Nieuport Madon
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| Nieuport Madon | |
|---|---|
 Nieuport Madon prototype with wing root opening visible | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Nieuport |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| First flight | December 1918 |
The Nieuport Madon was a prototype 1917 French single-seat strut-braced gull-wing monoplane fighter, with an additional lifting surface between the undercarriage.[1]
The tapered gull wing was supported by lift struts attached to the landing gear, which featured an additional constant chord lifting area between the wheels. A section of wing root at the trailing edge, and later the gap between the spars were cut away to improve downward visibility.[1] The fuselage and wing were wood structures with a fabric covering. It was armed with two synchronized 7.7 mm (0.30 in) Vickers machine guns.[2]
The first flight was made in December 1917, or 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 it had 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 eventually into the Nieuport-Delage NiD 62 which was still in second line service in 1940.
