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Hanriot HD.2

1917 WORLD WAR 1

History

During the First World War (1914-1918), the French Air Force finally rejected the Hanriot HD. 1 Supports the SPAD S. VII biplane (described elsewhere on this site), which is deployed under the flags of other countries, such as the United States, Belgium, and the Kingdom of Italy, at the end. Before the end of 1917, the French-based company Hanriot, using the same frame as this very powerful biplane, developed a dedicated "seaplane fighter" variant, codenamed "HD.2", mainly for the French Navy use("Aeronavale"). ).

The aircraft was powered by a 130 hp Clerget 9B rotary engine, more or less retaining the structural form and function of its predecessor. The single-cabin biplane wing assemblies are unequal span, with forward-swept parallel struts.

The main aircraft crew is located forward amidships, centering the center of gravity on the front of the aircraft. The engine was mounted in a relatively short nose section, and the pilot's open-air cockpit was located directly aft. The hull has plate sides and is generally unobstructed.

The rear wing uses the same circular plane as the HD. 1 model. The main physical difference between the two planes is of course HD. 2 Double undercarriage for seaplanes, providing necessary water landing and takeoff.

For this purpose, a completely new network of struts was installed at the bottom of the aircraft.

Despite being a seaplane, the aircraft was designed to retain the HD's combat capabilities. 1, so it was armed with 2 x .303 caliber Vickers machine guns mounted on fixed forward-firing mounts on the fuselage and synchronised firing via rotating propeller blades.

For its evaluation phase, HD. The 2 prototypes were tested with different seaplane lengths, wheeled landing gear arrangements and - in some cases - different engine installations. The trials were conducted in Dunkirk with easy access to water and under controlled conditions. The work was carried out from early to mid-1918 and continued until September.

The armistice that ended the war was finally signed in November 1918, but HD's legacy. 2 for a while.

The basic French naval production form was simply referred to as "HD.2", but several other experimental forms emerged. The "HD.12" is a one-off model with a 170 hp Le Rhone 9R rotary engine and wheeled landing gear for land operations. The "HD.

27" is another one-off, this time powered by a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Ac engine. The "H.29" saw two aircraft built to marine standards, powered by Hispano-Suiza 8Ab series engines.

how well done, hd. 2 has a crew. Structurally, it has a barrel length of 23 feet, a wingspan of 27.10 feet and a height of 10.1 feet. Empty weight reaches 1,100 lbs and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 1,540 lbs.

Power comes from a 130-horsepower Clerget 9B series engine that drives a two-bladed wooden nose propeller. The top speed attainable is 113 mph, the range is up to 185 miles, and service is capped at 15,750 feet.

The United States Navy (USN) has completed the procurement of ten HDs. 2 seaplane fighters, after delivery and operation for a period of time, were eventually converted on-site by the Naval Aircraft Facility (NAF) to land-based combat form as land-based trainers at Langley Field, codenamed "HD.2C".

At least There was one for testing shipboard/navy aircraft, which became the design standard for large warships during World War II (1939-1945).