Nieuport 10

Nieuport 10
Nieuport 10
General information
Type	reconnaissance, fighter and trainer
Manufacturer	Nieuport
Designer	Gustave Delage
Status	retired
Primary users	Aéronautique Militaire Royal Naval Air Service ; Imperial Russian Air Service
History
Manufactured	1915-1918
Introduction date	1915
First flight	1914
Variant	Nieuport 12

Last updated February 04, 2026

Nieuport 10 wing and aileron details

The Nieuport 10 (or Nieuport XB in contemporary sources) is a French First World War sesquiplane that filled a wide variety of roles, including reconnaissance, fighter and trainer.

Design and development

In January 1914, designer Gustave Delage [ fr ] joined the Société Anonyme des Etablissements Nieuport, and started working on a series of aircraft that would remain in production for the remainder of the First World War. The Nieuport 10 was the first of these and was originally designed to compete in the Gordon Bennett Trophy race of 1914. World War I caused this contest to be cancelled, and the type was developed as a military two-seat reconnaissance aircraft that entered service in 1915.

The type featured a distinctive "V" strut layout. The lower wing was much smaller in area than the upper wing. The concept was intended to combine the strength, compactness and stability of the biplane's wire braced wing cell with the speed and ease of handling of the monoplane.^[1]

Many were built or converted as single-seat fighters by covering the front cockpit, and adding a Lewis Gun or Vickers machine gun either to fire through the centre section of the top wing or mounted over it, firing forwards. In this form, the type was used as a fighter.

Two major types were developed based on experience with the Nieuport 10 - the Nieuport 11 Bébé - a smaller and completely new aircraft, designed from the outset as a single-seater, and the Nieuport 12 - a more powerful two-seater with an enlarged top wing and improved seating for the gunner. In addition, production was undertaken later in the war of a dedicated trainer version under the Nieuport 83 E.2 designation with detail changes. A single example of a triplane, using a Nieuport 10 fuselage was built to test an unusual staggered wing concept.

Operational use

Many of the early French aces flew the Nieuport 10, the best known of which was Georges Guynemer, who used several Nieuport 10s, all marked "Vieux Charles". Jan Olieslagers was flying a Nieuport 10 when he became the first Belgian to shoot down another aircraft, while the first Canadian aerial victory was also scored in a Nieuport 10, by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Ince.

Variants

Early French Nieuport X.B reconnaissance aircraft

Nieuport 10 triplane

American Nieuport 83 E.2 trainer

Nieuport X.B: Early designation distinguishing it from the earlier unrelated Nieuport X monoplane.
Nieuport X.AV: Company designation with the observer/gunner seated in the front and the pilot in the rear.^[2]
Nieuport X.AR: Company designation with the pilot seated in the front and the observer/gunner in the rear.^[2]
Nieuport 10 A.2: Two-seat reconnaissance (Artillerie) aircraft, same as Nieuport X.AR.
Nieuport 10 C.1: Single-seat fighter variant. Inspired development of Nieuport 11 C.1.
Nieuport 10 E.2: Nieuport 10 A.2s used for training.
Nieuport 83 E.2: Purpose-built trainer with detail modifications.
Nieuport 10 triplane

Testbed for triplane with unusual wing stagger.
Nieuport-Macchi 10.000: Italian-built Nieuport 10 with many detail modifications.
Nieuport 18 or 18 meter Nieuport: Unofficial description of basic type based on nominal wing area of 18 square meters.
Nakajima Army Type 甲 2 (Ko 2) Trainer: Nieuport 83 E.2 built under licence in Japan.
B.F.2 (training aircraft type 2): Siamese designation for imported Nieuport 83 E.2.

Operators

Belgium: Belgian Air Force
Brazil: Brazilian Air Force
France: Aéronautique Militaire; Aéronavale
Finland: Finnish Air Force (ex-Russian examples)
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic: Red Guards (ex-Russian examples)^[3]
Kingdom of Italy: Corpo Aeronautico Militare
Japan: Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
Portugal: Aeronáutica Militar Portuguesa - 7 Nieuport Ni.83E-2 trainers received in 1917.^[4]
Romania: Romanian Air Corps - one Nieuport 10 purchased in 1915, used as trainer.^[5]
Russian Empire: Imperial Russian Air Service - imported large numbers and built under licence.; Imperial Russian Navy - ex Air Service aircraft.
Serbia: Serbian Air Force ^[6]

Siam

Royal Siamese Aeronautical Service

Ukrainian People's Republic: Ukrainian People's Army (One aircraft only)
United Kingdom: Royal Naval Air Service - early user. Note that the Royal Flying Corps did not use the Nieuport 10.
United States: United States Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force - used as trainers only
Soviet Union: Workers' and Peasants' Air Fleet (ex-Russian examples)

Surviving aircraft

Two Nieuport-Macchi 10,000's survive and are on display in Italy, one at the Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra and one at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci", and an original Nieuport 83 E.2 that had been flown by Charles Nungesser while barnstorming in the United States shortly after the First World War, is at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome on static display.

Specifications (Nieuport-Macchi 10)

Data from Nieuport Macchi 11 & 17^[7] and French Aircraft of the First World War^[8]

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 7.01 m (23 ft 0 in)
Upper wingspan: 8.03 m (26 ft 4 in)
Upper chord: 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)
Wing sweep: 2° 45'
Lower wingspan: 7.51 m (24 ft 8 in)
Lower chord: 0.90 m (2 ft 11 in)
Height: 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 18 m² (190 sq ft)
Empty weight: 440 kg (970 lb)
Gross weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
Undercarriage track: 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)^[9]
Powerplant: 1 × le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 60 kW (80 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch Régy 155 or Chauviere 2219 propeller, 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) diameter ^[9]

Performance

Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn)
Range: 300 km (190 mi, 160 nmi)
Endurance: 2 hours 30 minutes
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 15 minutes 30 seconds to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Wing loading: 36.1 kg/m² (7.4 lb/sq ft)

Armament

Guns: 1 × .303 in (7.70 mm) Lewis machine gun or 7.9 mm (0.31 in) Hotchkiss mounted above the top wing

References

Footnotes

↑ Spooner, 1917, p.884
1 2 Davilla & Soltan, pp. 355–359
↑ Berner, 1934
↑ Niccoli 1998, p. 20.
↑ Dan Antoniu (2014). Illustrated History of Romanian Aeronautics. p. 42. ISBN 978-9730172096.
↑ Janić, 2011
↑ Longoni, 1976, p.48
↑ Davilla, 1997, p358
1 2 Pommier, 2002, p.167

Bibliography

Apostolo, Giorgio (1991). Aermacchi - from Nieuports to AMX. Milan, Italy: Giorgio Apostolo Editore (GAE).
Berner, Aarne (1934). "Air Force Participation in Finnish War of Independence in Year 1918. Chapter III. Red Air Activity in Finland y. 1918" (PDF). Retrieved 4 November 2017.
Bruce, J.M. (1998). Nieuport 10~12 - Windsock Datafile 68. Herts, UK: Albatros Publications. ISBN 978-1902207018.
Cooksley, Peter (1997). Nieuport Fighters In Action. In Action Aircraft Number 167. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications. ISBN 978-0897473774.
Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 978-1891268090.
Durkota, Alan; Darcey, Thomas; Kulikov, Victor (1995). The Imperial Russian Air Service — Famous Pilots and Aircraft of World War I. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 0-9637110-2-4.
Janić, Č; Petrović, O (2011). Short History of Aviation in Serbia. Beograd: Aerokomunikacije. ISBN 978-8691397326.
Longoni, Maurizio (1976). Nieuport Macchi 11 & 17 (in Italian). Milan: Intergest.
Nicolli, Riccardo (January–February 1998). "Atlantic Sentinels: The Portuguese Air Force Since 1912". Air Enthusiast . No. 73. pp. 20–35. ISSN 0143-5450.
Pommier, Gerard (2002). Nieuport 1875-1911 — A biography of Edouard Nieuport. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0764316241.
Rimmell, Ray (1990). World War One Survivors. Bucks: Aston Publications. ISBN 0-946627-44-4.
Rosenthal, Léonard; Marchand, Alain; Borget, Michel; Bénichou, Michel (1997). Nieuport 1909-1950 Collection Docavia Volume 38. Clichy Cedex, France: Editions Lariviere. ISBN 978-2848900711.
Sanger, Ray (2002). Nieuport Aircraft of World War One. Wiltshire: Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1861264473.
Stanley Spooner, ed. (3 Aug 1917). "Some Nieuport "Milestones"". Flight. Vol. IX, no. 35/453. Royal Aero Club. pp. 884–890.
Taylor, John W. R.; Alexander, Jean (1969). Combat Aircraft of the World. New York: Putnam. pp. 112–113. LCCN 68-25459.

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[Spooner884-1] Spooner, 1917, p.884

[Davila-2] 1 2 Davilla & Soltan, pp. 355–359

[Berner-3] Berner, 1934

[4] Niccoli 1998, p. 20.

[5] Dan Antoniu (2014). Illustrated History of Romanian Aeronautics. p. 42. ISBN 978-9730172096.

[Janić-6] Janić, 2011

[Longoni48-7] Longoni, 1976, p.48

[Davilla358-8] Davilla, 1997, p358

[Pommier167-9] 1 2 Pommier, 2002, p.167

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v t e Nieuport-Macchi/Macchi/Aermacchi aircraft
Nieuport-Macchi	Ni.4 Ni.6 Parasol Ni.10 Ni.11 Ni.17 Ni.29
Macchi	L.1 L.2 M.3 M.4 M.5 M.6 M.7 M.8 M.9 M.12 M.14 M.15 M.16 M.17 M.18 M.19 M.20 M.24 M.26 M.33 M.39 M.40 M.41 M.52 M.53 M.67 M.70 M.71 M.C.72 M.C.73 M.C.77 M.C.94 M.C.99 M.C.100 M.C.200 M.C.201 M.C.202 M.C.205 M.B.308 M.B.320 M.B.323
Aermacchi	MB-326 MB-335 MB-338 MB-339 MB-340 M-311/M-345
Joint ventures	AM.3 AMX M-346
Purchased designs	AL-60 S-211 SF.260 M-290

v t e Royal Thai Armed Forces trainer aircraft designations
B.F (Trainer)	B.F.1 B.F.2 B.F.3 B.F.4 B.F.5 B.F.6 B.F.7 B.F.8 B.F.9 B.F.10 B.F.11 B.F.12 B.F.13 B.F.14 B.F.15 B.F.16 B.F.17 B.F.18 B.F.19 B.F.20 B.F.21 B.F.22
B.KhF (Fighter-trainer)	B.KhF.1 B.KhF.2