The Nieuport-Delage NiD.29 was a French single-seat biplane fighter (C.I category) designed and built by

Nieuport-Delage Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

for the

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; ...

Design and development

The prototype NiD.29 was an equal-span biplane with ailerons on both upper and lower wings. It had a fixed tailskid landing gear, a nose-mounted engine and a single open cockpit for the pilot. The prototype NiD 29 was evaluated by the French Service Aeronautique de l'Armee in July 1918 and a pre-production batch was ordered on 21 August 1918. It was powered by a

Hispano-Suiza 8 The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...

Fb piston engine, it performed well in test but could not achieve the required ceiling. The second prototype was modified with an increased wingspan and on exceeding the required ceiling it was ordered into production in 1920, becoming the fastest service fighter in the world at that time. Production aircraft did not have ailerons on the upper wing and the lower wing ailerons were increased in span, but reduced in chord. The first mass production deliveries were made in 1922 to the French Air Force and the type was popular although it did have a tendency to enter a flat spin. The French military bought 250 aircraft which were built by Nieuport and seven other companies. The NiD 29 was to become an important fighter in the 1920s with purchases of 30 by Spain (including 10 Spanish licence built aircraft), 108 by Belgium (87 licensed built by

SABCA SABCA (Sociétés Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques) is a Belgian aerospace company. Its main sectors of activity are civil aviation, space and defence. SABCA was established during 1920. Presently, it is owned by the French aircraf ...

). The Italian ''

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

'' bought 175 aircraft including 95 built by Macchi as the Macchi-Nieuport 29 and 80 built by Caproni. Sweden bought nine aircraft and designated them J 2. The

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese company Nakajima bought a pattern aircraft and built 608 for the Imperial Japanese Army as the Ko-4. Racing versions of the aircraft were developed and they gained eight world speed records and won the 1920 Gordon Bennett Trophy and the 1922

Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe The Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe was an international aeronautical speed competition instituted on 25 August 1909 by the French oil magnate Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. The race was reinstated three times through the years at the initiative of the ...

competition.

Operational history

Three NiD 29s were modified for reserve Captain

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 ...

in November 1925 and used on seventy sorties against insurgents in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

using bomb racks with six 10 kg bombs. Spanish aircraft were also involved in similar operations in North Africa.

Variants

;Nieuport Ni.29:Prototype for series, powered by a

Hispano-Suiza 8Fb The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...

engine. ;NiD.29 C.1 :Production aircraft, powered by

engines. ;NiD.29 B.1 Nieuport-Delage NiD

:Small number of conversions as an experimental assault version to carry six bombs. ;NiD.29bis :Prototype only with reduced wing area and steerable tailskid, powered by a

engine. ;NiD.29G :Prototypes fitted with a Gnome Monosoupape 9N rotary engine, two later converted to take a Hispano engine and fitted with twin floats and an auxiliary tail float for the Grand Prix de Monaco in 1923. ;NiD.29M :Single prototype for Aeronavale (M for Marine) similar to 29G but with Le Rhone 9R, further converted into 32Rh. ;NiD.29D :Conversion with an engine driven supercharger for an attempt on the altitude record, reached . ;NiD.29 ET.1 :Trainer variant with a

Hispano-Suiza 8Ab The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...

engine and a single synchronised Vickers machine-gun, three built. ;NiD.29 SHV Nieuport-Delage 29V racer

:Seaplane for the 1919

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying ...

contest with reduced wingspan and military equipment removed, two aircraft built and one was also entered in the 1921 event but neither aircraft flew in the races. Powered by a

engine ;NiD.29V : Nieuport-Delage_NiD-29V_3-view_L'Aerophile_October,1922

Lightweight racer developed in 1919 with a wingspan reduced to 6.00m (19ft 8¼in), powered by a

engine, three built. ;NiD.29Vbis :One-off conversion with an enclosed cockpit to gain more speed, the pilot had small teardrop windows on each side with little forward visibility. Powered by a

engine boosted to give . On 12 December 1920, Sadi-Lecointe flew the NiD-29Vbis to a new world speed record of . The aircraft was lost in a landing accident in 1921. ; NiD.32Rh : Le Rhone rotary powered derivative for use by the French Navy as a carrier fighter. Ten built including one converted from 29M. ;NiD.33 E.2 :Two-seat trainer with conventional square-section fabric-covered fuselage. Small numbers used by Japan. ;NiD.40 C.1 :High altitude fighter with Rateau turbocharger ;NiD.40R :One-off modification of NiD.40 C.1 with extended wings and new tail for high-altitude record flights. Later fitted with floats. ;Nakajima 甲 4 (Ko 4) :Japanese licence-built NiD.29, 608 built.

Operators

; *

Argentine Army Aviation The Argentine Army Aviation ( es, Comando de Aviación de Ejército, AvEj) is the army aviation branch of the Argentine Army. Their members have the same rank insignia and titles as the rest of the Army. Along with its primary role of supporting ...

operated 6 examples from 1925 assigned to the 3rd Observation Group. ; *

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

operated 108 examples of which 88 were built locally by

from 1922 until replaced by

Avia BH-21 The Avia BH-21, first flown in 1925, was a robust biplane that served an important role in securing Czechoslovak national security during the period between World War I and World War II. As well as being a competent fighter, it was also an acco ...

s from 1927 and

Fairey Firefly II The Fairey Firefly IIM was a British fighter of the 1930s. It was a single-seat, single-engine biplane of all-metal construction. Built by Fairey Aviation Company Limited, it served principally with the Belgian Air Force throughout the 19 ...

M in 1931 ; *

Kwangsi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...

operated 12 examples purchased from Japan from 1935Fernandez, 2011 p.39 *

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

operated 4 examples purchased from a Japanese mission in 1931 ; *

operated over 600 from 1922 *

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

operated a small number before standardizing on the

Dewoitine D.1 The Dewoitine D.1 was a French single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1920s, built by the French industrial company Dewoitine. Development The D.1 was the first airplane designed by Emile Dewoitine after he established his own company. The D.1 was ...

; *

Corpo Aeronautico Militare The Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aviation Corps) was formed as part of the Regio Esercito (Royal Army) on 7 January 1915, incorporating the Aviators Flights Battalion (airplanes), the Specialists Battalion (airships) and the Ballo ...

operated 175 examples built by

Macchi Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Formerly known as Aeronautica Macchi, the company was founded in 1912 by Giulio Macchi at Varese in north-western Lombardy as Nieuport-Macchi, to build Nieuport monoplanes under licence for the Ita ...

and

Caproni Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan. Founded by Giovan ...

from 1924 until at least 1931.Fernandez, 2011 p.22 These were flown by the 76, 84, 91st ''Squadriglia''s of the 7th ''Gruppo'', 70, 74 and 75th ''Squadriglia''s of the 23rd ''Gruppo'' of the 1st ''Stormo Caccia'' and the 92nd ''Squadriglia'' 8th ''Gruppo''. ; *

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

operated 608 Nakajima-built Ko.4 (Nieuport Fighter type 4) from 1923 until 1937 or later in the 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8 ''Hiko Rentai'' (Air Regiments). One pattern aircraft was purchased from France ; *

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

operated 30 examples from 1923 until replaced with

Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 The Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 was a French fighter aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined sesquiplane, it served with the Spanish Air Force, being operated by both sides of the Spanish Civil War.Taylor and Alexander 1969, pp. 117-118. Development ...

s in 1931 ; :

Manchukuo Air Force The Manchukuo Imperial Air Force (') ( was the air force of the Empire of Manchuria, a puppet state of Imperial Japan. The air force's predecessor was the Manchukuo Air Transport Company (later renamed the Manchukuo National Airways), a parami ...

operated a single ex-Manchurian and ex-Japanese Ko 4 when formed in 1937.Andersson 2008, p. 172. ; *

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...

operated 10 examples designated as ''Jaktflygplan 2'' (Fighter Type 2) from 1925 by ''Flygflottilj F.3'' (3rd Wing) and ''F.5''. ;

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

* Royal Siamese Air Service and Royal Thai Air Force operated 52 as บ.ข.๔ (B.Kh4 or fighter type 4) from 1923, 40 of which were built in Siam. Some examples remained in service after the country became Thailand.Fernandez, 2011 p.40

Survivor

A single example survives at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

although it is not presently on display.

Specifications (NiD 29)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Andersson, Lennart. ''A History of Chinese Aviation:Encyclopedia of Aircraft and Aviation in China until 1949.'' Taipei, Taiwan: AHS of ROC, 2008. . * * ''

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft The ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' was a weekly partwork magazine by Aerospace Publishing (an imprint of Orbis Publishing) which was published in the United Kingdom (and sold in other countries too) during the early 1980s. The magazine ...

'' (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985. * * Taylor, John W. R. and Jean Alexander. ''Combat Aircraft of the World.'' New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. . * Taylor, Michael J. H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989. . * * * {{Authority control 1910s French fighter aircraft 029 Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1918