The Sikorsky S-20 (named after its designer) or RBVZ S-XX (named after its manufacturer) was a Russian
single-bay
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
unequal span two-seat biplane designed by
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...
in 1916. Displaying some
Nieuport
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 ...
influence, it saw very little service during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Five S-XX aircraft were built in September 1916, with the first two powered by the 100 hp Gnome rotary engine which had powered its predecessor, the
RBVZ S-XVI. However, the other three were powered with the 120 hp Le Rhone engine, with which they were allegedly faster than the French
Nieuport 17.
Operational history
The S-XX saw little service because it was viewed as inferior to newer enemy aircraft, and no series production was undertaken. As such, only five aircraft were ever produced.
List of operators
;
*
Imperial Russian Air Service
The Imperial Russian Air Service (russian: Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ, , Emperor's Military Air Fleet) was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года прика ...
Specifications
References
Bibliography
* William Green and Gordon Swanborough. ''The Complete Book of Fighters''. Colour Library Direct, Godalming, UK: 1994. .
{{Sikorsky Aircraft
1910s Russian fighter aircraft
S-020
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Rotary-engined aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1916