Nieuport Madon

Nieuport Madon
Nieuport Madon prototype with wing root opening visible
Role	Fighter
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Nieuport
First flight	December 1918
Number built	2

In October 1917 Nieuport began construction of a prototype monoplane fighter known as the Nieuport Madon, a strut braced monoplane.^[1]

Design and development

The shoulder mounted wing was supported by sizeable lift struts attached to the landing gear, which featured an additional lifting area between the wheels. A section of wing root was cut away to improve downward visibility.^[1] The fuselage and wing were fabric covered. It was armed with two synchronized 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine guns.^[2] The first prototype made its first flight in early January 1918 while powered by a 110 kW (150 hp) Gnome Monosoupape 9N rotary engine,^[1] the same engine used in the Nieuport 28.

The second prototype first flew in late January 1918 with the slightly more powerful 130 kW (180 hp) Le Rhône 9R.^[2] This aircraft had a revised wing whose inboard trailing edges were cut away and an elongated fin. On 1 May 1918 the second prototype was rejected in favour of the Monosoupape powered model.^[1]

The Nieuport Madon was not officially accepted but would be refined through the Nieuport 31^[1] the Nieuport-Delage Sesquiplan and into the Nieuport-Delage NiD 62 which was still in second line service in 1940.

Nieuport Madon circa 1918

Specifications

Data from The Complete Book of Fighters^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
• Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 17.5 m² (188 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 433 kg (955 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 703 kg (1,550 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape 9N 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 110 kW (150 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 220 km/h (137 mph; 119 kn)
• Endurance: 2 hours
• Time to altitude: Time to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) - 13 min.

Armament

• Guns: 2x synchronized 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine guns

See also

• Fokker D.VIII
• Morane-Saulnier AI
• Bristol M.1

References

Citations

1. Green, W.; Swanborough, G. (2001). The Complete Book of Fighters. Salamander Books. ISBN 978-1840652697.
2. Bruno Parmentier (7 March 2006). "Nieuport Madon". aviafrance.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.

Bibliography

• Bruce, J.M. (1988). Nieuport Aircraft of World War One - Vintage Warbirds No 10. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-934-2.
• Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. pp. 410–411. ISBN 978-1891268090.