Wibault 210
| Company type | Prototype fighter aircraft |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Fighter aircraft |
The Wibault Wib 210 C.1 was a French-designed, single-seat, single-engine low-wing monoplane fighter developed during the late 1920s. Testing revealed persistent vibration problems, which ultimately led to the project's cancellation.
Design and development
Created to meet the 1928 requirements of the Service Technique de l'Aéronautique (S.T.Aé) for a single-seat fighter (C.1), the Wib 210 represented a departure from Wibault's usual parasol wing designs by adopting a lightweight chasseur léger monoplane configuration. This concept earned an order for two prototype units.
The aircraft was built entirely from metal, utilizing a Duralumin framework covered with longitudinal narrow aluminium strips. Its low wing exhibited slight dihedral, straight edges with tapering towards blunt tips, and incorporated full-span ailerons. The tail assembly included a triangular tailplane with split elevators; the vertical fin featured a swept leading edge and squared tip, carrying a rudder that extended down to the fuselage keel.
The fuselage had flat sides with rounded upper decking and housed an open cockpit located just forward of the wing’s trailing edge. Propulsion was provided by an upright, liquid-cooled Hispano-Suiza 12H V-12 engine turning a two-bladed propeller. The engine cowling closely conformed to the shape of the cylinder banks. Cooling was managed by a broad rectangular radiator positioned beneath the wing between the undercarriage legs. The fixed conventional landing gear consisted of a split axle mounted at the fuselage centerline, with main wheels supported on V-struts and a small tailskid at the rear. Armament included two synchronized 7.7 mm machine guns firing through the propeller arc.
Flight trials commenced at Villacoublay in late April 1929 but uncovered significant vibration issues affecting the rear fuselage and tail surfaces. Despite attempts to address these problems and subsequent retesting in May, vibrations remained problematic at speeds above , especially during shallow dives. As these difficulties could not be resolved, further development was halted.