Sopwith Swallow

The Sopwith Swallow was a parasol-wing fighter of the First World War, built as a single example that never went into production because it offered no performance advantage over contemporary biplanes. It grew out of the Sopwith Monoplane No. 1, also called the Scooter, an unarmed parasol monoplane built on a Camel fuselage that flew in June 1918 and served as a runabout and aerobatic mount for test pilot Harry Hawker. The Swallow kept a Camel fuselage but carried a larger, slightly swept wing of greater span and area, mounted higher above the fuselage and braced to a cabane. It was powered by a 110 hp Le Rhone 9J rotary engine and armed with two Vickers machine guns.