Editing Sopwith Camel (section)

{{Short description|British WW1 biplane fighter aircraft}}
{{About|the fighter aircraft|the 1960s psychedelic rock band|Sopwith Camel (band)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name = Camel
  |image = File:Sopwith Camel - Season Premiere Airshow 2018 (cropped).jpg
  |image_caption =Sopwith Camel
  |aircraft_type = [[Biplane]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]]
  |manufacturer = [[Sopwith Aviation Company]]
  |designer =[[Herbert Smith (aircraft designer)|Herbert Smith]]<ref>Mason 1992, p. 89.</ref>
  |first_flight = 22 December 1916
  |introduction = June 1917
  |retired =January 1920
  |status =
  |primary_user = [[Royal Flying Corps]]
  |more_users = [[Royal Naval Air Service]] <br> [[Royal Air Force]]
  |produced = <!--years in production, e.g. 1970-1999, if still in active use but no longer built-->
  |number_built = 5,490
  |unit cost =
  |variants =
  |developed_from = [[Sopwith Pup]]
}}

The '''Sopwith Camel''' is a British [[World War I|First World War]] single-seat [[biplane]] [[fighter aircraft]] that was introduced on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in 1917. It was developed by the [[Sopwith Aviation Company]] as a successor to the [[Sopwith Pup]] and became one of the best-known fighter aircraft of the Great War. Pilots flying Camels were credited with downing 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the conflict. Towards the end of the war, Camels lost their edge as fighters and were also used as a [[attack aircraft|ground-attack aircraft]].

The Camel was powered by a single [[rotary engine]] and was armed with twin [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] {{cvt|0.303|in|2}} [[Vickers machine guns]]. It was difficult to fly, with 90% of its weight in the front two metres (seven feet) of the aircraft, but it was highly manoeuvrable in the hands of an experienced pilot, a vital attribute in the relatively low-speed, low-altitude [[Dogfight#World War I|dogfights]] of the era. Its pilots joked that their fates would involve "a [[gravestone|wooden cross]], the [[Red Cross]], or a [[Victoria Cross]]".

The main variant of the Camel was designated as the '''F.1'''. Other variants included the '''2F.1 Ship's Camel''', which operated from [[aircraft carriers]]; the '''Comic''' [[night fighter]] variant; and the '''T.F.1''', a "[[attack aircraft|trench fighter]]" armoured for attacks on heavily defended ground targets. A two-seat variant served as a [[Trainer aircraft|trainer]]. The last Camels were withdrawn from RAF service in January 1920.