Sopwith Dragon
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| Sopwith Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Type | Single-seat fighter biplane |
| Manufacturer | Sopwith Aviation Company |
| Maiden flight | 1919 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 76 |
| Developed from | Sopwith Snipe |
The Sopwith Dragon was a 1910s British single-seat fighter biplane developed from the Sopwith Snipe by the Sopwith Aviation Company.
[edit] Design and development
First flown in January 1919 the Dragon was a Snipe re-engined with a 320hp (239kW) ABC Dragonfly I radial engine. With an increase of speed from the Snipe it was ordered into production for the Royal Air Force with a larger 350hp (268kW) engine. The Dragon was a two-bay unswept biplane with unequal span wings and ailerons fitted on all four wings and a braced tailplane and a single fin and rudder. It had a fixed tailskid landing gear with a cross-axle type main gear with twin wheels carried on vee legs under the fuselage. It was powered by a nose-mounted 360hp (268kW) ABC Dragonfly IA radial engine driving a two-bladed propeller. It had an open cockpit behind the upper wing and two forward firing Vickers machine-guns mounted above the engine.
The aircraft was not used operationally during the First World War due to the unreliability of the Dragonfly engine.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m)
- Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m)
- Wing area: 271 ft² (25.2 m²)
- Gross weight: 2132 lb (967 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × ABC Dragonfly IA radial engine, 360 hp (268 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 150 mph (240 km/h)
- Endurance: 3 hours 30 min
- Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Armament
- 2 x forward firing Vickers machine-guns
[edit] See also
Related development
Related lists
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing, 2953.
- British Aircraft Directory
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