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The Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 was a French fighter aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined
sesquiplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
, it served with the
Spanish Air Force The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces. History Early stages Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Al ...
, being operated by both sides of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
.Taylor and Alexander 1969, pp. 117-118.


Development and design

In 1924
Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...
produced a design for a single-seat
sesquiplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
fighter of mixed construction, the Nieuport-Delage NiD 42, which was ordered in small numbers for the French air force, entering service in 1927.Donald 1997, p. 688. Nieuport developed three refined versions in 1927, the all-metal NiD-52 and NiD-72 and the mixed construction
Nieuport-Delage NiD 62 The Nieuport-Delage NiD.62 was a French sesquiplane fighter from the early 1930s. This machine was a descendant of a long line of Nieuport-Delage fighters that were designed and built during the years immediately after World War I. The NiD.62 wa ...
. Like the NiD 42 on which it was based, the NiD 52 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Hb
V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-Cylinder (engine), cylinder Internal combustion engine#Reciprocating engines, piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V engine, V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more c ...
, but the wooden
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
rear fuselage was replaced by an equivalent made of
duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age hardening, age-hardenable aluminium–copper alloys. The term is a combination of ''Düren'' and ''aluminium'' ...
and the wooden wing ribs by light alloy, while retaining a fabric covering. Both the main and secondary wings were of reduced area compared to the NiD-42, and an enlarged tail fitted in an attempt to improve the aircraft's handling. Armament remained two 7.7 mm
Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a Water cooling, water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more me ...
s.Donald 1997, p.689.Green and Swanborough 1990, pp. 80–81. The prototype NiD 52 flew in late 1927,Green and Swanborough 1990, p.80. with the NiD 72, which was similar to the NiD 52 but had duralumin skinning on the wing and had a further reduced wing area, and the NiD 62 flying in January 1928.Green and Swanborough 1990, p. 81. Although France preferred the cheaper NiD 62, purchasing it in large numbers, the NiD 52 won a competition for a new fighter for
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in 1928, purchasing a licence for the construction of 125 aircraft to be built by
Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft engines, trucks and weapons. ...
in their factory at
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
. The similar NiD 72 was ordered in small numbers by Belgium and Brazil.Green and Swanborough 1990, p. 83.


Operational history


Spain

The Spanish Air Force started to take deliveries of NiD 52s in 1930, production continuing until 1933, equipping three fighter units, ''Grupo'' 11, ''Grupo'' 1 and ''Grupo'' 13. The "Hispano-Nieuport" (as it was known) was unpopular in Spanish service, being described as heavy and unresponsive, while it was slower than expected, with Spanish aircraft only able to reach 225 km/h (140 mph) compared with the 260 km/h (162 mph) claimed by Nieuport. Losses to accidents were heavy, with only 56 remaining when the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
broke out on 18 July 1936. The majority of the surviving Hispano-Nieuport remained in government hands during the civil war, with only 11 falling into Nationalist hands, including three aircraft that mistakenly landed in Nationalist territory on 21 July. The Republican forces were strengthened by Hispano-Suiza building a further 10 aircraft from spares in August–September 1936.Green and Swanborough 1990, pp. 83, 92. Until more modern fighters could be obtained, the elderly Hispano-Nieuport was an important part of Republican fighter strength, with Republican and Nationalist NiD 52s facing each other in combat several times in the early months of the war,Valverde, M.R
"Republica Nacional: Nieuport Delage NI-52"(In Spanish).
''Aviones de la guerra civil Española '', 5 April 2005. Retrieved: 21 May 2010.
which resulted in at least one case of one Republican unit of NiD 52s attacking another, resulting in the loss of a Hispano-Nieuport.Green and Swanborough 1990, p. 92. The Republican NiDs soon found themselves outclassed by more modern Fiat CR.32 and
Heinkel He 51 The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. A seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49. Design and development In 1931, Heinkel recruited the tal ...
fighters operated by the Italian
Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which mar ...
and the German
Condor Legion The Condor Legion () was a unit of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. The legion developed methods of strategic bombing that were ...
supporting the Nationalists, with it being claimed that three NiD 52s could just about hold their own against a single Fiat CR.32. Despite this, most losses were from accidents, not combat, particularly when being flown by foreign Volunteer pilots not used to the difficult handling.Green and Swanborough 1990, pp. 92–93. The NiD 52 was withdrawn from the front line during the winter of 1936–37, being relegated to training and coastal patrol, although they were briefly pressed back into combat following the
Battle of Guadalajara The Battle of Guadalajara (March 8–23, 1937) saw the victory of the Spanish Republican Army (''Ejército Popular Republicano'', or EPR) and of the International Brigades over the Italian and Nationalist forces attempting to encircle Madrid dur ...
, being used to attack the retreating Italians.Green and Swanborough 1990, p. 93. No NiD 52s survived the war.


Brazil

When the
Constitutionalist Revolution The Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 (sometimes also referred to as Paulista War or Brazilian Civil War) is the name given to the uprising of the population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo against the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 wh ...
began in Brazil on 9 July 1932, Brazil had two NiD 72s still serviceable, both of which served with the ''Legalista'' forces loyal to President
Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; ; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...
. On 21 August 1932, however, Captain Adherbal de Costa Oliveria defected to the ''Constitucionalist'' rebels. Both NiD 72s were heavily used until the end of the uprising.Flores 1988, pp. 71–73.


Variants

;Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 :Single-seat fighter aircraft. ;Nieuport-Delage NiD 72 C.1 :Improved version of the NiD 52. Three aircraft were delivered to Belgium in 1929, four modified aircraft were delivered to Brazil in 1931. One aircraft modified from a NiD-62 was powered by a
Hispano-Suiza 12Lb Hispano-Suiza piston aero-engines were predominantly piston engines produced by Hispano-Suiza in France, Spain, and under licence in the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia from the First World War through to the 1950s. Development of these ...
V-12 engine. ;Nieuport-Delage NiD 82 :This prototype was powered at first by a 600 hp (447 kW)
Hispano-Suiza 12Lb Hispano-Suiza piston aero-engines were predominantly piston engines produced by Hispano-Suiza in France, Spain, and under licence in the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia from the First World War through to the 1950s. Development of these ...
engine. Later it was fitted with a 500 hp (373 kW)
Lorraine 12Ha Pétrel Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of Lo ...
engine.


Operators

; :
Aviation Militaire Belge The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. The comman ...
(3 NiD.72, evaluation only) ; : Aviação Militar (4 NiD.72) ; : Aeronautica Militara Romana (3 NiD.72, evaluation only) ; : Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española (NiD.52) ; :
Aviación Nacional A Caudron C.286 of the Nationalist Spanish Air Force The terms "Aviación Nacional" ("Nationalist Aviation"), "Fuerza Aérea Nacional" ("Nationalist Air Force") and "Ejército Nacional del Aire" ("Nationalist Army of the Air") refer to military a ...
(NiD.52)


Specifications (NiD 52)


See also


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *


External links


NiD 52 in action
(Spanish)

{{Nieuport aircraft 1920s French fighter aircraft 052 Sesquiplanes Aircraft first flown in 1927