How many Spanish D.H.9s remained in 1936?

Short answer

Twenty-five: that was the number of DH.9s still in service when the Civil War broke out, used mainly for conversion training. Hispano-Suiza had built more than 500 examples under licence in Guadalajara since 1925. The South African Air Force, for its part, received 48.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many Spanish D.H.9s remained in 1936?

Airco de Havilland DH 9 dwg

A Spanish licence

Hispano-Suiza built more than 500 DH.9s under licence in Guadalajara from 1925. Hundreds of aircraft of the type carried the 220 kW (300 hp) Hispano-Suiza engine, and some remained in service as late as 1940.

Twenty-five when war broke out

At the start of the Civil War, 25 aircraft remained in service, used mainly for conversion training.

Other operators of the type

The South African Air Force received a total of 48 DH.9s and used them intensively, including against the 1922 Rand Revolt. The DH.9A version, colloquially known as the "Ninak" — from the phonetic-alphabet rendering of the designation "nine-A" — served in large numbers with the RAF after the end of the war, both in the United Kingdom and overseas, where it was used for colonial policing duties in the Middle East until its final withdrawal in 1931. It entered service in July 1918 with No. 110 Squadron RAF. Between 1920 and 1931, 24 squadrons were equipped with the type, at home and abroad. Five DH.9A squadrons served in the Middle East.