Sopwith Dragon

The Story of Sopwith Dragon

The Sopwith "Sniper" single-seat, single-engine biplane appeared in the latter part of the First World War (1914-1918), producing nearly 500 prototypes of the type before the end - the last in service Prototype until 1926. In April 1918, the line's sixth prototype was pulled aside and refitted with an ABC "Dragonfly" 9-cylinder 320-horsepower radial engine that was expected to receive a considerable performance boost.

This shape - lengthened by nearly two feet to accommodate the new, heavier engine - became the Snipe Mk II at one point.

Despite early engine problems with the design, the Royal Air Force (RAF) authorities were convinced of its performance potential in continued warfare and delivered an order for 30 Dragonfly engine Snipes in May-June 1918. Shortly after new engines were installed - using the 360 ??hp ABC Dragonfly IA Radial - the order for 30 modified Snipes was cancelled and replaced by an order for 300 of the new Dragonfly fighters.

In its current form, the Dragon was a traditional biplane at the time. It adjusted the engine mounts on the nose to drive a two-bladed propeller with the pilot sitting directly aft. The fin consists of a vertical fin and low mounting level. The main planes are components of equal span and are connected together by parallel struts to create a two-cabin configuration.

The wings were placed in front of the midship (in the area where the pilot's position was cut off) to drive the aircraft's center of gravity forward. The main landing gear legs are wheeled and attached to the fuselage with struts.

The weapon became a standard British 2 x .303 Vickers machine gun, firing synchronised by rotating propeller blades.

The aircraft has a top speed of 150 mph and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. Dimensions include a length of 21.8 feet, a wingspan of 31 feet, and a height of 9.5 feet.

First flight on a prototype in 1918, early production stock was a mix of modified Snipe aircraft and newly built Dragons - the latter receiving horn-balanced upper ailerons for improved control and carrying the aforementioned Dragonfly IA series engines. Eventually, the order for 300 Dragonflies arrived, while efforts were being made to alleviate engine problems.

The war ended in November 1918, and production orders from the top 300 were reduced to 200. The engine problem was never really resolved, and the series continued until April 1923, when it was considered obsolete - many Dragonfly airframes still had no engines.

Despite its status as a standardized fighter, it never formed a single RAF squadron and eventually went down in the history of military aviation.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes