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What did France demand after testing the Hispano-Suiza 8 at Chalais-Meudon?

Short answer

That production of the 8A begin as soon as possible: that was how French officials reacted. The HS-31 had returned to Chalais-Meudon on 21 July 1915 and passed a 50-hour test there against all expectations. The series reached 49,893 units during the war.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What did France demand after testing the Hispano-Suiza 8 at Chalais-Meudon?
Hispano Suiza (Wright Martin E), V-8 Engine

From a car V8 to an aero engine

Chief engineer Marc Birkigt led the work on an aero engine based on his successful car V8. By February 1915, that development had produced an overhead-camshaft engine of 150 kg (330 lb), capable of delivering 100 kW (140 hp) at 1,400 rpm.

Fifty hours of testing at Chalais-Meudon

The HS-31 was sent back to Chalais-Meudon on 21 July 1915 and underwent a 50-hour test there that exceeded all expectations. French officials ordered that production of the 8A begin as soon as possible. The first British orders for Hispano-Suiza 8 engines were placed in August 1915, shortly before the first order from the French Government.

The most-produced series of the war

The Hispano-Suiza 8 was the most-produced aero engine series of the First World War, with 49,893 units built during the conflict. The SPAD S.VII fighter, meanwhile, was built in quantities that are not firmly established: figures vary by source between 3,825 and around 5,600 examples in France, 220 in the United Kingdom and around 100 in Russia.

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