Sopwith Aircraft

There is a separate entry for the history of Sopwith

Sopwith Aircraft
Model	Date	Detail
Tractor Biplane	1912	Two-seater tractor biplane powered by 80 hp Gnome engine. Nine produced.
Tabloid	1913	Scout. The Sopwith Tabloid was a biplane sports aircraft. Named the "Tabloid" because of its small size, its performance caused a sensation when it first appeared, surpassing the existing monoplanes of the day. The original Tabloid, which first flew in November 1913, was a two-seater with a side-by-side configuration — unusual for the time. It had no ailerons, using wing warping for lateral rolling. It was originally powered by an 80-hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine and when tested by Harry Hawker at Farnborough the Tabloid reached 92 mph (148 km/h) while carrying a passenger. It took only one minute to reach 1200 ft (366 m). Forty aircraft were built.
Schneider and Baby		Maritime patrol scout. On 20 April 1914, a version of the Tabloid, known as the Sopwith Schneider, equipped with floats and powered by a 100-hp Gnome Monosoupape engine, won the Schneider Trophy in Monaco. A total 0f 136 Schneiders and 286 Babys were produced. Power was from the 110 hp or 130 hp Clerget engine.
1½ Strutter (Type 9400)	1916	Day bomber. One or two-seat biplane multi-role aircraft of the First World War. It is significant as the first British designed two seater tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun. Around 1,500 1½ Strutters were built in the UK and France possibly produced 4,500 in addition.
Sparrow	1915	Single seater scout. Powered by 50 ho Gnome. Four built.
Pup	-	Fighter. The Sopwith Pup was a single seater biplane fighter aircraft. It was officially named the Sopwith Scout. It was nicknamed the Pup because it looked like a smaller version of the two-seat Sopwith 1½ Strutter; the name Pup was not used officially as it was reportedly thought to be undignified. The Pup's docile flying characteristics made it the ideal aircraft to use in carrier deck landing and takeoff experiments. . . . More Information
Triplane	1916	Fighter. Single seater triplane. Designed, like the Sopwith Pup, by Herbert Smith the Triplane possessed a fuselage similar to that of the Pup, although the disposition of spacers, formers and stringers differed. Likewise the tailplane, elevators, rudder and fin resembled those of the Pup. Initially powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z nine-cylinder rotary engine, however most planes were fitted with a 130 hp Clerget 9B rotary. Also used 110 hp Le Rhone; 150 hp Bentley BR1 and 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape. A total of perhaps 150 were built
Camel (F1)	1918	Fighter. Single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its maneuverability. Intended as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup, the Camel prototype first flew in December 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z. Approximately 5,500 were ultimately produced. . . . More Information
Dolphin (5F1)	1917	Fighter and ground attach biplane. It was the first Sopwith design to use a water-cooled in-line engine, the new 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8B. It suffered from engine reliability problems. 1,532 were built
Dragon	1919	Single-seater biplane fighter. Derived from the Snipe.
Snipe (7F1)	1917	Fighter. The Snipe was built around the Bentley BR.2 rotary engine - the last rotary to be used by the RAF but also used the Bentley BR.1 and the 320 hp ABC Dragonfly engines. A development of the Camel. 2,097 aircraft were built. Builders were Boulton Paul Aircraft, Coventry Ordnance Works, Kingsbury Aviation, Marsh, Jones and Cribb, Napier, Portholme Aerodrome and Ruston, Proctor and Co. . . . More Information
T1 Cuckoo	1918	Torpedo bomber. The Cuckoo was developed to meet an RNAS requirement for a torpedo carrying landplane capable of carrying an 18 inch torpedo which could be launched from an aircraft carrier. It first flew in June 1917, powered by a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza engine. As the Hispano-Suiza engines were unavailable, the heavier Sunbeam Arab was selected for production orders. A number of Cuckoos were fitted with Wolseley Viper engines as an alternative to the troublesome Arabs. A total of 350 were ordered, but initial production was slow and the end of World War resulted in a number of cancellations, with a total of 232 being completed - the majority by Blackburn by the time production finished in 1919.
TF2 Salamander	1918	Single-seat Ground attack aircraft. Powered by 250 hp Bentley BR2 or 200 hp Clerget 11Eb engine. It was a derivative of the Sopwith Snipe and 419 / 82 were built. Builders were Air Navigation Co, Glendower Aircraft Co, Palladium Autocars, Wolseley and National Aircraft Factory
Sopwith Aircraft

Return to Sopwith

Sources of Information

• [1] Wikipedia
• The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing) by J. M. Bruce. Published in 1982. ISBN 0-370-30084-x
• The Encyclopedia of British Military Aircraft by Chaz Bowyer. Published in 1982. ISBN 1-85841-031-2
• Warplanes of the World 1918-1939 by Michael J. H. Taylor. Published 1981. ISBN 0-7110-1078-1