Nieuport-Delage NiD 52

The Nieuport‑Delage NiD 52 was a French single‑engine fighter developed in the late 1920s by the Nieuport‑Delage company, a continuation of the historic Nieuport aircraft lineage that earned fame during World War I. Intended as a modern replacement for the aging SPAD‑based units of the French Armée de l’Air, the NiD 52 first flew in 1929 and was evaluated alongside its more successful sibling, the NiD 62. Powered by a 500 hp Hispano‑Suiza 12Gb W‑12 engine, the aircraft featured an all‑metal, semi‑monocoque fuselage, a low‑set, cantilever wing with a thin airfoil, and retractable radiators that reduced drag. Its armament consisted of two synchronized Vickers machine guns mounted in the forward fuselage. Although the NiD 52 demonstrated good maneuverability and a respectable top speed of about 260 km/h, it suffered from structural vibration problems and an underpowered engine compared with contemporary foreign designs, limiting its production to a handful of prototypes. The type’s chief legacy lies in the lessons learned about all‑metal construction and aerodynamic refinement, which informed later Nieuport‑Delage fighters such as the NiD 630 series and contributed to France’s transition toward more advanced monoplane combat aircraft in the 1930s.

Nieuport

Nieuport-Delage NiD 52

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification