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Wibault Wib.7

1929 CHACO AIR WAR GOLDEN AGE

History

In the early 1920s, Societe Generale Avions Michel Wibault began work on a new monoplane fighter with a single-seat, single-engine, fixed-gear, wheeled layout and strut-supported main aircraft (parasol type). The maiden flight took place in 1924, the saw saw was introduced in 1929, and the French Air Force became its main operational service.

Eventually, Chile, Paraguay and Poland all used the genre - in the case of Paraguay, the series was used in the "Chaco War" against Bolivia.

"Societe des Avions Michel Wibault" (SAMW) was founded by Michel Wibault in Billancourt, France, in 1919 after the First World War, with a focus on aircraft. The company's first product was the Wibault 1 fighter, followed by the Wibault 2 series of night bombers in 1921.

The company gained a healthy aviation resume and continued to operate through the 1920s and 1930s until its merger with Penhoet.

The prototype was named Wib. 7. This model is equipped with a 480 hp Gnome-Rhone 9Ad radial piston engine. A total of three prototypes were built, and twenty-five production-quality units followed this standard. Wb. 71 is Wib.

The 7 aircraft was equipped with a 400 hp Hispano 12 Jb series engine, but ultimately existed under the Wib. 9 Specify. sib. The 72 has a reinforced structure to meet future orders from the French and Polish Air Forces. Poland and Paraguay received the successor Wib-73, which was powered by a 12Eb W-series Lorraine-Dietrich engine with 451 hp.

Twelve were built. sib. The 74 became 18 converted French Navy aircraft with 2 crew and lightly skimmed main aircraft.

Vickers in the UK (under license) made their own variant, the Vickers Wibault "Scout" with the addition of a Britsol "Jupiter" engine. Of these, 26 standards were sent to Chile.

As designed, Wib 7 is 7.45 meters long, 11 meters wingspan and 2.9 meters high. Its empty weight is 830kg, while its gross weight is nearly 1,445kg.

The star of the Gnome-Rhone 9Ac series has an output of 420 hp, a top speed of 230 km/h, a range of up to 600 km, and a service ceiling of 8,500 meters. The climb rate is 1,070 feet per second.

A military-minded fighter jet, this aircraft carries 2 x 7.7mm Vickers air-cooled machine guns paired in the nose, firing through broken gears through twin-blade propellers.

Paraguay ended up with 7 Wibs. When the Chaco War broke out, there were 73 models, but only 3 were still in service. Also, the series has little action, with more impressive genres emerging between the two world wars.