Sopwith Snipe

The Story of Sopwith Snipe

The Sopwith Snipe takes all the components that made the Sopwith Camel legendary in the middle of World War I, and introduces some new features that make this new design the most powerful Allied fighter. The Sopwith Snipe has only been around for eight weeks in the conflict and still rivals the best Fokker designs in existence.

Ultimately, the sniper rifle designed by Herbert Smith would go on to enter widespread service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and survived both world wars.

Externally, the Snipe inherits the basic Camel design with a traditional bi-wing structure, fixed landing gear and a single pilot seat. The weapon consists of two synchronized 7.7mm machine guns, firing from fixed forward positions. Where the Snipe differs from its predecessor is on the inside, with new, more powerful engines, integrated oxygen and heating systems that allow the plane to fly higher at better straight-line speeds.

The Snipe was powered by a Bentley B. R. 2 rotary piston engine with about 230 hp.

The Sopwith Snipe became Thomas Sopwith's last production aircraft after the conflict. By 1927, nearly 500 examples had been produced and supplied.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes