MACCHI NI.29

The Macchi Ni.29 was an Italian fixed landing gear biplane fighter from World War I and the interwar period. The flight of the prototype of its French version took place in the summer of 1918, and series production started shortly after. The drive was provided by a single engine Hispano-Suiza 8Fb with a power of 300 hp. The machine was 6.49 meters long with a wingspan of 9.7 meters. The deck armament consisted of two 7.7 mm machine guns. The Macchi Ni.29 was a faithful, licensed version of the French Nieuport-Delange NiD-29 aircraft. The latter aircraft was developed for the French Armee de l'Air, and from 1922 it was already mass-produced. The machine was recognized at the beginning of the 1920s as one of the best fighter planes in the world. It was characterized above all by high maximum speed and good maneuverability. Licensed production of NiD-29 was started in Italy in 1924 by Caproni and Macchi plants under the designation Ni.29. In total, both of these plants supplied the Italian aviation with about 170-180 machines of this type.