In October 1917 Nieuport began construction of a prototype monoplane fighter known as the Nieuport Madon, a strut braced monoplane.[1]
| Nieuport Madon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nieuport Madon prototype with wing root opening visible | |
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Nieuport |
| First flight | December 1918 |
| Number built | 2 |
Design and development
editThe tapered shoulder mounted wing was supported by lift struts attached to the landing gear, which featured an additional constant chord lifting area between the wheels. A section of wing root was cut away to improve downward visibility.[1] The fuselage and wing were fabric covered. It was armed with two synchronized 7.7 mm (0.30 in) Vickers machine guns.[2] The first prototype made its first flight in early January 1918 while powered by a 110 kW (150 hp) Gnome Monosoupape 9N rotary engine,[1] the same engine used in the Nieuport 28.
The second prototype first flew in late January 1918 with the slightly more powerful 130 kW (180 hp) Le Rhône 9R.[2] This aircraft had a revised wing whose inboard trailing edges were cut away and it had an elongated fin. On 1 May 1918 the second prototype was rejected in favour of the Monosoupape powered model.[1]
The Nieuport Madon was not officially accepted but would be refined through the Nieuport 31[1] the Nieuport-Delage Sesquiplan and eventually into the Nieuport-Delage NiD 62 which was still in second line service in 1940.
Specifications
editData from The Complete Book of Fighters [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
- Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 17.5 m2 (188 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 433 kg (955 lb)
- Gross weight: 703 kg (1,550 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape 9N 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 110 kW (150 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
- Endurance: 2 hours
- Time to altitude: Time to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) - 13 min.
Armament
- Guns: 2x synchronized 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine guns
See also
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References
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Citations
editBibliography
edit- Bruce, J.M. (1988). Nieuport Aircraft of World War One - Vintage Warbirds No 10. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-934-2.
- Davilla, Dr. James J. & Soltan, Arthur M. (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.
- Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon (2001) [1994]. The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Built and Flown (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-84065-269-1.
- Owers, Colin A. (2020). French Warplanes of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Gret War Aviation Centennial Series (43). Vol. 1: Fighters. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-93-3.