The Hanriot HD.2 was a fighter aircraft produced in France during the First World War. The design was based on that of the HD.1

Hanriot HD.1

|-References:* Bruce, J.M. The Hanriot HD 1 Leatherhead: Profile Publications* Cheesman E.F. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War Letchworth, Harletford Publications, 1960 pp. 82-83- External links :*...

, but the HD.2 was a purpose-built floatplane. It made use of enlarged tail surfaces and shorter wingspans with greater area. Like its predecessor, though, it was a conventional single-bay biplane with staggered wings of unequal span. The prototype had a twin pontoon undercarriage, with a small third pontoon under the tail. The third pontoon was later discarded on production machines, though.

The HD.2 was developed specifically as an interceptor to defend flying boat bases, but soon was used as an escort fighter to protect French reconnaissance flying boats. The United States Navy also bought 10 examples with wheeled undercarriages, designated HD.2C.

Both the French and United States navies used these aircraft in early experiments in launching fighters from warships. The United States Navy replicated the French trials where a HD.1 had been launched from a platform built atop one of the turrets of the battleship Paris

French battleship Paris

Paris was the third ship of the s, the first dreadnoughts built for the French Navy. She was completed before World War I as part of the 1911 naval building programme. She spent the war in the Mediterranean, spending most of 1914 providing gunfire support for the Montenegrin Army until her sister...

 and built a similar platform on the USS Mississippi

USS Mississippi (BB-23)

USS Mississippi , the lead ship of her class of battleships, was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the U.S. state of Mississippi. After her career in the USN, she was sold to Greece and renamed Kilkis in 1914...

 to launch a HD.2 from. The French Navy converted some of their HD.2s to wheeled configuration and used them for trials on the new aircraft carrier Béarn

French aircraft carrier Béarn

Béarn was a unique aircraft carrier which served with the Marine nationale in World War II and beyond.Béarn was commissioned in 1927 and was the only aircraft carrier produced by France until after World War II. She was to be an experimental ship and should have been replaced in the 1930s by two...

.

A final experiment in launching a HD.2 from a ship was carried out in 1924 with two new-built examples designated H.29. An unorthodox launching system was developed where the aircraft were equipped with three small pulley-wheels, one on each tip of the upper wing, and one at the tip of the tail fin. These ran along metal rails that had been attached to project horizontally from the mast of the battleship Lorraine

French battleship Lorraine

The Lorraine was a French Navy battleship of the Bretagne class named in honour of the region of Lorraine in France.- Construction :...

. This did not work as hoped, succeeding only in depositing the aircraft into the water below. Further trials were discontinued.

HD.2

• HD.2 - floatplane fighter with Clerget 9B engine
  • HD.2C - HD.2 with wheeled undercarriage (10 built for USN, plus 2 converted from HD.2 by French Navy)

H.29

• H.29 - HD.2 with Hispano-Suiza 8Ab engine and pulley wheels for launch from warship (2 built)

HD.12

• HD.12 - Single-seat fight prototype. The aircraft was fitted with wheeled landing gear, powered by a 170-hp (127-kW) Le Rhone rotary piston engine. Only one HD.12 was ever built.

HD.27

• HD.27 - Powered by a 180-hp (134-kW) Hispano-Suzia 8Ac engine. Only one was ever built.

Specifications (HD.2)