Nieuport 29 C-1 (Fighter, 1926-1930)

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In 1925 the Army Aviation Command had many contacts in France through which they found Nieuport-Delage 29 C-1 fighters at a very favourable price. The aircraft were fitted with a 300 hp water-cooled V8 Hispano-Suiza engine, which they had already had good experiences with in the J 24. The armament consisted of two 6,5 mm machine guns. 

It was decided that the Air Force would be a separate service branch in 1926 and the Army Aviation Company had no money available for new aircraft. On the other hand there was a great demand for a new fighter plane. Only a few Phönix's were in fighting trim. The Chief of the Army Aviation Company, K A B Amundson, usually just called ”KABA”, now acted in a controversial manner. Without any official approval, he simply bought ten Nieuports on credit. The aircraft  would later be paid through allowances to the new Air Force. KABA received a lot of criticism  for his actions, but the scandal died down because of the low price (17 500 kronor per plane). 

The Nieuport 29 C-1 became very popular among the pilots. It was regarded as very beautiful and streamlined, and had excellent flying characteristics. The speed was high for its time, 226 km/h and it managed to reach an altitude of 8 500 m. But the aircraft had a serious disadvantage. The fuselage was built of wood, and also covered with plywood. They fared badly in the Swedish climate, with its moisture and cold. The workshops tried to reinforce the aeroplanes, but had a hard job keeping them airworthy. The life span of the Swedish C-1's were rather short as a result.

When the Air Force was founded, the Nieuports received the designation J 2 (J = Jaktflygplan/Fighter Aircraft).

Model by Mikael Carlson, displayed at the Flygvapenmuseum (Swedish Air Force Museum).

Length:  6,50 m. Span: 9,70 m.  Maximum take-off weight: 1.200 kg. Max. speed: 220 km/h.
 

A Nieuport-Delage 29 C-1 on a Vietnamese stamp from 1986

Updated 2010-02-28