Sopwith Pup

British aircraft

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July 14, 2026

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The Sopwith Pup was a British military aircraft produced by the Sopwith Aviation Company during World War I. It was notable for its early use in carrier-based aviation, with the first landplanes, including the Sopwith Pup, being flown off primitive carriers in 1916. Pilots even managed to land a Pup on a moving carrier deck in 1917, marking a significant step in the development of the aircraft carrier. The Sopwith Aviation Company, founded by Sir Thomas Sopwith, was renowned for several World War I aircraft, including the Pup, Camel, and Triplane.12

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military aircraft
Naval aviation
…1916 the first landplanes (British Sopwith Pups) were flown off the 200-foot (60-metre) decks of primitive carriers that had been converted from merchant ships, and on August 2, 1917, a pilot landed a Pup on the takeoff deck of HMS Furious while the ship was under way. The concept of…
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…1916 the first landplanes (British Sopwith Pups) were flown off the 200-foot (60-metre) decks of primitive carriers that had been converted from merchant ships, and on August 2, 1917, a pilot landed a Pup on the takeoff deck of HMS Furious while the ship was under way. The concept of…
Read More