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The Sopwith Dragon was a British single-seat fighter biplane developed from the Sopwith Snipe. ==Design and development== In April 1918, the sixth Snipe prototype was fitted with a 320 hp (239 kW) ABC Dragonfly I radial engine.〔Mason 1992, p. 144.〕〔Davis 1999, p. 139.〕 To compensate for the greater weight of the Dragonfly, the fuselage was lengthened by 22 in (56 cm).〔Davis 1999, p. 140.〕 The prototype suffered persistent ignition system defects, but performance was encouraging when the Dragonfly engine operated properly.〔Davis 1999, p. 140.〕〔Robertson 1970, p. 226.〕 In June 1918, the Royal Air Force issued a contract for 30 Dragonfly-engined Snipes, which were subsequently named Dragons.〔Davis 1999, p. 140.〕〔Robertson 1970, p. 226.〕 In late November 1918, the RAF cancelled a production order for 300 Snipes and reordered the aircraft as Dragons.〔Mason 1992, p. 144.〕 A second prototype was equipped with the larger 360 hp (268 kW) ABC Dragonfly IA engine.〔Mason 1992, p. 144.〕 This aircraft did not begin official trials at Martlesham Heath until February 1919.〔Robertson 1970, p. 226.〕 It attained a top speed of 150 mph (240 km/h) at sea level and achieved a service ceiling of 25,000 ft.〔Mason 1992, p. 144.〕 Sopwith built approximately 200 Dragon airframes, which were placed in storage pending delivery of their engines.〔Mason 1992, p. 144.〕 Difficulties with the Dragonfly ultimately proved impossible to resolve. Only a few aircraft were completed with Dragonfly engines, and none were issued to squadrons.〔Mason 1992, p. 144.〕 The Dragon was finally declared obsolete in April 1923.〔Robertson 1970, p. 227.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sopwith Dragon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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