rear cockpit for use of the observer and the pilot sometimes had a Lewis gun fixed to the upper wing firing over the propeller. Late examples of the type, used by the Royal Flying Corps were sometimes fitted with a Nieuport or Scarff ring mounting for the observer's gun, and a synchronized Vickers gun for the pilot.

It could be fitted with either a 100 hp (82 kW) or 130 hp (97 kW) Clerget engine mounted in the nose.

Variants

Nieuport 12

Two-seat fighter-reconnaissance biplane, powered by 110 hp (82 kW) Clerget 9Z engine.^[1]

Nieuport 12 bis

Revised version with 130 hp (97 kW) Clerget 9C engine.^[2]

Nieuport 20

Version powered by 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J. Not used by France, but 21 delivered to Royal Flying Corps.^[3]

Nieuport 80E.2, 80D.2 and 83E.2

Nieuport 12s were later converted into training aircraft, they were fitted with extra struts and four-wheel landing gear.

Operators

 Argentina

• Argentine Naval Aviation

 Chile

One aircraft only.

 France

• Aéronautique Militaire

 Poland

 Russian Empire

• Imperial Russian Air Service

 Thailand (Siam)

One aircraft only.

 United Kingdom

• Royal Flying Corps
  • No. 45 Squadron RFC
  • No. 46 Squadron RFC
  • No. 65 Squadron RFC
  • No. 84 Squadron RFC
• Royal Naval Air Service
  • No. 7 Squadron RNAS
  • No. 10 Squadron RNAS

Specifications (110 hp Clerget engine)

Data from The Complete Book of Fighters ^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 (pilot, observer)
• Length: 7.00 m (22 ft 11½ in)
• Wingspan: 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 22.0 m² (237 ft²)
• Empty weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
• Gross weight: 850 kg (1,874 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Clerget, 82 kW (110 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 146 km/h (91 mph)
• Endurance: 3 ^[5] hours
• Service ceiling: 3,960^[5] m (13,000 ft)

Armament

• 1 × machine gun in rear cockpit (Occasionally one machine gun braced to upper wing)

See also

Related development

• Nieuport 10
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of France
• List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps
• List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service
• List of fighter aircraft
  

References

Notes

1. ^ Bruce 1982, p.320.
2. ^ Bruce 1982, p.323.
3. ^ Bruce 1982, pp. 323—324.
4. ^ Green and Swanborough 1994, p.431.
5. ^ ^{a b} Thetford 1978, p.263

Bibliography

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. pp. 2597. 
• Bruce, J.M. (1982). The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London: Putnam. ISBN 0 370 30084 x. 
• Green, W; Swanborough, G (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. Smithmark. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8. 
• Thetford, Owen (1978). British Naval Aircraft since 1912 (Fourth Edition ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0 85177 861 5.