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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuport_12

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

American Nieuport 80 E.2 trainer

Royal Flying Corps Nieuport 12 built by Beardmore. Elevator stripes were a Beardmore trademark.

Nieuport 12

Two-seat fighter-reconaissance biplane.

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

 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)

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: 3hours
• Service ceiling: 3,960 m (13,000 ft)

Armament

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

Survivor

Nieuport 12 at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

Drawing of late production Beardmore-built Nieuport 12 with the full set of modifications

A single ex-French Nieuport 12 is on display following an extensive restoration (including reinstalling the original Le Rhône 9J rotary engine) at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa in the late 1990s. This aircraft was donated to the Canadian Dominion Archives along with a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 cannon and an extensive collection of propaganda posters by the French Government in 1916 and was used for war bond drives until the 1918 flu pandemic resulted in it being placed in storage. In the late 1960s the Royal Canadian Air Force partially converted it into an RFC Beardmore example for display.

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
  

Bibliography

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2597.
• Bruce, J.M. (1988). Nieuport Aircraft of World War One - Vintage Warbirds No 10. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-934-2.
• Bruce, J.M. (1998). Nieuport 10~12 - Windsock Datafile 68. Herts: Albratros Publications. ISBN 1-902207-01-7.
• 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.
• Mikesh, Robert C.; Abe, Shorzoe (1990). Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-840-2.
• Sanger, Ray (2002). Nieuport Aircraft of World War One. Wiltshire: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-447-X.
• Thetford, Owen (1978). British Naval Aircraft since 1912 (Fourth ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.

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Published in July 2009.

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