Nieuport-Delage NiD 32Rh
Nieuport-Delage · France · first flew 1920 · fighter
The NiD 32Rh was a rotary-engined naval derivative of Nieuport-Delage's standard 1920s fighter, built to answer a French Navy call for a shipboard-launched interceptor.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Twin Vickers guns mounted above the fuselage ahead of the cockpit |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Slim biplane fighter with a rotary-engine cowl and unequal-span wings
- Twin Vickers guns mounted above the fuselage ahead of the cockpit
- Often photographed on a launching trolley or catapult platform aboard a French warship
Look for the compact Nieuport biplane shape with paired Vickers guns on the upper fuselage decking and, in period photographs, the ungainly launching trolley or platform beneath it.
Specifications
- The Nieuport-Delage NiD 32Rh has a length of 6.7 m (22 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.7 m (32 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 193 km/h (120 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed from the NiD 29 airframe alongside rival submissions from Hanriot and SPAD, the Navy selected the NiD 32 and tested it from a launching platform in March 1920. The trials proved disappointing: the flimsy platform could barely bear the aircraft's weight even unarmed, and only about ten were built.
Variants
The Rh suffix marks the Le Rhône rotary-engined version tested for catapult work, distinct from other NiD 29-derived variants built with different engines for land-based fighter squadrons.
Where you'll see it
It never reached squadron service in numbers; its significance lies in the French Navy's early, largely unsuccessful experiments with catapult-launched fighters rather than any combat record.
Related aircraft
- Nieuport-Delage NiD 30
- Nieuport-Delage NiD 52
- Nieuport-Delage NiD 622
- Aeromarine PG-1
- Bristol Type 32 Bullet
- Orenco D
- Armstrong Whitworth Siskin
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