Sopwith Snark
Sopwith Aviation Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1919 · fighter
The Sopwith Snark was a British prototype fighter designed and built towards the end of the First World War to replace the RAF's Sopwith Snipes. It was a single-engined triplane, and three were built.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.25 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-engined triplane with equal-span, single-bay wings and ailerons on each wing
- Gap between the middle and upper wings smaller than that between the lower and middle wings
- Four Lewis guns mounted under the lower wings in addition to two synchronised Vickers guns
The wings had unequal spacing and stagger to keep the height of the aircraft down. The 360 hp ABC Dragonfly IA was a nine-cylinder air-cooled radial.
Specifications
- The Sopwith Snark has a length of 6.25 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.08 m (27 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 210 km/h (130 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
In spring 1918 the Air Ministry drew up specification RAF Type I for a high-altitude fighter powered by the ABC Dragonfly. Sopwith produced the Snapper biplane and the Snark triplane, and the first Snark was complete by October 1918 but did not fly until July 1919 because flight-ready engines were not available.
Variants
Sopwith received orders for three prototypes each of the Snapper and Snark. The Snark had a wooden monocoque fuselage like that of the Sopwith Snail.
Where you'll see it
It showed reasonable performance and good manoeuvrability, but the Dragonfly engine suffered overheating and severe vibration and production plans were abandoned. The three Snarks were used for trials until 1921.
Related aircraft
- Sopwith 1919 Schneider Cup Seaplane
- Sopwith Atlantic
- Sopwith Cobham
- Sopwith Snapper
- Armstrong Whitworth Ara
- Armstrong Whitworth Siskin
- Blériot-SPAD S.XXII
- Boeing MB-3A
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