2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Sopwith Cuckoo: Photographer not identified. "Official photograph".· Public domain
- 2. Sopwith Cuckoo British First World War torpedo bomber: San Diego Air and Space Museum archives· Public domain
what is it?
The Sopwith T.1 Cuckoo was a British biplane torpedo bomber used by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and its successor organization, the Royal Air Force (RAF). The T.1 was the first landplane specifically designed for carrier operations, but it was completed too late for service in the First World War. After the Armistice, the T.1 was named the Cuckoo.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 14.3 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 109 years ago, in 1917.
- Wingspan of 14.3 m: about 3 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
- 1917-06
- introduced
- 1918
- retired
- 1923
- status
- retired
- number built
- 232
- role
- torpedo bomber
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Sopwith Aviation Company
- engines
- 1× Sunbeam Arab
- crew
- 1
- length
- 8.7 m
- wingspan
- 14.3 m
- height
- 3.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,761 kg
- top speed
- 170 km/h
- range
- 539 km
- ceiling
- 3,688 m
- wings
- biplane
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1856281, Wikipedia: Sopwith Cuckoo (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.