Like other Sopwith Aviation Company aircraft, the wartime Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter owed its existence to the arrival of the Sopwith Tabloid, a boxy, competition aircraft that sat two in a side-by-side arrangement constructed while being constructed of canvas and wood. The Tabloid design proved a success, earning speed and performance accolades that pushed it to the attention of the British military Despite its limited value as a military mount, the Tabloid nonetheless paved the way for more capable Sopwith designs to come. The 1-1/2 Strutter held two British aviation "firsts" when it was adopted for service - becoming its first "puller" engine arrangement (the engine mounted at the front of the fuselage) two-seater and its first to implement an effective machine gun synchronizer.
Britain went to war in the summer of 1914 and all manner of aircraft were sought for the initiative. This included the Sopwith Tabloid and its floatplane derivatives, the Sopwith Baby and Sopwith Schneider. While these aircraft proved adequate for their given roles of scout (sometimes being armed for the role, sometimes not), they were hardly military-grade end -products built for the rigors of war time abuses. As such, Sopwith engineers took to designing a whole new biplane fighter in the same mold though with changes to incorporate the latest in construction methods while attempting to fulfill the military requirements of a rapidly evolving war in Europe.
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) found interest in this newer dedicated Sopwith military development and procured the type in number with deliveries beginning in February of 1916. Requiring a steady stable of airplanes all its own, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) joined in procurement of the type, eventually fielding it across nine complete squadrons - No. 37, No. 39, No. 43 (bomber), No. 44, No. 45 (bomber), No. 46, No. 70 (bomber), No. 78 and No. 143. RNAS No. 5 Wing, operating in France, became the first 1-1/2 Strutter squadron in April of 1916. The 1-1/2 Strutter was eventually in such great demand that other British concerns were charged with its production and license manufacture was also handled overseas in factories across France and Imperial Russia. The aircraft would prove to be a commercial success for Sopwith in that operators ultimately spanned the globe in wartime and post-war use - Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Estonia, France, Greece, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia (then later as the Soviet Union), Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. For the United States, the 1-1/2 Strutter stocked the inventories of its US Signal Corps, the United States Navy and the American Expeditionary Force (the latter in action across Europe during World War 1). Civilian use extended to Argentina, France, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
In practice, the 1-1/2 Strutter compared favorably to the offerings of the Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian air services of the time. The type was utilized initially as a bomber escort and became an effective scout platform all its own. When armed with conventional drop ordnance, the 1-1/2 Strutter proved equally effective as a light two-man bomber. The fuselage eventually came in two flavors for its required roles - produced in twin-seat and single-seat fuselage forms. In 1916, the original Vickers-Challenger interrupter gear was replaced by the more effective Scarff-Dobovsky system. When utilizing a two-man crew, the aircraft was a capable "fighting scout" and benefitted from the "two heads are better than one" mentality. In its single-seat form, construction was simplified and the aircraft lightened to an extent, though more responsibility fell to the single operator now. Within time, a dedicated night-fighter form emerged to combat German incursions over British soil after dark and made up a critical portion of homeland defense squadrons.
Production of 1-1/2 Strutters included 1,439 built for British forces and an additional 4,200 to 4,500 examples built in France brining the combined reported total to nearly 6,000 units.
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
Sopwith Aviation Company - UK Manufacturer(s)
Afghanistan; Argentina; Australia; Belgium; Brazil; Estonia; France; Japan; Latvia; Lithuania; Mexico; Netherlands; Poland; Romania; Imperial Russia; Soviet Union; Sweden; Switzerland; Ukraine; United Kingdom; United States Operators
AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
GROUND ATTACK
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
25.2 ft (7.69 meters) Length
33.5 ft (10.21 meters) Width/Span
10.2 ft (3.12 meters) Height
1,257 lb (570 kilograms) Empty Weight
2,150 lb (975 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
+893 lb (+405 kg) Weight Difference
1 x Clerget 9B rotary engine developing 130 horsepower. Propulsion
STANDARD:
1 x 7.7mm Vickers Machine Gun in fixed, forward-firing mounting.
1 x 7.7mm Lewis Machine Gun on trainable mounting in rear cockpit position.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 224lb of external ordnance (drop bombs).
2 Hardpoints
Sopwith Type 9400 - Initial Admiralty Designation.
Sopwith Type 9700 - Initial Admiralty Designation.
Sopwith Type Two-Seater - Initial RFC Designation.
Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter - Fighter-Scout/Bomber/Reconnaissance Variant; produced in single and twin-seat versions.
Sopwith Comic - Home Defense Variant
Ship Strutter - Naval Version
SOP. 1 - French Production Designation
SOP. 1A2 - French Two-Seat Reconnaissance Variant.
SOP. 1B2 - French Two-Seat Bomber Variant.
SOP. 1B1 - French Single Seat Bomber Variant.
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.
