In January 1914, designer Gustave Delage joined the Société Anonyme des Etablissements Nieuport, and started working on a series of aircraft that would remain in production for the remainder of the First World War. The Nieuport 10 was the first of these and was originally designed to compete in the Gordon Bennett Trophy race of 1914. World War I caused this contest to be cancelled, and the type was developed as a military two-seat reconnaissance aircraft that entered service in 1915.

The type featured a distinctive "V" strut layout. The lower wing was much smaller in area than the upper wing. The concept was intended to combine the strength, compactness and stability of the biplane's wire braced wing cell with the speed and ease of handling of the monoplane.^[1]

Many were built or converted as single-seat fighters by covering the front cockpit, and adding a Lewis Gun or Vickers machine gun either to fire through the center section of the top wing or mounted over it, firing forwards. In this form, the type was used as a fighter.

Two major types were developed based on experience with the Nieuport 10 - the Nieuport 11 Bébé - a smaller and completely new aircraft, designed from the outset as a single-seater, and the Nieuport 12 - a more powerful two-seater with an enlarged top wing and improved seating for the gunner. In addition, production was undertaken later in the war of a dedicated trainer version under the Nieuport 83 E.2 designation with detail changes. A single example of a triplane, using a Nieuport 10 fuselage was built to test an unusual staggered wing concept.

Many of the early French aces flew the Nieuport 10, the best known of which was Georges Guynemer, who used several Nieuport 10s, all marked "Vieux Charles". Jan Olieslagers was flying a Nieuport 10 when he became the first Belgian to shoot down another aircraft, while the first Canadian aerial victory was also scored in a Nieuport 10, by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Ince.

Nieuport X.B

Early designation distinguishing it from the earlier unrelated Nieuport X monoplane.

Nieuport X.AV

Company designation with the observer/gunner seated in the front and the pilot in the rear.^[2]

Nieuport X.AR

Company designation with the pilot seated in the front and the observer/gunner in the rear.^[2]

Nieuport 10 A.2

Two-seat reconnaissance (Artillerie) aircraft, same as Nieuport X.AR.

Nieuport 10 C.1

Single-seat fighter variant. Inspired development of Nieuport 11 C.1.

Nieuport 10 E.2

Nieuport 10 A.2s used for training.

Nieuport 83 E.2

Purpose-built trainer with detail modifications.

Nieuport 10 triplane

Testbed for triplane with unusual wing stagger.

Nieuport-Macchi 10.000

Italian-built Nieuport 10 with many detail modifications.

Nieuport 18 or 18 meter Nieuport

Unofficial description of basic type based on nominal wing area of 18 square meters.

Nakajima Army Type 甲 2 (Ko 2) Trainer

Nieuport 83 E.2 built under licence in Japan.

B.F.2 (training aircraft type 2)

Siamese designation for imported Nieuport 83 E.2.

  Belgium

Belgian Air Force

  Brazil

Brazilian Air Force

  France

Aéronautique Militaire

Aéronavale

  Finland

Finnish Air Force (ex-Russian examples)

  Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic

Red Guards (ex-Russian examples)^[3]

  Kingdom of Italy

Corpo Aeronautico Militare

  Japan

Imperial Japanese Army Air Service

  Portugal

Aeronáutica Militar Portuguesa - 7 Nieuport Ni.83E-2 trainers received in 1917.^[4]

  Romania

Romanian Air Corps - one Nieuport 10 purchased in 1915, used as trainer.^[5]

  Russian Empire

Imperial Russian Air Service - imported large numbers and built under licence.

Imperial Russian Navy - ex Air Service aircraft.

  Serbia

Serbian Air Force^[6]

  Siam

• Royal Siamese Aeronautical Service

  Ukrainian People's Republic

Ukrainian People's Army (One aircraft only)

  United Kingdom

Royal Naval Air Service - early user. Note that the Royal Flying Corps did not use the Nieuport 10.

  United States

United States Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force - used as trainers only

  Soviet Union

Workers' and Peasants' Air Fleet (ex-Russian examples)

Two Nieuport-Macchi 10,000's survive and are on display in Italy, one at the Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra and one at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci", and an original Nieuport 83 E.2 that had been flown by Charles Nungesser while barnstorming in the United States shortly after the First World War, is at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome on static display.

Data from Nieuport Macchi 11 & 17^[7] and French Aircraft of the First World War^[8]

General characteristics

• Crew: Two
• Length: 7.01 m (23 ft 0 in)
• Upper wingspan: 8.03 m (26 ft 4 in)
  
• Upper chord: 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)
• Wing sweep: 2° 45'
• Lower wingspan: 7.51 m (24 ft 8 in)
  
• Lower chord: 0.90 m (2 ft 11 in)
• Height: 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 18 m² (190 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 440 kg (970 lb)
• Gross weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
  
• Undercarriage track: 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)^[9]
• Powerplant: 1 × le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 60 kW (80 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch Régy 155 or Chauviere 2219 propeller, 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) diameter ^[9]

Performance

• Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn)
• Range: 300 km (190 mi, 160 nmi)
• Endurance: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
• Time to altitude: 15 minutes 30 seconds to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
• Wing loading: 36.1 kg/m² (7.4 lb/sq ft)

Armament

• Guns: 1 × .303 in (7.70 mm) Lewis machine gun or 7.9 mm (0.31 in) Hotchkiss mounted above the top wing

• 1914 in aviation

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of France
• List of fighter aircraft

Footnotes edit

Bibliography edit

• Apostolo, Giorgio (1991). Aermacchi - from Nieuports to AMX. Milan, Italy: Giorgio Apostolo Editore (GAE).
• Berner, Aarne (1934). "Air Force Participation in Finnish War of Independence in Year 1918. Chapter III. Red Air Activity in Finland y. 1918" (PDF). Retrieved 4 November 2017.
• Bruce, J.M. (1998). Nieuport 10~12 - Windsock Datafile 68. Herts, UK: Albatros Publications. ISBN 978-1902207018.
• Cooksley, Peter (1997). Nieuport Fighters In Action. In Action Aircraft Number 167. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications. ISBN 978-0897473774.
• Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 978-1891268090.
• Durkota, Alan; Darcey, Thomas; Kulikov, Victor (1995). The Imperial Russian Air Service — Famous Pilots and Aircraft of World War I. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 0-9637110-2-4.
• Janić, Č; Petrović, O (2011). Short History of Aviation in Serbia. Beograd: Aerokomunikacije. ISBN 978-8691397326.
• Longoni, Maurizio (1976). Nieuport Macchi 11 & 17 (in Italian). Milan: Intergest.
• Nicolli, Riccardo (January–February 1998). "Atlantic Sentinels: The Portuguese Air Force Since 1912". Air Enthusiast. No. 73. pp. 20–35. ISSN 0143-5450.
• Pommier, Gerard (2002). Nieuport 1875-1911 — A biography of Edouard Nieuport. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0764316241.
• Rimmell, Ray (1990). World War One Survivors. Bucks: Aston Publications. ISBN 0-946627-44-4.
• Rosenthal, Léonard; Marchand, Alain; Borget, Michel; Bénichou, Michel (1997). Nieuport 1909-1950 Collection Docavia Volume 38. Clichy Cedex, France: Editions Lariviere. ISBN 978-2848900711.
• Sanger, Ray (2002). Nieuport Aircraft of World War One. Wiltshire: Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1861264473.
• Stanley Spooner, ed. (3 Aug 1917). "Some Nieuport "Milestones"". Flight. Vol. IX, no. 35/453. Royal Aero Club. pp. 884–890.
• Taylor, John W. R.; Alexander, Jean (1969). Combat Aircraft of the World. New York: Putnam. pp. 112–113. LCCN 68-25459.