Advertisements

Aviation / Aerospace

Nieuport 12

Reconnaissance / Fighter / Trainer Aircraft [ 1915 ]

The twin-seat Nieuport 12 was a larger and faster version of the preceding single-seat Nieuport 10 biplane fighter model.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/15/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

Air superiority became a back-and-forth affair for the air services involved in World War 1 (1914-1915). This opened the field of military aviation for a slew of companies to make their mark on history. The famous French concern of Nieuport became a prominent player in the war and revealed its first purpose-built fighter through the Nieuport 11 "Bebe" of 1915. The Bebe held its origins in the earlier Nieuport 10 of 1914 and both aircraft were designed by Gustave Delage beginning his successful wartime career for the Frenchman.

While the single-seat Nieuport 10 begat the popular single-seat Nieuport 11 model, it also formed the basis of a new production mark in the two-seat Nieuport 12 - conceived of as an artillery reconnaissance platform and fighting scout before ending her days as a trainer. The "Model 12" became essentially a dimensionally larger version of the Model 10 with a new engine installation. It followed typical biplane design of the period with a front-mounted engine driving a two-blade propeller, an upper and lower wing assembly, and a traditional single-finned tail unit. It sat two crew in tandem with the pilot under the upper wing mainplane and the rear gunner/observer aft of the structure. A consistent physical design quality of these early Delage aircraft was their use of "V-struts" between the upper and lower wing spans. The undercarriage was fixed with wheels under center mass and a simple tailskid at the rear. Power could be served through either a Clerget or Le Rhone engine developing 110 to 130 horsepower output depending on installation.

As an armed scout, the Nieuport 12 was fitted with a .303 Lewis machine gun at the rear cockpit. This gun sat on a Nieuport/Scraff ring to allow it to be trained on incoming enemy threats from the vulnerable rear areas of the aircraft. A second Lewis gun was sometimes fitted over the upper wing element and within reach of the rear gunner - allowing for some frontal offensive "punch".

The Nieuport 12 series was produced in a variety of countries throughout its service life but primarily, during the war years, by both France and the United Kingdom (through Beardmore). British models replaced their rear cockpit Nieuport gun rings with the Scarff type system and a .303 Vickers was installed for the pilot.©MilitaryFactory.com

Advertisements

The Nieuport 12A.2 became the principle fighter-reconnaissance mark and these carried either the French Clerget 9Z or Le Rhone 9J series engines of 110 horsepower. The Nieuport 12bis C.2 followed and was outfitted with the more powerful Clerget 9B of 130 horsepower as well as some aerodynamic refinements. The British Beardmore-produced Model 12s evolved to feature numerous modifications to the French design to better suit British Air Service requirements though powerplants remained consistent. The Nieuport 20 was an RFC-only model fitted with the Le Rhone 9J of 110 horsepower - twenty-one examples being produced and its early forms based largely on the original French 12bis C.2 form.

In time, the Nieuport 12 was found to be sufficient as a trainer as well (its two-seat configuration benefitting this) and thusly the Nieuport 80E.2 and 81E.2 were produced to fulfill the requirement. The gun ring was deleted in this mark and power came from a Le Rhone 9C of 80 horsepower. The two designations differentiated the cockpit control schemes - the 80E.2 was a dual-control form (controls in both cockpits) and the 81.E2 featured the controls only in the rear cockpit.

Beyond these operational marks there lay limited production forms such as the "Nieuport 13" - a pair of prototypes with extended wing elements and different engine installations. "Sipowicz 1" was an experimental Polish variant with revised wing structure units. The Japanese operated as many as 57 locally-built Nieuport 80E.2 trainers under the "Army Type Ko 1 Trainer" designation - these manufactured by Mitsubishi - further reinforcing their batch of 40 81E.2s delivered from Nieuport.

Other operators included Argentina (navy), Belgium, Chile (single example only), Estonia (post-war), Greece (navy), Portugal, Romania, the Russian Empire/Soviet Union, Serbia, Thailand (as Siam, single example only), and the United States (the American Expeditionary Force - AEF).©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1915

Origin

France

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

1,000
UNITS

Nieuport - France / Beardmore - UK / Mitsubishi - Imperial Japan

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Argentina; Belgium; Chile; France; Estonia; Greece; Japan; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Imperial Russia; Serbia; Soviet Union; Thailand; United Kingdom; United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

✓ Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

Length

23.0 ft
(7.00 m)

Width/Span

29.5 ft
(9.00 m)

Empty Wgt

1,213 lb
(550 kg)

MTOW

1,874 lb
(850 kg)

Wgt Diff

+661 lb
(+300 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Nieuport 12 production variant)

Installed: Variable: 1 x Clerget 9Z / Le Rhone 9J engine developing 110 horsepower; 1 x Clerget 9B engine of 130 horsepower.

Max Speed

90 mph
(145 kph | 78 kts)

Ceiling

12,992 ft
(3,960 m | 2 mi)

Range

264 mi
(425 km | 787 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Nieuport 12 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

TYPICAL:
1 x .303 Lewis machine gun (or similar) in trainable rear cockpit position.

OPTIONAL:
1 x .303 Lewis machine gun over upper wing mainplane.
1 x .303 Vickers machine gun at pilot's position

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

Nieuport 12 - Base Series Designation

Nieuport 12 A.2 - Primary reconnaissance model; Clerget 9Z or Le Rhone 9J engines of 110 horsepower.

Nieuport 12bis C.2 - Improved Model 12 with Clerget 9B engine of 130 horsepower.

Nieuport 13 - Prototype pair with different engines and lengthened wings.

Nieuport 20 - Outfitted with Le Rhone 9J engine of 110 horsepower for British Air Service (RFC) use.

Nieuport 80E.2 - Trainer with dual control scheme

Nieuport 81E.2 - Trainer with controls in rear cockpit only.

Army Type Ko 1 Trainer - Japanese trainer based on the 81E.2; some local production by Mitsubishi as well.

Sipowicz Model 1 - Polish experimental aircraft with revised wing structure.

Trainer Type 1 - Thai/Siam designation for 80E.2 trainer; sole aircraft procured.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Advertisements

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)