The Sopwith Camel was a British single-seat military fighter used during the First World War. It entered combat in 1917 and became one of the principal Allied fighters on the Western Front. Its close grouping of engine, guns, fuel and pilot gave it exceptional manoeuvrability but also demanding handling characteristics.[1]Sopwith CamelNational Naval Aviation Museum · history.navy.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Configuration
The Camel was a compact biplane powered by a rotary engine. Two synchronised Vickers machine guns fired forward through the propeller arc. The raised fairing around the guns helped give the aircraft its familiar name, while the concentration of weight near the nose strongly influenced its behaviour in flight.[1]Sopwith CamelNational Naval Aviation Museum · history.navy.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
The National Museum of the United States Air Force describes its representative F.1 configuration with a 130-horsepower Clerget engine and two .303-inch guns. The rotary engine's effects and sensitive handling made conversion training hazardous, even though experienced pilots could exploit the aircraft's agility in combat.[2]Sopwith F-1 CamelNational Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Wartime operations
The type went into action with No. 4 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service in June 1917. It subsequently equipped British units widely, as well as American squadrons serving alongside them. The 17th and 148th Aero Squadrons operated Camels in combat during the summer and autumn of 1918.[2]Sopwith F-1 CamelNational Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
David S. Ingalls, the United States Navy's only ace of the war, flew the type. American Army pilots associated with it included Elliot White Springs, George Vaughn and Field Kindley. The 185th Aero Squadron also used the Camel for night fighting near the end of the conflict.[2]Sopwith F-1 CamelNational Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[1]Sopwith CamelNational Naval Aviation Museum · history.navy.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Production and preservation
Approximately 5,490 Camels were manufactured. The example at the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a reconstruction completed in 1974 from original factory drawings, with markings representing Vaughn's aircraft. It preserves the configuration of a highly influential fighter without being presented as an original combat survivor.[2]Sopwith F-1 CamelNational Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details