Sopwith 1½ Strutter

The Sopwith 1½ Strutter was a single- or two-seat multi-role biplane of the First World War, the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft in service with a synchronised machine gun. It grew from the Sigrist Bus of 1915 and from the Land Clerget Tractor prototype designed by Herbert Smith, and it took its name from the long and short cabane struts that carried the top wing. Both British air services flew it, and about 1,500 were built for them while between 4,200 and 4,500 were built in France, where it served widely but without great distinction. After withdrawal from operations in early 1918 it was used for training.