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Comte AC-1

1927 GOLDEN AGE

History of the Comte AC-1

The Comte AC-1 was an attempt by the local Swiss aviation industry in the late 1920s to provide the Swiss Air Force with a viable single-seat fighter of modern design. The system was designed by Swiss aviation pioneer Alfred Comte to meet the Swiss Air Force's ongoing demand for such a fighter jet. It ended up with many of the qualities of contemporary aircraft of that era - an open-air cockpit, fixed "trail" landing gear and front-mounted wings.

The main-wing aircraft is mounted high (in front of and above the pilot's position), supported by struts that lead to the underside of the fuselage. The aircraft has a metal-coated fuselage, with fabric-covered wings and tail surfaces. The proposed weapon is 2 machine guns in the nose, fired synchronously through a twin-blade propeller arrangement.

Power comes from a 420 hp French Gnome et Rhone radial piston engine, a licensed copy of the British Jupiter IX range.

The completed aircraft, although still in prototype form, made its first flight on April 2, 1927. This led to its purchase by Schweizer Fliegertruppe (Swiss Air Force) for formal evaluation. Among them, the aircraft was bypassed in favor of the French Dewoitine D. 27 for local fighter needs.

The AC-1 was purchased by the Military Technical Service in mid-1928, so it flew slightly longer. Using the wings of Dewoitine D. 9 series aircraft, the AC-1 was able to reach an altitude of 34,120 feet - an aerial record in Switzerland at the time. K+W undertook the conversion.

Also, it seems that the only prototype was done very little before it was finally abandoned.

As designed, the AC-1 has a top speed of 152 mph and a range of 280 miles. Curb weight is 920kg and MTOW is 1,320kg. Dimensions include a length of 7.13 meters, a wingspan of 12 meters and a height of 3.12 meters.