Piston

Hansa-Brandenburg CC / W.22

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Intended primarily for use by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the CC single-seat fighter flying boat (the designation was derived from the initials of Camillo Castiglioni, the financier of the Hansa- und Brandenburgische Flugzeug-Werke) was a single-bay biplane of wooden construction which appeared in prototype form in mid-1916. Retaining the “star” interplane bracing strut arrangement introduced by the KD (D.I), the CC was supplied to the Austro-Hungarian Navy with both the 160hp Austro-Daimler and 180hp Hiero six-cylinder water-cooled engines, armament consisting of a single 8mm Schwarzlose machine gun projecting through the windscreen. A total of 37 fighter flying boats of this type was delivered to the service. The CC was also adopted by the German Navy, which received a total of 36, with deliveries commencing in February 1917. These were powered by the 150hp Benz Bz III, the engines of some examples being semi-cowled. The CC initially carried an armament of one 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine gun, but late production examples had two such weapons fixed to fire forward in the upper decking of the hull nose, and the hull was lengthened to improve flying characteristics. In July 1917, the German Navy grounded the CC until all aircraft were provided with extra (Vee-type) interplane bracing struts to dampen severe wing vibration. The CC was employed extensively and with considerable success over the Adriatic by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. One example was completed experimentally as a triplane, the extra wing being placed at the intersection of the “starstruts”. It was delivered to the Austro-Hungarian Navy for evaluation on 11 May 1917, but was written-off in a landing accident on the following 19 September. One CC was modified and tested in the summer of 1918 as the W 22, with broad sponsons replacing the outrigger stabilising floats. This experimental model, which crashed during testing, was intended solely to evaluate the sponson concept as part of the Staaken Rs IV development programme.

Max take-off weight: 1080 kg / 2381 lb
Empty weight: 800 kg / 1764 lb
Wingspan: 9.30 m / 31 ft 6 in
Length: 7.69 m / 25 ft 3 in
Height: 3.57 m / 12 ft 9 in
Wing area: 26.52 sq.m / 285.46 sq ft
Max. speed: 175 km/h / 109 mph
Range: 500 km / 311 miles

Hanriot H.232

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The H.230.01, service serial H.790, flew for the first time in June 1937. It was an advanced two-seat trainer which had a general resemblance to the H.220 but was of much lighter construction. Power was provided by two 127kW Salmson 6AF-00 engines and its configuration included a short crew canopy faired into the upper decking of the rear fuselage and a conventional . strut-braced tail unit, and the fixed main landing gear units incorporated spatted wheel fairings. During further tests it was decided to introduce considerable dihedral at the wingtips to improve stability, but the H.231.01 which followed in May 1938 had dihedral increased over the whole wing span, and the unusual wingtip arrangement of the modified H.230 was eliminated. Twin fins and rudders were introduced and power increased with 172kW Salmson 6AF engines. The Hanriot H.232.01 reverted to a single fin and rudder and had 164kW Renault 6 Q-o engines plus retractable landing gear. The H.232.02, first flown in August 1938, introduced a redesigned cockpit; it was tested officially between October 1938 and May 1939. The type was then given a twin fin and rudder tail assembly and was flown in this new configuration in December 1939, then redesignated H.232/2.01.

An order for 40 aircraft had already been received from the French air ministry, and this was increased to 57 examples shortly afterwards. By then known as the NC.232/2, they incorporated minor improvements including redesigned rudders and engine cowlings. Full navigational equipment was installed. Three reached Finland. Two were from Germany, and these were not taken into service until the Winter War 1939-40 with the Soviet Union was over. Deliveries to the Armee de I’Air started in February 1940, 35 being taken on charge up to the June 1940 Armistice. The NC.232/2s were,used by the training sections attached to the 51th and 54th Escadres, which were equipped with Breguet 691and 693 attack bombers. Twenty aircraft found on airfields when the German forces occupied Vichy, France, in 1942 were reduced to scrap.

Hanriot H.220

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Included among exhibits at the Salon de l’Aeronautique held in Paris in November 1936 was a striking all-metal twin-engined three-seat fighter. It had a somewhat abbreviated oval-section monocoque fuselage, a shoulder-mounted semi-cantilever wing carrying split trailing-edge flaps over its entire span and two 450hp Renault 12Roi 12-cylinder inline air-cooled engines projecting ahead of the fuselage nose. This, the H.220, had been designed to a C3 requirement prepared by the Service Technique de l’Aeronautique and issued in October 1934. Other contenders were the Breguet 690, the Potez 630, the Loire-Nieuport 20 and the Romano 110. As it became evident that the H.220 would be underpowered, the Renault engines were discarded in favour of 680hp Gnome-Rhone 14M 14-cylinder radials, and, with these installed, the first flight test was made at Avord on 21 September 1937.

The intended armament of the H.220 comprised two forward-firing 20mm cannon and two aft-firing 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns on a flexible mounting, but, in the event, no armament was fitted. On 17 February 1938, the prototype made a forced landing at Avord after losing the starboard propeller following a failure in the reduction gearbox. The poor stability evinced during flight testing of the H.220 (which had resulted in progressive changes in the contours and size of the vertical surfaces), coupled with inadequate internal capacity and some lack of sturdiness revealed by the forced landing (as a result of which the fuselage was irreparable), dictated major redesign, resulting in the H.220-2.
After the partial destruction of the H.220, major redesign was initiated by the Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du Centre, or SNCA du Centre, which had absorbed the Hanriot facility at Bourges on 1 February 1937. The oval-section monocoque fuselage of the original H.220 was discarded in favour of a fuselage built as two half shells mated by a central keel. An entirely new tail assembly with twin endplate vertical surfaces was fitted and the Gnome-Rhone 14M radial engines were enclosed by low-drag nacelles. These features were mated with the wing of the original H.220 to result in the H.220-2, which was first flown (as the H.220 No 02) on 17 March 1939. Four months later, in July 1939, this prototype was to be displayed statically as the NC 600 No 01 multi-seat fighter at the Salon de l’Aeronautique. In fact, the genuine NC 600 was to differ from the H.220-2 in several major respects.

H.220-2

H.220
Max take-off weight: 3700 kg / 8157 lb
Empty weight: 2673 kg / 5893 lb
Wingspan: 12.80 m / 41 ft 12 in
Length: 7.87 m / 25 ft 10 in
Height: 3.40 m / 11 ft 2 in
Wing area: 21.16 sq.m / 227.76 sq ft
Max. speed: 520 km/h / 323 mph
Range: 850 km / 528 miles

H.220-2
Max take-off weight: 3850 kg / 8488 lb
Empty weight: 2820 kg / 6217 lb
Wingspan: 12.80 m / 41 ft 12 in
Length: 7.87 m / 25 ft 10 in
Height: 3.40 m / 11 ft 2 in
Wing area: 21.16 sq.m / 227.76 sq ft
Max. speed: 532 km/h / 331 mph
Range: 770 km / 478 miles

Hanriot H.170 / H.171 / H.172 / H.173 / H.174 / H.175 / H.180 / H.181 / H.182 / H183 / H.184 / H.185 / H.190 / H.191 / H.192 / H.195

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H.180

The Hanriot H.170, H.180, and H.190 were a family of light utility aircraft designed by Montlaur and produced in France in the 1930s. First flown in 1934 and all introduced in 1934, they appeared side-by-side at the Paris Air Show that year, the model numbers distinguishing between versions powered by Salmson, Renault, and Régnier engines respectively.

H.180

In basic construction, the different variants were otherwise almost identical, as largely conventional monoplanes with high, strut-braced wings and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and one or two passengers sat in an extensively-glazed, enclosed cabin.

Although usually described as a monoplane, this family of aircraft all featured small, stub wings at the bottom of the fuselage. These carried the fuel tanks and served as a mounting point for the wing struts and undercarriage. An interesting feature was that the upper portion of the rear fuselage was a removable module, allowing it to be replaced with alternative modules for different roles, for example to carry a stretcher, or a second, open cockpit for pilot or gunnery training.

H.170/175

The H.182 was the major production version, accounting for 346 out of the total of 392 aircraft built. Most of these were produced as part of a government order for machines to equip the Cercles Aériens Régionaux reserve flying units, with 172 aircraft still operational at the Fall of France in 1940.

Ten more were purchased by the Second Spanish Republic for use in the Spanish Civil War, and 50 aircraft originally ordered by the French government were diverted to Turkey as part of a military aid agreement.

Variants:
H.170 – two-seat military observation version with Salmson 6Te engine (1 built)
H.171 – three-seat civil tourer version of H.170 (1 built)
H.172
H.172B – two-seat trainer (1 built)
H.172N – three-seat tourer (7 built)
H.173 – aerobatic trainer version (1 built)
H.174 – three-seat trainer (1 built)
H.175 – liaison aircraft for French Navy (10 built)
H.180
H.180T – three-seat tourer with Renault 4Pdi engine (1 built)
H.180M – two-seat military observation version with Renault 4Pei engine (1 built)
H.181 – air ambulance version of H.180T (1 built)
H.182 – main production version as trainer aircraft for French reserve aviation units.
H.183 – aerobatic trainer with Renault 438 engine (1 built)
H.184 – trainer version with uprated version of Renault 4Pei engine (1 built)
H.185 – two-seat liaison version for French navy (6 built)
H.190
H.190M – two-seat observation aircraft with Régnier 60-01 engine (1 built)
H.191 – three-seat tourer (1 built)
H.192
H.192B – two-seat trainer (1 built)
H.192N – two-seat civil trainer with Régnier 6Bo.1 engine (9 built)
H.195 – two-seat liaison aircraft with Régnier 6Bo.1 engine (1 built)

Operators:
French Air Force
French Navy
Spanish Republican Air Force
Turkish Air Force

Specifications:

H.182
Engine: 1 × Renault 4Pei, 104 kW (140 hp)
Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 5 in)
Length: 7.22 m (23 ft 8 in)
Height: 3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 19.0 m2 (204 ft2)
Empty weight: 604 kg (1,331 lb)
Gross weight: 887 kg (1,955 lb)
Maximum speed: 190 km/h (120 mph)
Range: 600 km (370 miles)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,400 ft)
Crew: Two, pilot and instructor

Hanriot H.182 trainer of the Spanish Republican Air Force

Hanriot H.115

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After its return to Hanriot’s Bourges factory, the H.110 was fitted with a redesigned fuselage nacelle and an uprated Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs engine offering 690hp. A 33mm APX cannon was mounted in a bulged housing beneath the central nacelle and a four-bladed propeller supplanted the three-blader. With these modifications, the fighter re-emerged as the H.115 and was flown for the first time in April 1934. Further modifications were undertaken by the factory from November 1934, and, in June 1935, the H.115 was submitted to Villacoublay for official evaluation. Flight testing ended on 16 August. At this time it was concluded that, in view of its radical configuration, the H.115 was of no more than academic interest.

Max take-off weight: 1786 kg / 3937 lb
Empty weight: 1428 kg / 3148 lb
Wingspan: 13.50 m / 44 ft 3 in
Length: 7.60 m / 24 ft 11 in
Height: 2.69 m / 8 ft 10 in
Wing area: 24.00 sq.m / 258.33 sq ft
Max. speed: 390 km/h / 242 mph

Hanriot H.110

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Debuting in April 1933, the H.110 fighter was designed by Jean Biche. It was a contender in the C1 competition promoted initially by the Service Technique de l’Aeronautique in 1930 and upgraded in January 1931 by a supplement to the specification. The H.110 was a single-seat fighter in which the pilot and engine occupied a central nacelle, and twin parallel booms attached to the extremities of the wing centre section carried the tail assembly. Of all-metal construction, the H.110 was powered by a 500hp Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs geared and supercharged liquid-cooled engine driving a three-bladed pusher propeller. A ring-type radiator was mounted in the nose of the nacelle and embodied an adjustable cone to regulate the airflow. Largest and heaviest of the contending fighters, the H.110, which carried an armament of two fixed 7.5mm MAC machine guns, proved slower and less manoeuvrable than most of its competitors. In March 1934, it was returned to the Bourges factory for modifications, re-emerging as the H.115.

Max take-off weight: 1750 kg / 3858 lb
Empty weight: 1260 kg / 2778 lb
Wingspan: 13.50 m / 44 ft 3 in
Length: 7.96 m / 26 ft 1 in
Height: 2.70 m / 8 ft 10 in
Wing area: 24.00 sq.m / 258.33 sq ft
Max. speed: 355 km/h / 221 mph
Range: 600 km / 373 miles

Hanriot H.31

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The H.31 was a participant in the 1923 competitive Cl programme, which, calling for single-seat fighters in the 400-500hp category, was most noteworthy for its large number of contending designs. The H.31 was an unstaggered single-bay biplane powered by a Salmson 18Cm 18-cylinder radial engine of 500hp and was of all-metal construction apart from the wing ribs, armament comprising four 7.7mm synchronised machine guns. The fuselage was raised above the lower wing and the centre section of the upper wing incorporated a fullchord cut-out to improve pilot visibility. The engine was close cowled, and to provide adequate cooling for the rear cylinder row, the space between the lower wing centre section and the fuselage was occupied by a large radiator. The prototype H.31 was displayed at the 1924 Salon de l’Aeronautique, but did not commence its flight test programme until the following year. Submitted to the STAe for official evaluation, the H.31 was one of the heaviest of the 12 contending prototypes and proved inferior to all other competing types in both level speed and climb rate, the winning contender being the Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 and the H.32 being abandoned.

Max take-off weight: 1789 kg / 3944 lb
Empty weight: 1287 kg / 2837 lb
Wingspan: 12.00 m / 39 ft 4 in
Length: 7.58 m / 24 ft 10 in
Height: 3.62 m / 11 ft 11 in
Wing area: 34.00 sq.m / 365.97 sq ft
Max. speed: 260 km/h / 162 mph

Hanriot H.26

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The H.26 (the first Hanriot fighter that did not use the HD nomenclature, where the D was for their long-standing designer Emile Dupont) was designed to compete in the 1921 CI (single-seat fighter) programme, the H.26 was the only participant powered by the 260hp (194 kW) water cooled Salmson 9Z nine-cylinder radial engine. Most other contenders were intended for the water-cooled inline 300 hp (224 kW) V-8 Hispano-Suiza HS 8F. The H.26 design attempted to compensate for lower installed power by means of aerodynamic cleanliness. It was an all-metal single bay sesquiplane, fabric covered except for the fuselage ahead of the cockpit. The lower wing was mounted at the bottom of the fuselage and the upper planes, built in separate pieces, braced close to the upper fuselage on short, faired extensions. There were ailerons only on the upper plane, the plan, structure and bracing of which was greatly altered during 1923.

The H.26 before covering at the Paris Aero Show December 1922, with early wings

When the H.26 made its first public appearance, at the Paris Aero Show in December 1922, the still uncovered upper wing of the unflown fighter had long, curved tips outboard of a straight edged, constant chord central section and had a single main spar. Sixteen months later, after the aircraft had flown, the wings had become rectangular and were built around two spars. The short span lower wing retained its single spar structure throughout but it, too, had curved tips replaced with square. The wing bracing had also changed: originally a bracing wire ran from the rear undercarriage structure upwards and outwards, via the lower to the upper wing. This was replaced by a single, wide chord rigid strut with an aerofoil section and widened at its roots.

3-view of the H.26 published early 1923, showing early wing plan, wire bracing and a different vertical tail to those of 1924.

The closely cowled radial engine set the diameter of the H.26’s nose and drove a two blade propeller behind a large diameter domed spinner. The Salmson was initially cooled with a semi-circular Botali radiator to the rear of the engine. The H.26 had a fixed conventional undercarriage with mainwheels on a centrally hinged split axle, enclosed within a lift-contributing wing-like fairing and supported by N-form struts attached to the lower fuselage longerons on each side. Originally, these were reinforced by long vertical struts from the shock absorber attachments to the upper wing central section. These were discarded when the interplane wires were replaced by the faired interplane struts, which extended downwards to the rear undercarriage structure; the tops of the shock absorber struts were relocated to mid-fuselage on the engine mounting.

The pilot’s cockpit, with a faired headrest behind it, was at the trailing edge of the upper wing, placed within a small cut-out to improve view. The H.26 had a fuselage built around four metal tube, cross-braced longerons, enclosed within metal formers and stringers to shape it into an oval cross-section. Behind him the fuselage tapered to the broad chord fixed tail surfaces. The mid-fuselage tailplane, which had a strongly swept leading edge, carried round tipped elevators that narrowed inboard. The vertical tail was oval shaped, with a broad chord rudder that ended at the top of the fuselage.

First flown at Orly in 1923, the H.26 utilised a Botali radiator arranged in a semi-circle behind the engine. As this was found to provide insufficient cooling, two Chausson radiators were attached to the undercarriage strutting. The H.26 displayed poor handling qualities, which, coupled with continued engine overheating and an inadequate view offered the pilot, led to the abandonment of further development after several test flights.

H.26 (estimated)
Engine: 1 × Salmson 9Z, 190 kW (260 hp)
Wingspan: 9.05 m / 29 ft 8 in
Length: 7.35 m / 24 ft 1 in
Height: 2.50 m / 8 ft 2 in
Wing area: 18.00 sq.m / 193.75 sq ft
Max take-off weight: 1150 kg / 2535 lb
Empty weight: 820 kg / 1808 lb
Max. speed: 260 km/h / 162 mph
Ceiling: 8500 m / 27900 ft
Range: 750 km / 466 miles
Crew: One

Hanriot HD.15

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Under the technical development programme formulated in April 1919 by General Duval, the newly-appointed Directeur de l’Aeronautique, two categories of turbo-supercharged fighter were called for, one single-seat and the other two-seat. The two-seater came within the CAP, or fighter-reconnaissance, category, and Hanriot’s contribution to this programme was the HD.15, which, designed by Emile Dupont, was flown for the first time at Orly in April 1922. This competed with the Gourdou-Leseurre GL-50. The HD.15 was a tandem two-seat, unstaggered biplane employing rigid-X type interplane bracing. It was powered by a 300hp Hispano-Suiza HS 8Fb eight-cylinder water-cooled engine equipped with a Rateau turbo-supercharger which was intended to maintain sea level engine power to 5500m altitude. Armament comprised two fixed forward-firing 7.7mm Darne machine guns and two weapons of the same calibre on a swivelling mounting in the rear cockpit. In the event, the CAP category had been discarded before the flight testing of the HD.15 commenced and the entire turbo-supercharger fighter programme became something of a fiasco as a result of unavailability of the Rateau unit in quantity. However, the Japanese Army had begun to show interest in the potentiality of turbo-supercharged engines, and purchased the prototype HD.15, which was delivered in 1926. An order was placed for three identical examples of the HD.15, but, in the event, the vessel delivering the aircraft was struck by a tidal wave and the HD.15s never reached Japan.

Max take-off weight: 1750 kg / 3858 lb
Empty weight: 1050 kg / 2315 lb
Wingspan: 11.40 m / 37 ft 5 in
Length: 7.60 m / 24 ft 11 in
Height: 2.57 m / 8 ft 5 in
Wing area: 32.48 sq.m / 349.61 sq ft
Max. speed: 180 km/h / 112 mph
Ceiling: 10250 m / 33650 ft
Range: 800 km / 497 miles

Hanriot HD.12

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The HD.12 single-seat fighter commenced its flight test programme in 1921. A single-bay staggered biplane, the HD.12 was powered by the 170hp Le Rhone 9R nine-cylinder rotary air-cooled engine, and its intended armament was the standard pair of synchronised 7.7mm Vickers machine guns. The HD.12 was considered to be somewhat passe by the time it commenced flight testing, and, having a comparatively poor performance, it was discontinued.

Wingspan: 8.70 m / 28 ft 7 in
Length: 5.94 m / 19 ft 6 in
Height: 2.50 m / 8 ft 2 in
Wing area: 19.00 sq.m / 204.51 sq ft
Max. speed: 190 km/h / 118 mph