The Wibault 7 was a 1920s French monoplane fighter designed and built by '' Société des Avions Michel Wibault''. Variants were operated by the French and Polish military and built under licence for Chile as the Vickers Wibault.

Development

Developed from the earlier Wib.3 the Wibault 7 was a C.I category single-seat high-wing braced parasol monoplane fighter powered by a Gnome-Rhone 9Ad

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

. The main difference from earlier aircraft was the use of an all-metal construction system which was patented by Wibault. The first prototype flew in 1924, and was followed by two more prototypes. Despite being placed only third in the competition (behind the

Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 __NOTOC__ The Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 was a fighter aircraft built in France in the early 1920s, the first in a family of designs that would form the backbone of the French fighter force over the next decade.Taylor 1989, p. 698.''The Illustrated E ...

and the Gourdou-Leseurre GL.32), an order for 25 Wib.7s was placed in January 1927. These were followed in production by 60 aircraft for the ''

Aéronautique Militaire 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 Arm ...

'' as the Wib.72 which entered service in 1929. 26 Wib.7s were built for Chile under licence by

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

in England. Plans to sell the aircraft to Poland did not come about, but the

PZL PZL (''Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze'' - State Aviation Works) was the main Polish aerospace manufacturer of the interwar period, and a brand of their aircraft. Based in Warsaw between 1928 and 1939, PZL introduced a variety of well-regarded air ...

company bought a licence and manufactured 25 aircraft with Bristol Jupiter engines, designated in Poland as Wibault 70C1, to the Polish military.Morgała, Andrzej (2003), p. 29-31 One or two of them were fitted with

Wright Cyclone Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. Background The Wright Aeronautical Corporation was f ...

engine. The next variant was the Wib.73, with seven built for Paraguay. The French Navy bought some carrier-capable Wib.74s with a strengthened fuselage and arrestor hook.

Variants

;Wib.7 :Prototype powered by a 480 hp (358 kW) Gnome-Rhone 9Ad radial engine. Two further prototypes followed by 25 production aircraft. ; Wib.71 Re-engined with a

Hispano 12 J The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

b engine but redesignated Wib.9 before completion. ;Wib.72 :Strengthened production aircraft for French Air Force and Poland. 85 built. ;Wib.73 :Production aircraft for Poland and Paraguay powered by

Lorraine-Dietrich 12E The Lorraine 12E Courlis was a W-12 (broad arrow) aero engine produced by the French company Lorraine-Dietrich during the 1920s and 1930s. Variants ;12E: ;12Eb: ;12Ebr: ;12Ed: ;12Edr: ;12Ee: ;12Ew:The standard Eb fitted with a supplementary s ...

W engine A W engine is a type of piston engine where three or four cylinder banks use the same crankshaft, resembling the letter W when viewed from the front. W engines with three banks of cylinders are also called "broad arrow" engines, due to their shap ...

. 11 built . ;Wib.74 :Production navalised aircraft for the French Navy. 18 built. ; Vickers Wibault Scout :Licensed production with a

Bristol Jupiter The Bristol Jupiter was a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developments turn ...

engine for Chile, 26 built. ;Wibault 70C1 :Licensed production with a Bristol Jupiter engine for Poland, 25 built by

Operators

; *

Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...

; *''

'' *

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 ...

; *

Paraguayan Air Force The Armed forces of Paraguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the Paraguayan army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. The constitution of Paraguay establishes the president of Paraguay as the commander- ...

received 7 Wib.73s. Three remained in service at the outbreak of the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõBolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. ; *

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mil ...

Specifications (Wib 7)

Wibault_7_C1_3-view_L'Aéronautique_April,1927

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Angelucci, Enzo. ''The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980''. San Diego, California: The Military Press, 1983. . * * * * * * *Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. ''The Complete Book of Fighters.'' New York: Smithmark, 1994. . * * * *Morgała, Andrzej (2003). ''Samoloty wojskowe w Polsce 1924–1939'' ilitary aircraft in Poland 1924–1939 Warsaw: Bellona. * *Taylor, Michael J. H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989. . *''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985. {{Authority control Wib 7 Wibault 07