10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. RAF Sopwith 1 1-2 Strutter: unknown RAF photographer· Public domain
- 2. Sopwith 1B2 Strutter Right Rear: Air Service, United States Army· Public domain
- 3. Sopwith 1 1.2 Strutter S.85 BRU Msm 14.04.00R edited-2: RuthAS· CC BY 3.0
- 4. Sopwith 1 1.5 LeB 05.07R: RuthAS· CC BY 3.0
- 5. Sopwith 1 2-1 Strutter-2006: TMWolf· CC BY 2.5
- 6. Sopwith Strutter RAFM: Nimbus227· Public domain
- 7. 800th Aero Squadron - Flight C 5th AAOS - Sopwith 1s: Air Service, United States Army· Public domain
- 8. Arrival of the Sopwith Strutter "Krasnoyarets" aircraft at the Lake Shira resort: L.J. Wonaho· Public domain
- 9. French Sopwith Strutter closeup showing Lewis guns and generator: Université de Caen Basse-Normandie· No restrictions
- 10. Germaine Hanriot, in front of a Sopwith 1½ Strutter: Cycb2· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Sopwith 1+1⁄2 Strutter is a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War. It was the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun. It was given the name 1+1⁄2 Strutter because of the long and short cabane struts that supported the top wing.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 10.2 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 111 years ago, in 1915.
- Wingspan of 10.2 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1915-12
- introduced
- 1916
- number built
- 4,500
- role
- biplane general purpose aircraft
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Sopwith Aviation Company
- engines
- 1× Clerget 9B / Clerget 9Z
- crew
- 2
- passengers
- 2
- length
- 7.7 m
- wingspan
- 10.2 m
- height
- 3.1 m
- max take-off weight
- 977 kg
- top speed
- 161 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 4,724 m
- wings
- biplane
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1249977, Wikipedia: Sopwith 1½ Strutter (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.