Nieuport Madon

The Nieuport Madon was a French fighter prototype developed by the Nieuport company during the final months of World War I. First flown in late 1918, the aircraft was intended to replace the aging Nieuport series with a more powerful, aerodynamically refined design. It featured a sleek, wooden monocoque fuselage and a sesquiplane wing layout with a single‑spar lower wing, giving it a high aspect ratio and reduced drag. Powered by a 200‑hp Hispano‑Suiza 8b engine, the Madon could reach speeds above 250 km/h (155 mph) and climb to 5,000 m in under ten minutes, performance that rivaled contemporary German fighters. Innovative elements included a streamlined spinner, adjustable wing stagger, and a forward‑firing synchronized Vickers machine gun. Although only a handful of prototypes were built before the Armistice halted production, the Madon’s design concepts influenced later Nieuport‑Delage models such as the NiD 62. Its emphasis on speed, maneuverability, and lightweight construction marked an important transitional step from early biplanes to the more advanced monoplanes that dominated the inter‑war period, underscoring Nieuport’s lasting impact on aviation development. Today a few restored examples are displayed, reminding scholars of the Madon’s role in advancing high‑speed fighter design.