Dewoitine D.500 · D.501 — Devis de Poids & Notice Technique

Avion de Chasse Type D 500 / D 500-510 — Primary-Source Archival Edition

France's first all-metal, low-wing monoplane interceptor, the Dewoitine D.500 and D.501 represented a decisive break from the fabric-covered biplanes of the Great War era. Designed by Émile Dewoitine to meet the 1930 "C1" fighter specification, these aircraft served as the Armée de l'Air's primary interceptors through the mid-1930s and directly paved the engineering path to the legendary D.520. This archival edition presents the original factory Devis de Poids weight budget sheets, the Notice Technique structural description for the Avion Dewoitine Type D 500 / D 500-510, and three primary-source engine manuals for the Hispano-Suiza 12Y powerplant family.

Document Manifest

Airframe Documentation

• Devis de Poids — Article VI: Aménagements Fixes — Supports des instruments de bord (2.600 kg); Supports des armes et munitions: 1° supports des armes 4.940 kg + 2° boîtes à cartouches complètes 8.210 kg = 13.150 kg; Supports de matériel de sécurité (bouteille d'inhalateur) 0.180 kg; Supports de matériel électrique et canalisations: canalisations 1.600 + prises de courant 0.160 = 1.760 kg; Postes de commandes fixes (commandes des mitrailleuses) 9.035 kg; Sièges fixes — Siège pilote 10.000 kg. Poids total aménagements fixes: 36.725 kg
• Devis de Poids — Article VII: Combustible — Essence: Réservoir N°1 75.000 + N°2 60.000 + N°3 75.000 = 210.000 kg; Huile: 20.000 kg. Poids total du combustible: 230.000 kg
• Devis de Poids — Article VIII: Équipement Général — Instruments de bord et navigation: Compas Vion type 31 (1.950 kg); Porte-cartes Aivaz (0.350 kg); Contrôleur de vol Aéra Baclin (3.865 kg); Clinomètre Aéra type 8 (0.540 kg); Altimètre (0.120 kg); Montre (0.120 kg); Rétroplace (0.250 kg). Poids total équipement général: 7.195 kg
• Devis de Poids — Article IX: Équipement Spécial — Armement: 2× mitrailleuses Vickers 13.400 kg each = 26.800 kg; collimateur OPL clair 2.420 kg; munitions 7.7 mm × 600 cartouches = 19.500 kg. Poids total armement: 48.720 kg. Matériel de sécurité: inhalateur Munerelle 11.140 kg + parachute 12.000 kg = 23.140 kg. Matériel électrique: génératrice MAI 300W 5.500 kg; tableau de contrôle SGE 0.800 kg; accumulateurs 2.500 kg; tableau de chauffage SGE 0.560 kg; rhéostat de collimateur SGE 0.320 kg = 9.680 kg. Radiotélégraphie: poste TSF 30.000 kg. Poids total équipement spécial: 111.540 kg
• Devis de Poids — Article X: Équipage — Pilote: 1 × 80.000 kg. Poids total équipage: 80 kg
• Notice Technique — Description Planeur (D 500-510) — Structural description of the trapezoidal low-wing monoplane cellule with elliptical wingtips. Three-section wing joined by two main axes and bolted corner fittings. Central section carries fuel tanks and wing machine guns. Single-spar duralumin caisson construction with profiled ribs and duralumin skin. Spar placed at 1/3 chord depth, formed of two profiled duralumin flanges and a duralumin sheet web. Includes engineering drawings: Fig. 1 (wing plan section), Fig. 2 (spar profile), Fig. 3 (Attache de Longeron d'Aile — riveted spar attachment plate), Fig. 4 (Détail des Semelles), Fig. 5 (Détail d'un Caisson de Longeron). Bord d'attaque: leading-edge caisson with ribs and skin plates (Fig. 6 onwards).

Engine Documentation — Hispano-Suiza 12Y Series

• Notice Technique des Moteurs 12 Y — Société Française Hispano-Suiza, factory edition. Primary-source engine technical manual issued directly by the manufacturer covering the 12Y powerplant family as fitted to the D.500, D.501, D.510, and D.520 series.
• Installation sur Avion du Moteur Hispano-Suiza Type 12 Y — Engine installation guide covering airframe integration requirements: berceau-moteur rigidity, carter table fixation, capotage ventilation, cooling system layout (radiateur under-fuselage bath), oil reservoir positioning, essence circuit siphon avoidance, compresseur air intake placement, and hélice ground clearance calculations. Includes 8 numbered installation directives and aircraft photograph showing engine cowling installation.
• Notice Technique des Moteurs Hispano Suiza Type 12 Y-31 — Ministère de l'Air / Armée de l'Air, Notice N° 110, January 1940. Official military edition of the 12Y-31 engine technical manual, issued under Armée de l'Air authority for operational maintenance reference.

Core Variant Differences

The D.500 and D.501 shared an identical airframe but differed in engine and armament configuration:

• D.500 — Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs, 690 hp. Armament: 2× nose-mounted 7.5 mm MAC machine guns (synchronised through propeller arc) + 2× wing-mounted 7.5 mm machine guns
• D.501 — Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs. Armament: 1× 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon firing through the hollow propeller hub (moteur-canon) + 2× wing-mounted 7.5 mm machine guns

Technical Specifications (D.501)

Operational History & Export

Designed to replace the Nieuport 62 biplane, the D.500/501 entered Armée de l'Air service in 1935 as France's first modern all-metal monoplane fighter. Export customers included the Republic of China (18 aircraft, deployed against Japanese forces), Lithuania (14 aircraft), and Republican Spain. By May 1940, the type was wholly outclassed by the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and relegated to regional defence and advanced pilot training. The D.500/501 lineage evolved directly through the D.510 (860 hp) into the D.520 — France's premier enclosed-cockpit, retractable-gear fighter of the Battle of France.

This is an archival, static-copy edition fixed at its original publication date. Intended for historical reference, flight simulation, museum restoration, and educational use only. Not approved for active airworthiness maintenance under FAA 14 CFR § 43.13, EASA Part-M, or equivalent international regulations. Operators of active aircraft must use current, revision-controlled publications from the Type Certificate holder or an authorised distributor.

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