https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_1%C2%BD_Strutter
aircraft of the First World War.[1] It was significant as the first British
two-seat tractor fighter, and the first British aircraft to enter service with a
long and short cabane struts that supported the top wing.
As well as serving with both British air services, it also saw widespread but
In December 1914, the Sopwith Aviation Company designed a small, two-seat
biplane powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome rotary engine, which became known as
the "Sigrist Bus" after Fred Sigrist, Sopwith's Works Manager. The Sigrist Bus
first flew on 5 June 1915, and although it set a new British altitude record on
the day of its first flight, only one was built, serving as a company runabout.
The Sigrist Bus formed the basis for a new, larger, fighter aircraft, the
Sopwith LCT (Land Clerget Tractor), designed by Herbert Smith and powered by a
110 hp (82 kW) Clerget engine. Like the Sigrist Bus, each of the upper wings
(there was no true centre section) was connected to the fuselage by a pair of
short (half) struts and a pair of longer struts, forming a "W" when viewed from
Strutter. The first prototype was ready in mid-December 1915, undergoing
official testing in January 1916.
The pilot and gunner sat in widely separated tandem cockpits, with the pilot
sitting in front, giving the gunner a good field of fire for his Lewis gun. The
aircraft had a variable-incidence tailplane that could be adjusted by the pilot
in flight, and airbrakes under the lower wings to reduce landing distance
The Vickers-Challenger synchronisation gear was put into production for the
Royal Flying Corps in December 1915, and in a few weeks, a similar order for the
were fitted with one or the other of these gears for the pilot's fixed .303-in
Vickers machine gun; due to a shortage of the new gears some early aircraft were
built with only the observer's gun. Later aircraft were either fitted with the
Ross or the Sopwith-Kauper gears. None of these early mechanical synchronisation
gears were very reliable and it was not uncommon for propellers to be damaged,
or even entirely shot away.
Role
Biplane general purpose aircraft
National origin
United Kingdom
Manufacturer
Sopwith Aviation Company
First flight
December 1915
Introduction
April 1916
Primary users
Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Flying Corps
Number built
4,500 France
1,439 Great Britain
In British service
The prototype two seater flew in December 1915[4] and production deliveries
started to reach the RNAS in February 1916. By the end of April, No. 5 Wing RNAS
had a complete flight equipped with the new aircraft. The Sopwiths were used
both for escorting the Wing's Caudron G.4 and Breguet bombers and for carrying
out bombing raids themselves.[12][13] The War Office had ordered the type for
the RFC in March but because Sopwith's entire production capacity was
pre-contracted to the navy, the RFC orders had to be placed with Ruston Proctor
and Vickers[14] and production from these manufacturers did not get into its
stride until August. Since the Somme offensive was planned for the end of June
and with the RFC having a shortage of up-to-date aircraft to support the planned
offensive, it was agreed that a number of Sopwiths would be transferred from one
service to the other, allowing No. 70 Squadron to reach the front by early July
1916, with Sopwith-built Strutters originally intended for the Navy.[
In French service
1916 it was obvious that the pusher Farman and Breguet bombers and
reconnaissance aircraft were obsolete, and with the failure of their tractor
aircraft replacements, particularly the Nieuport 14, something was needed to
fill the gap. In response, the Sopwith was ordered in large numbers from French
manufacturers in three versions, the SOP. 1A.2 (two-seat reconnaissance), SOP.
1B.2 (two-seat bomber) and SOP. 1B.1 (single-seat bomber).[20][21] While in
French service, they equipped a large portion of the French bomber and artillery
spotting squadrons and carried out many bombing attacks against industrial and
military targets, including against the German front lines. It was not as
successful against fighters, suffering substantial casualties and downing fewer
enemy aircraft than either the aircraft used before it or after. With the
belated introduction of the Breguet 14 A.2 and B.2, the last of the Sopwiths
were finally withdrawn from operational service in early 1918 although they
would continue in service with training units until after the end of the war.
General characteristics
Crew: two, pilot and observer
Length: 25 ft 3 in (7.70 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)
Empty weight: 1,305 lb (593 kg)
Loaded weight: 2,149 lb (975 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,150 lb (977 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 100 mph (87 knots, 161 km/h) at 6,500 ft (1,980 m)
Service ceiling: 15,500 ft (4,730 m)
Climb to 6,500 ft (1,980 m): 9 min 10 s
Armament
Guns:
Bombs: Up to 130 lb (60 kg) bombs
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