Nieuport 21

The Nieuport 21 C-1 (for Chasse, or "Pursuit") was powered with an 80hp LeRhone 9C fitted to a lightened Nieuport 17 airframe (with an increase to 3 degrees of sweepback on the mainplanes to compensate for the lighter engine) and no headrest. It may have been originally intended as a trainer, and the 21E-1 (Ecole or "School") version was supplied in number for that purpose. But it was first pressed into French front-line service in small numbers and first appeared in mid summer 1916 alongside the Nieuport 17. Many were built or purchased by Russia growing from around 40 in spring of 1917 to over 70 in mid-summer. Russian pilots were impressed by its manueverability.

The Nieuport 21 came with either a fixed, sychronized Vickers machine gun or an over-wing Lewis.

Card Links

 * Plane Card

Miniatures and Models
Nieuport 17s make a good substitute.

1:144 Scale

 * Shapeways: Reduced Aircraft Factory (Lewis),RAF (Vickers)

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

 * Shapeways: Reduced Aircraft Factory (Lewis), RAF (Vickers)