Nieuport Nighthawk

Newport Nighthawks History

The Nieuport Nighthawk was originally a promising design. Development began in 1918, the last year of World War I, as a product of Nieuport & General Aircraft - the UK-based company that began producing French-built Nieuport fighter jets on demand during the war.

The experience undoubtedly brought a certain amount of self-empowerment, as the company, under the direction of Henry Flanders, began to design its own product, culminating in the Newport Nighthawk, a powerful but damaged and Unstable and relatively new fighter engine.

To understand the history of Nighthawk itself, one must look back to the war years. The British Air Force needed a fighter jet powered by the new ABC Dragonfly engine, a relatively light radial variant rated at around 340 hp. The new fighter will eventually replace the aging Sopwith sniper fighter in service. Nieuport & General worked under Folland and produced the Nighthawk, but by then the war was over and the Dragonfly engines were starting to show some ugly results.

The engine was prone to overheating and proved to be a very gas guzzler. Additionally, the engines are designed to vibrate violently within the fuselage. Still, it is a promising engine combined with a promising airframe. So the Nighthawk still impresses when the powerplant allows it.

Despite the progress, there were so many negatives on the engine that all engine development was abandoned. It's too late for the Nighthawk's design, of which about 70 have been completed despite the problems.

By 1920, Nieuport & General itself had disappeared and the design was eventually purchased under the label Gloster, and the aircraft thus became the Gloster Mars. Since then, various Nighthawk-based designs have emerged, some of which are sports cars with more powerful engines and subtle design changes, while others were built for service with branches in the UK and Japan.

The Nighthawk and its derivatives have had engine modifications as needed throughout their lifespan, some sporting the Bentley and Siddeley brands, while others are powered by Bristol-branded engines. The armament consisted of an array of two World War I 7.7mm Vickers machine guns mounted in front of the pilot and fired by synchronized twin-blade propellers.

The overall design also includes World War I type, as the Nighthawk has a standard two-wing design layout.

Greece becomes the third Nighthawk operator with the purchase of around 25 Nighthawks from the RAF.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes