Hanriot HD.2

HD.2, H.29

Role: Floatplane fighter
National origin: France
Manufacturer: Hanriot
First flight: 1917
Primary users: Aéronautique Maritime United States Navy

The Hanriot HD.2 was a fighter aircraft produced in France during the First World War. The design was based on that of the HD.1, but the HD.2 was a purpose-built floatplane. It made use of enlarged tail surfaces and shorter wingspans with greater area. Like its predecessor, though, it was a conventional single-bay biplane with staggered wings of unequal span. The prototype had a twin pontoon undercarriage, with a small third pontoon under the tail. The third pontoon was later discarded on production machines, though.

The HD.2 was developed specifically as an interceptor to defend flying boat bases, but soon was used as an escort fighter to protect French reconnaissance flying boats. The United States Navy also bought 10 examples with wheeled undercarriages, designated HD.2C.

Both the French and United States navies used these aircraft in early experiments in launching fighters from warships. The United States Navy replicated the French trials where a HD.1 had been launched from a platform built atop one of the turrets of the battleship Paris and built a similar platform on the USS Mississippi to launch a HD.2 from. The French Navy converted some of their HD.2s to wheeled configuration and used them for trials on the new aircraft carrier Béarn.

A final experiment in launching a HD.2 from a ship was carried out in 1924 with two new-built examples designated H.29. An unorthodox launching system was developed where the aircraft were equipped with three small pulley-wheels, one on each tip of the upper wing, and one at the tip of the tail fin. These ran along metal rails that had been attached to project horizontally from the mast of the battleship Lorraine. This did not work as hoped, succeeding only in depositing the aircraft into the water below. Further trials were discontinued.

Variants

HD.2

HD.2 - floatplane fighter with Clerget 9B engine
HD.2C - HD.2 with wheeled undercarriage (10 built for USN, plus 2 converted from HD.2 by French Navy)

H.29

H.29 - HD.2 with Hispano-Suiza 8Ab engine and pulley wheels for launch from warship (2 built)

Minor Variants

HD.12

HD.12 - Single-seat fight prototype. The aircraft was fitted with wheeled landing gear, powered by a 170-hp (127-kW) Le Rhone rotary piston engine. Only one HD.12 was ever built.

HD.27

HD.27 - Powered by a 180-hp (134-kW) Hispano-Suzia 8Ac engine. Only one was ever built.

Operators

France United States

Specifications (HD.2)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 7.00 m (23 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 8.51 m (27 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 18.4 m² (198 ft²)
Empty weight: 495 kg (1,092 lb)
Gross weight: 700 kg (1,540 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Clerget 9B, 100 kW (130 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 182 km/h (113 mph)
Range: 300 km (186 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft)

Armament

2 x— fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine guns

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 469.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 896 Sheet 11.

Hanriot HD.2 Pictures and Hanriot HD.2 for Sale.

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Source: WikiPedia