Nieuport-Delage NiD 690

Nieuport-Delage · France · first flew 1934 · bomber

The Nieuport-Delage NiD 690 was a French all-metal, single-engined colonial policing aircraft built for a competitive government contract. Its unusual rear fuselage gave a wide field of downward machine gun fire.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Flat-sided rectangular forward fuselage with a T-section rear fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

High cantilever wing, trapezoidal in plan
Radial engine in a narrow-chord Townend ring cowling
Flat-sided rectangular forward fuselage with a T-section rear fuselage

The high trapezoidal wing sits above a long cabin, with a T-shaped rear fuselage that lets a gunner fire backwards and downwards. The tail is conventional and angular, and each mainwheel is carried on a V-strut.

Specifications

The Nieuport-Delage NiD 690 has a length of 12.13 m (40 ft).
It has a wingspan of 17.24 m (57 ft).
Its maximum speed is 200 km/h (124 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was one of two types Nieuport-Astra offered to a 1930 programme for colonial aircraft powered by 220 kW Lorraine 9Na Algol radials. The first prototype flew in June 1934, and the second flew three months later with its fuselage lengthened by 80 mm.

Variants

Only two were built. The second prototype had a lengthened fuselage and an extended elevator to cure directional instability.

Where you'll see it

In trials at Villacoublay it was judged overweight for the available power. Both aircraft were retired by the end of 1934, and the type was not ordered.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.