Dewoitine D.500 (series)

Single-Seat Monoplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1935 ]

The D.500 series was a stopgap design, incorporating elements from two ages of aviation.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/24/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The D.500 series proved itself an interim fighter design for the nation of France heading into World War 2 (1939-1945). It appeared through a first-flight held on June 18th, 1932 and was formally introduced for service with the French in July of 1935. It eventually served both the air and naval branches of the country and went on to see light export numbers worldwide.

The D.500 was one of the many "bridge" fighter designs to appear prior to the World War - it still relied on an open-air cockpit and its undercarriage was fixed during flight. It did hold some rather modern elements of the period - low-set monoplane wings and all-metal internal and external construction. Compared to her neighbors of the period, France lacked consistency and innovation, particularly when compared to designs emerging from Germany and Britain at the same time.

D.500.01 marked the first sole prototype of the series and this was followed by the initial D.500 production models which carried a Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs engine of 690 horsepower. Armament consisted of 2 x 7.7mm Vickers machine guns which would be replaced by the local 7.5mm Darne machine guns. The wings were also pre-designed to accept a machine gun each (for a total of four guns) and 101 aircraft were completed to this standard. The D.501 arrived with the Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs engine and introduced a 20mm cannon at the nose firing through the propeller hub. Wing-mounted machine guns were also featured and 157 of this model were completed.

D.511 retained the fuselage of the D.500 but was given new, smaller wing mainplanes and a cantilever undercarriage arrangement. It also relied on the 12Ycrs engine but only a single prototype was completed and this example was not flown in testing. It eventually was reworked into the D.503. D.503 marked a one-off prototype which carried a 12Xcrs engine. Armament followed the D.501 entry and a first flight was held on April 15th, 1935. Its performance was no better than the original D.500 so the design was discarded.

D.510 continued use of the 12Xcrs engine (860 horsepower output) and featured the same armament fit as the D.503 but with local 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns in the wings. First flight was recorded on August 14th, 1934 and 120 aircraft followed to this standard.

The first D.500 units were readied during 1935 with progressive models arriving in the years following. Before the invasion of France by the Germans in 1940, the aging series was shipped to French territories overseas and relegated to secondary defense and fighter training roles (at one time, they made up the primary French Air Force fighter). The line went on to see combat action over North Africa and China but was clearly made obsolete by more modern offerings - both in France and elsewhere.

The French Air Force managed a stock of 98 D.500 fighters followed by 130 of the D.501 model and 88 of the D.510 series. The French Navy procured 30 D.501 models for their part. In French service, the D.500 series was superseded by the Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406 fighters detailed elsewhere on this site. These new fighters arrived with enclosed cockpits and retractable undercarriages.

The Republic of China Air Force took on a stock of 24 D.510 aircraft and these were used in anger against Japanese forces in 1938. The Imperial Japanese Navy received two D.510s and knew them as "AXD". The Lithuanian Air Force acquired fourteen D.501 examples. The Poles used the D.500 series from French air bases in World War 2. The Soviet Air Force took on a sole D.510 example for testing but did not formally adopt the type. Similarly the British evaluated a sole D.510 but nothing came from this. Seven D.500 fighters and a pair of D.510s made up part of the Escuadrilla Internacional of Spain and saw service during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) - much to the dismay of France. The Venezuelan Air Force took on a stock of three D.500 fighters.

In all, 381 D.500 series fighters were completed including all prototypes.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1935

Origin

France

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

381
UNITS

Dewoitine - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

China (Taiwan); France; Imperial Japan (as AXD); Lithuania; Poland; Soviet Union (evaluation only); Spain; United Kingdom (evaluation only); Venezuela

(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.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

Length

25.1 ft
(7.65 m)

Width/Span

39.7 ft
(12.09 m)

Height

8.9 ft
(2.70 m)

Empty Wgt

3,146 lb
(1,427 kg)

MTOW

4,222 lb
(1,915 kg)

Wgt Diff

+1,076 lb
(+488 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Dewoitine D.501 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs in-line piston engine developing 690 horsepower.

Max Speed

250 mph
(402 kph | 217 kts)

Ceiling

27,395 ft
(8,350 m | 5 mi)

Range

612 mi
(985 km | 1,824 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

3,280 ft/min
(1,000 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Dewoitine D.501 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)

STANDARD:
1 x 20mm cannon firing through propeller hub
2 x 7.5mm machine guns mounted in wings

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

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

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

D.500 - Series Model Designation

D.500.01 - Prototype Model Designation; Fitted with Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs inline piston engine generating 660hp; 2 x 7.5mm machine guns.

D.501 - Powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs inline engine capable of 690hp; Hub-mounted 20mm cannon.

D.502 - Floatplane Fighter Model; Provisions for catapult launching.

D.503 - Redesignated from the D.511 mentioned below but fitted with an HS 12Xcrs powerplant.

D.504 - Parachute Trials Model

D.505 - Variant

D.509 - Variant

D.510 - Based on D.501; powered by the Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs 860 horsepower inline piston engine; increased fuel capacity; elongated nose section; improved, fixed landing gear; 2 x MAC 1934 machine guns replacing the Darne-manufacturer ones; 1 x 20mm cannon firing through propeller hub; 120 examples.

D.510C.1 - Variant

D.511 - Experimental Aircraft featuring decreased wing area and span, HS 12Ycrs powerplant and 'cantilevered' main landing gear system. Redesignated to the D.503 above.

AXD1 - Imperial Japanese designation for two examples acquired of the D.510.

"Dewoitine Navy Type D Carrier Fighter" - IJN longform designation of AXD1.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

28

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (250mph).

Graph average of 225 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Dewoitine D.501 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (381)

381

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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