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Comte AC-1


Single-Seat Fighter Prototype


Switzerland | 1927



"The Swiss Comte AC-1 was outclassed by the French Dewoitine D.27 when it came time to fulfill a Swiss Air Force demand for such an aircraft."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Comte AC-1 Single-Seat Fighter Prototype.
1 x Gnome Rhone (Bristol Jupiter IX) radial piston engine developing 420 horsepower and driving two-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion
152 mph
245 kph | 132 kts
Max Speed
29,528 ft
9,000 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling
280 miles
450 km | 243 nm
Operational Range
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Comte AC-1 Single-Seat Fighter Prototype.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
23.5 ft
7.15 m
O/A Length
39.4 ft
(12.00 m)
O/A Width
10.3 ft
(3.15 m)
O/A Height
2,028 lb
(920 kg)
Empty Weight
2,910 lb
(1,320 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Comte AC-1 Single-Seat Fighter Prototype .
PROPOSED:
2 x Machine guns set over the nose and synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Comte AC-1 family line.
AC-1 - Base series designation; single example completed.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 11/09/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Comte AC-1 was a late-1920s attempt by local Swiss aero-industry to deliver - for service to the Swiss Air Force - a viable single-seat fighter aircraft of modern design. The system was designed by Swiss aviation pioneer Alfred Comte and intended to meet a standing Swiss Air Force requirement for such a combat aircraft. It eventually featured many qualities of contemporary aircraft of the period - an open-air cockpit, fixed "tail-dragger" undercarriage and forward-mounted wings. The wing mainplanes were given a high-mounted placement (ahead and above the pilot's position), braced by struts leading down to the underside of the fuselage. The aircraft carried a metal-skinned fuselage with wings and tail surfaces covered over in fabric. Proposed armament became 2 x machine guns over the nose synchronized to fire through the two-bladed propeller unit. Power was had from a French Gnome et Rhone radial piston engine of 420 horsepower, a licensed-produced copy of the British Jupiter IX series.

The completed aircraft, though still in prototype form, was flown for the first time on April 2nd, 1927. This led to its purchase by Swiss Fliegertruppe (Swiss Air Force) for formal evaluation. From this the aircraft was bypassed in favor of the French Dewoitine D.27 to fulfill the local fighter requirement.

The AC-1 continued to fly a bit longer as it was purchased by the Military Technical Service in mid-1928. Given the wings of a Dewoitine D.9 series aircraft, the AC-1 was able to achieve an altitude of 34,120 feet - a Swiss air record of the day. K+W handled the conversion work. Beyond this, it appears that the sole prototype managed very little before being given up for good.

As designed, the AC-1 could manage a maximum speed of 152 miles per hour with a range out to 280 miles. Empty weight was 920 kilograms against a MTOW of 1,320 kg. Dimensions included a length of 7.13 meters, a wingspan of 12 meters and a height of 3.12 meters.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Comte AC-1. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units

Contractor(s): Alfred Comte - Switzerland
National flag of Switzerland

[ Switzerland (cancelled) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Comte AC-1
Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Comte AC-1 Single-Seat Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:
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