Nieuport 31
Nieuport · France · first flew 1919 · fighter
The Nieuport 31 was a post-First World War French single-seat fighter monoplane, designed in 1919 as Nieuport transitioned from the sesquiplane biplanes that made it famous to conventional monoplane configurations. It represented a new direction for a manufacturer that had dominated French and Allied fighter design throughout WWI.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.6 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
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Spot it by:
- Post-WWI French fighter monoplane from Nieuport
- Radial engine in a neat cowling with a clean low-wing monoplane layout
- 1919 design transitioning from WWI sesquiplane tradition to monoplane fighters
A neat low-wing monoplane of compact dimensions with a large radial engine; the transition from Nieuport's famous sesquiplane heritage makes it an historically significant but externally unremarkable monoplane fighter.
Specifications
- The Nieuport 31 has a length of 6.6 m (22 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.6 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 230 km/h (143 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Nieuport designed the Type 31 in the immediate aftermath of the First World War as part of the French programme to re-equip the Aéronautique Militaire with modern post-war fighters. Several competing designs were evaluated, and the Nieuport 31 was among them, but it did not secure a major production contract as the French Air Service drew down and rationalised its programmes in 1919–20.
Variants
The Nieuport 31 appears to have been a prototype or small-series evaluation aircraft; no major production variants are documented.
Where you'll see it
The Nieuport 31 did not enter operational service in significant numbers; it was evaluated alongside competing French designs in the immediate post-war period.
Related aircraft
- Nieuport-Delage NiD 29
- Nieuport 23
- Nieuport 24
- Nieuport 25 C.1
- Armstrong Whitworth Siskin
- Fokker V.40
- Letov Š-1
- Siemens-Schuckert D.VI
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