At the end of 1917, a derivative of the HD.1 intended for use by France's Aviation maritime as a single-seat fighter floatplane was tested as the HD.2. Possessing an airframe essentially similar to that of the HD.1, the HD.2 was powered by a 130hp Clerget 9B rotary engine and carried an armament of twin synchronised Vickers machine guns. Two prototypes were tested with float undercarriages of differing lengths, and several HD.2s with wheel undercarriages were delivered to the Aviation maritime at Dunkirk for trials purposes. These included operations from a 12m platform mounted above a turret of the battleship Paris in the harbour at Toulon. Later, in August and September 1918, similar trials were conducted at Saint-Raphael with one of the HD.2 prototypes converted to landplane form and re-engined with a 120hp Le Rhone. Ten HD.2 float fighters were purchased on behalf of the US Navy, these subsequently being converted to landplanes by the Naval Aircraft Factory. They were used for training at Langley Field and one was employed in August 1919 for trials from a platform mounted on the battleship USS Mississippi.

3-View

A three-view drawing (800 x 584)