Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F . 1 Snipe was a British single - seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) . It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War , and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of that conflict , in late 1918 . The Snipe was not a fast aircraft by the standards of its time , but its excellent climb and manoeuvrability made it a good match for contemporary German fighters . It was selected as the standard post - war single seat RAF fighter and the last examples were not retired until 1926 . Design and development . In April 1917 , Herbert Smith , the chief designer of the Sopwith Company , began to design a fighter intended to be the replacement for Sopwith ' s most famous aeroplane , the successful Sopwith Camel . The resultant design , called Snipe by Sopwith , was in its initial form a single - bay biplane , slightly smaller than the Camel , and intended to be powered by similar engines . The pilot sat higher than in the Camel while the centre - section of the upper wing was uncovered , giving a better view from the cockpit . Armament was to be two Vickers machine gun s . In the absence of an official order , Sopwith began construction of two prototypes as a private venture in September 1917 . This took advantage of a licence that had been granted to allow construction of four Sopwith Rhino bomber prototypes , only two of which were built . The first prototype Snipe , powered by a Bentley AR . 1 rotary engine was completed in October 1917 . The second prototype was completed with the new , more powerful Bentley BR . 2 , engine , which gave in November 1917 . This promised better performance , and prompted an official contract for six prototypes to be placed , including the two aircraft built as private ventures . The third prototype to fly , serial number " B9965 " , had modified wings , with a wider centre - section and a smaller cut - out for the pilot , while the fuselage had a fully circular section , rather than the slab - sided one of the first two aircraft , and the tail was smaller . It was officially tested in December 1917 , reaching a speed of 119 mph ( 192 km / h ) , and was then rebuilt with longer - span ( 30 ft ( 9 . 14 m ) ) two - bay wings ( compared with the 25 ft 9 in ( 7 . 85 m ) single bay wings ) . This allowed the Snipe to compete for Air Board Specification A . 1 ( a ) for a high - altitude single seat fighter . This specification required a speed of at least 135 mph ( 225 km / h ) at 15 , 000 ft ( 4 , 573 m ) and a ceiling of at least 25 , 000 ft ( 7 , 620 m ) while carrying an armament of two fixed and one swivelling machine gun . An oxygen supply and heated clothing were to be provided for the pilot to aid operations at high altitude . The Snipe was evaluated against three other fighter prototypes , all powered by the Bentley BR . 2 engine : the Austin Osprey triplane , the Boulton & Paul Bobolink and the Nieuport B . N . 1 . While there was little difference in performance between the aircraft , the Sopwith was selected for production , with orders for 1 , 700 Snipes placed in March 1918 . The Snipe ' s structure was rather heavier , but much stronger , than earlier Sopwith fighters . Although not a fast aircraft for 1918 , it was very maneuverable , and much easier to handle than the Camel , with a superior view from the cockpit - especially forwards and upwards . The Snipe also had a superior rate of climb , and much better high - altitude performance compared to its predecessor , allowing it to fight Germany ' s newer fighters on more equal terms . Further modifications were made to the Snipe during the war and post - war . The Snipe was built around the Bentley BR2 engine - the last rotary to be used by the RAF . It had a maximum speed of 121 mph at 10 , 000 ft compared with the Camel ' s 115 mph ( 185 km / h ) at the same altitude and an endurance of three hours . Its fixed armament consisted of two 0 . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Vickers machine gun s on the cowling , and it was also able to carry up to four 25 lb ( 11 kg ) bombs for ground attack work , identical to the Camel ' s armament . The design allowed for a single Lewis gun to be mounted on the centre section in a similar manner to those carried by the Dolphin - in the event this was not fitted to production aircraft . The Snipe began production in 1918 , with more than 4 , 500 being ordered . Production ended in 1919 , with just under 500 being built , the rest being cancelled due to the end of the war . There was only one variant , the Snipe I , but production was by several companies including Sopwith , Boulton & Paul Ltd , Coventry Ordnance Works , D . Napier & Son , Nieuport and Rushton Proctor & Co Ltd . Two aircraft were re - engined with a 320 hp ( 239 kW ) ABC Dragonfly radial engine and these entered production as the Sopwith Dragon . An armoured version entered production as the Sopwith Salamander . Operational history . First World War . In March 1918 , an example was evaluated by No . 1 Aeroplane Supply Depot ( No . 1 ASD ) at St - Omer in France . Lieutenant L . N . Hollinghurst ( later an ace in Sopwith Dolphin s , and an Air Chief Marshal ) flew to 24 , 000 ft in 45 minutes . He stated that the aircraft was tail heavy and had " a very poor rudder " , but that otherwise manoeuvrability was good . The first squadron to equip with the new fighter was No . 43 Squadron , based at Fienvillers in France , which replaced its Camels with 15 Snipes on 30 August 1918 . After spending much of September training , it flew its first operational patrols equipped with the Snipe on 24 September . The Snipe also saw service with No . 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps ( AFC ) from October 1918 . While 43 Squadron ' s Snipes saw relatively little combat , the Austalians had more success , claiming five victories on 26 October and six on 28 October , while on 29 October , 4 Squadron claimed eight Fokker D . VII s destroyed and two more driven down out of control for the loss of one of 15 Snipes . No . 208 Squadron RAF converted from Camels in November , too late for the Snipes to see action . One of the most famous incidents in which the Snipe was involved , occurred on 27 October 1918 when Canadian Major William G . Barker attached to No . 201 Squadron RAF flew over the Forêt de Mormal in France . Barker ' s Snipe ( No . " E8102 " ) had been brought with him for personal evaluation purposes in connection with his UK - based training duties and was therefore operationally a " one - off " . The engagement with enemy aircraft occurred at the end of a two - week posting to renew his combat experience as Barker was returning to the UK . While on his last operation over the battlefields of France , Major Barker attacked a two - seater German aircraft and swiftly shot it down . However , Barker was soon attacked by a formation of at least 15 Fokker D . VIIs , an aircraft widely considered to be the ultimate German fighter design of the First World War . The ensuing melee was observed by many Allied troops . In the engagement , Barker was wounded three times , losing consciousness momentarily twice , but managed to shoot down at least three D . VIIs before making a forced landing on the Allied front lines . Barker was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action . The fuselage of this Snipe is preserved at the Canadian War Museum , Ottawa , Ontario . Post - war operations . Following the Armistice with Germany that ended the First World War , Sopwith Snipes formed part of the British Army of Occupation , returning to the United Kingdom in August / September 1919 , while Snipes replaced Camels in four home defence squadrons based in the United Kingdom . This force was quickly run down , however , and by the end of 1919 , only a single squadron , No 80 was equipped with the Snipe . In 1919 , the Snipe took part in the Allied intervention on the side of the White Russians during the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks , twelve Snipes being used by the RAF mission in north Russia . At least one of the RAF Snipes was captured by the Bolsheviks and pressed into service . Although the performance demonstrated by the Snipe was unimpressive ( tests at Martlesham Heath in October 1918 had shown that the Snipe was inferior to the Martinsyde F . 3 and Fokker D . VII ) , it was selected as the standard postwar single - seat fighter of the RAF almost by default , with the Martinsyde Buzzard development of the F . 3 being 25 percent more expensive than the Snipe and relying on a French engine that was in short supply ( the 300 hp Hispano - Suiza 8 ) , while the range of fighters powered by the ABC Dragonfly radial engine did not come to fruition owing to failure of that engine . The last Snipes were retired by that service in 1926 . The Canadian Air Force ( CAF ) operated the Snipe after the war , but it was phased out in 1923 , a year before the Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) was formed . Survivors and reproductions . Two complete , original , Sopwith Snipes survive . " E6938 " resides in The Canadian Aviation Museum in Rockcliffe . Formerly owned by film star Reginald Denny , it had been restored by Jack Canary , in California , in the 1960s . " E8105 " is exhibited at The National Air And Space Museum , in Washington , D . C . Previously , it had been one of the most cherished aircraft at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome , in Rhinebeck , New York . It passed to the N . A . S . M . after Cole Palen ' s death in December 1993 . The fuselage of Major William G . Barker ' s Snipe , " E8102 " , resides , ( minus landing gear , engine and cowl ) , at the Canadian War Museum , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada . Antique Aero in California has recently completed construction of an air - worthy , very detailed reproduction Sopwith Snipe . It awaits a new - build 230 h . p . Bentley B . R . 2 engine . Another Snipe reproduction " E8102 " has recently been built in New Zealand by The Vintage Aviator Ltd , and was subsequently purchased by Kermit Weeks for his Fantasy of Flight aviation museum in Polk City , Florida . This is a flying copy , complete with the original Bentley rotary engine . In early 2012 it arrived in Florida and is awaiting reassembly and rigging before flying again . The RAF Museum in August 2012 took delivery of a static display reproduction of the Snipe . Marked " E6655 " , it was constructed in the Wellington work - shops of TVAL in New Zealand . The inclusion of original , non - functioning parts precludes this aircraft from flight status .