Spanish lines produced the fighter into 1933 and several frontline squadrons were equipped with the type. In service, the aircraft was a handful to the rather untested Spanish pilots and found few supporters. Slow and somewhat plodding, the NiD 52 failed to live up to its fighter design and accidents were commonplace which reduced serviceable numbers in Spanish service.
In 1936, war broke out between the Spanish government (the Republicans) and the Nationalists. The former was supported by nations like the Soviet Union and Mexico while the latter was strengthened by Italian, Portuguese and German involvement. Of the 25 originally ordered by the Spanish government, less than half were available to fight. Even then, some ten or so aircraft were confiscated by Nationalist forces which further restricted available numbers for the government. As such, both sides fielded the fighter during the war which led to much confusion in the air battles that followed.
The German and Italian interference complicated the Spanish government response as those countries supplied the Nationalists with much more modern aircraft as the fighting wore on. This clearly left the NiD 52 at a disadvantage and worsened the survivability of the Spanish State in the long term. The NiD 52 was finally relieved of service come 1937 and were used in second-line roles like maritime patrolling and basic training. Amazingly, not one NiD 52 airframe survived the bloody civil war - all being lost in the fighting or to continuing accidents.
The NiD 72 was brought about by Nieuport-Delage as an improved version of the NiD 52. This found broader interest globally for it was taken on in evaluation form by the air services of Belgium, Brazil and Romania. The Brazilian Air Force used these in anger during he Constitutional Revolution of 1932.
Beyond this, the NiD 52 line ended with the NiD 82, another related fighter design outfitted with a Hispano-Suiza 12Lb series engine of 600 horsepower. It achieved prototype form only and was not adopted by any one party
As finalized, the NiD 52 exhibited an overall length of 7.6 meters with a wingspan of 12 meters and height of 3 meters. Empty weight reached 3,000 pounds while Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) was rated at 4,000 pounds. The twin 7.7mm machine gun armament was all that was ever fitted to the fighter in terms of offense. Performance included a maximum speed of 162 miles per hour, a range out to 250 miles, a service ceiling of 26,900 feet and a rate-of-climb equaling 1,215 feet per minute.
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