The Nieuport & General Aircraft Company Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer, established during the First World War to build French Nieuport

Nieuport

Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...

 aircraft under license, which closed down in 1920.

History

In November 1916, Samuel Waring, the owner of the furniture manufacturer Waring & Gillow, established the Nieuport & General Aircraft Company at Cricklewood

Cricklewood

Cricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...

, London to build the French Nieuport 11

Nieuport 11

|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzio, ed. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. New York: The Military Press, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41021-4....

 fighter under license. It built 50 Nieuport 17

Nieuport 17

|-Specifications :-See also:-Bibliography:* Bruce, Jack. "Those Classic Nieuports". Air Enthusiast Quarterly. Number Two, 1976. Bromley, UK:Pilot Press. pp. 137–153....

bis fighters before production changed to the more capable Sopwith Camel

Sopwith Camel

The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...

, building 400 Camels, with 100 Sopwith Snipe

Sopwith Snipe

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force . 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...

s being delivered postwar.

In 1917, an official Inquiry (the Burbidge Report) into the activities of the Royal Aircraft Factory lead to design and construction of aircraft at Farnborough being stopped, and the Factory's design teams being broken up. Nieuport & General took advantage of this situation to hire Henry Folland

Henry Folland

Henry Philip Folland was an English aviation engineer and aircraft designer.-Life:Folland was born to Frederick and Mary Folland at 2 King Street, Holy Trinity, Cambridge. His father was listed as a Stonemason....

, the designer of the S.E.5

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5

The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly the geared-output H-S...

 fighter, as chief designer. Folland designed a number of aircraft, with the Nieuport Nighthawk

Nieuport Nighthawk

The Nieuport Nighthawk was a British fighter aircraft developed by the Nieuport & General Aircraft company for the Royal Air Force towards the end of the First World War. Although ordered into production before the aircraft first flew, it did not enter large scale service with the RAF owing to...

 fighter being ordered into production in August 1918, but the failure of the engine chosen to power it together with the end of the First World War, lead to production being ended and the Nighthawk not entering service.

Nieuport & General was closed down in August 1920, together with the other aircraft companies owned by Waring, British Aerial Transport

British Aerial Transport

British Aerial Transport Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1917 to its closure in 1919. The company was based at Willesden, London.-History:...

 (BAT) and the Alliance Aeroplane Company. Folland was hired by the Gloster Aircraft Company

Gloster Aircraft Company

The Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited, known locally as GAC, was a British aircraft manufacturer. The company produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force : the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor and Javelin. It also produced the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon for the parent company...

, continuing development of the Nighthawk.