The Nieuport-Delage NiD 120 series was a series of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

single-seat parasol monoplane

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

of the 1930s. It was built in a number of versions, fitted with various types of engines, with six aircraft designated NiD 123 being sold to Peru.

Design and development

In 1930, the ''Armée de l'Air'' (or

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

) issued a specification for a single-seat fighter to be powered by a 650 hp (485 kW) engine and required to reach a speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) and a height of 9,000 m (29,500 ft).Hartmann, p. 19. A total of 27 designs were offered by Frech manufacturers, of which one was selected for development to prototype status. Nieuport-Astra's design was a parasol monoplane with the wing mounted just above the fuselage on short

cabane strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s. A hole was cut out of the wing immediately above the pilot's cockpit, allowing the pilot to raise his seat so that his head was just above the wing for a better upwards view. The engine was cooled using an unusual

radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

built into the wing, where air was sucked in through slots in the leading edge of the wing and expelled through the trailing edge. A fixed tailwheel undercarriage was fitted. Two versions were proposed, one, the Nieuport-Delage NiD 121, powered by a Lorraine-Dietrich 12H water-cooled V12 engine and the other, the NiD 122, powered by a

Hispano-Suiza 12X The Hispano-Suiza 12X was an aircraft piston engine designed in France by Hispano-Suiza during the early 1930s. A 12-cylinder Vee, liquid-cooled design, the 12X was used on several aircraft types, some of them being used in limited numbers during ...

engine of similar layout. First to fly on 23 July 1932 was the Hispano-powered NiD 122, piloted by

Joseph Sadi-Lecointe Joseph Sadi-Lecointe (1891 – 1944) was a French aviator, best known for breaking a number of speed and altitude records in the 1920s. Biography Sadi-Lecointe was born on 11 July 1891 at Saint-Germain-sur-Bresle. He learned to fly at the Ze ...

, with the NiD 121 following on 25 November 1932. The NiD 122 was destroyed in a crash on 13 April 1933 when severe wing

flutter Flutter may refer to: Technology * Aeroelastic flutter, a rapid self-feeding motion, potentially destructive, that is excited by aerodynamic forces in aircraft and bridges * Flutter (American company), a gesture recognition technology company acqu ...

caused an

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

to break off while the aircraft was being demonstrated in front of representatives of the Parliament of France. Testing continued, with a second NiD 122 flying in July 1933. While performance was good, with the NiD 121 reaching 367 km/h (226 mph), it was criticised for a weak undercarriage while its novel radiator was considered vulnerable to damage in combat, giving poor performance at high angles of attack, and the

Dewoitine D.500 The Dewoitine D.500 was an all-metal, open- cockpit, fixed- undercarriage monoplane fighter aircraft designed and produced by French aircraft manufacturer Dewoitine. Developed from a specification issued by the French Air Ministry during 1930 ...

was selected instead."Constructeurs d'avions:Nieuport"
''Fan d'avions''. 16 May 2001, Retrieved 29 October 2010. The NiD 121 was tested by representatives of the Peru Air Force in September 1933, and an order was made for six aircraft that could be fitted with either wheeled or

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

undercarriages. A prototype of the Peruvian fighter flying on 18 July 1934. A final version, the NiD 125, was built for evaluation by the ''Armée de l'Air'', featuring a more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Y engine with provision for a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, and with the wing mounted radiators replaced by more conventional radiators mounted on the sides of the fuselage. The sole prototype flew in June 1934, but despite good performance, a similarly powered and armed version of the Dewoitine D500, the D.510 was chosen for production.

Variants

;Nieuport-Delage NiD 121 :Powered by one 670 hp (500 kW) Lorraine-Dietrich 12H engine. One built. ;Nieuport-Delage NiD 122 :Powered by 690 hp (515 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs engine. Two built. ;Nieuport-Delage NiD 123 :Fighter for Peru with convertible wheel/float undercarriage, powered by 720 hp (537 kW) Lorraine-Detrich 12Hdrs engine. One prototype plus six production aircraft. ;Nieuport-Delage NiD 125 :Improved fighter with 860 hp (642 kW)

Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was an aircraft engine produced by Hispano-Suiza for the French Air Force before the Second World War. The 12Y became the primary French 1,000 hp (750 kW) class engine and was used in a number of famous aircraft ...

engine and revised cooling system. Reached 400 km/h (248 mph) during testing. One built.

Operators

* Peru Air Force - The six production NiD 123s were delivered to Peru in 1935.

Specifications (NiD 123 (floatplane))

Notes

References

*Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. ''The Complete Book of Fighters''. New York: Smithmark, 1994. . *Hartmann, Gérard
"Les avions Nieuport-Delage"
''La Coupe Schneider et hydravions anciens''. Retrieved 29 October 2010. {{Nieuport aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft 1930s French fighter aircraft 1200