Dewoitine D.500 (Series)

History

The D.500 series proved to be the initial fighter design for France's entry into World War II (1939-1945). It first flew on June 18, 1932, and was officially adopted by France in July 1935.

It ended up serving the country's Air Force and Navy departments, and later saw low export volumes around the world.

The D.500 was one of many "bridge" fighter designs that appeared before WWII - it still relied on an open-air cockpit with the landing gear fixed in flight. It incorporated some fairly modern elements for the time - a low-set monoplane wing and an all-metal internal and external structure.

Compared to its then neighbours, France lacked consistency and innovation, especially compared to designs from both Germany and the UK.

The D. 500. 01 was the first single prototype of the series, followed by the first D. 500 production model with a 690 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs engine. Armament includes 2 x 7.7mm Vickers machine guns, replaced by local 7.5mm Dahn machine guns. The wings were also pre-designed to accommodate one machine gun (four in total), and 101 aircraft were completed to this standard.

The D.501 was equipped with a Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs engine and introduced a 20mm nose cannon that could be fired through the propeller hub. Wing machine guns were also introduced, and 157 machine guns of this model were completed.

The D. 511 retains the fuselage of the D. 500, but with a new, smaller main wing and cantilevered landing gear. It also relied on the 12Ycrs engine, but only one prototype was completed, this example was not flown in testing. It was eventually transformed into D. 503. The D. 503 was a one-off prototype with a 12Xcrs engine. Armament followed the D.501 and made its maiden flight on April 15, 1935.

It didn't perform any better than the original D.500, so the design was scrapped.

The D. 510 continued to use the 12Xcrs engine (860 hp) and was armed with the same armament as the D. 503, but with local 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns mounted on the wings. The first flight was recorded on August 14, 1934, and 120 aircraft followed this standard.

The first D. 500 unit was completed in 1935, and progressive models were added in subsequent years. Before the German invasion of France in 1940, the aging series were shipped overseas to French territory and relegated to secondary defense and combat training roles (they were at one point the main fighter of the French Air Force).

This line continued with combat operations in North Africa and China, but was apparently replaced by more modern offerings - either in France or elsewhere.

The French Air Force manages an inventory of 98 D. 500 fighter jets, followed by 130 D. 501 variants and 88 D. 510 series. The French Navy ordered 30 D. 501 models. In service in France, the D. 500 series was succeeded by the Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406 fighter, described elsewhere on this site.

These new fighter jets feature an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear.

The ROC Air Force took over a stockpile of 24 D.510 aircraft used in 1938 to counter the Japanese. The Imperial Japanese Navy received two D.510s and designated them "AXD". The Lithuanian Air Force received fourteen D. 501 prototypes. The Poles used D.500 series from French air bases during WWII.

The Soviet Air Force adopted a D.510 prototype for testing purposes, but did not officially adopt the model. Similarly, the British scored a D. 510 and got nothing.

Seven D. 500s and two D. 510s formed part of Spain's Escuadrilla Internacional and were used during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) - much to the dismay of France. The Venezuelan Air Force has three D. 500 fighter jets in stock.

A total of 381 D.500 series fighters were completed, including all prototypes.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes