NIVO

NIVO

NIVO

Type of aircraft finish

NIVO, abbreviated from Night Invisible Varnish Orfordness (or "Night Varnish Orfordness"),[2] was a dark grey-green overall finish applied to British night bomber aircraft in the inter-war period (1918-1939).

NIVO-finished Vickers Vimy serial F8614 at the RAF Museum London

Quick Facts Colour coordinates, Hex triplet ...

Developed in 1918 by the experimental station at Orford Ness, as a low-visibility colouring for the Royal Air Force it had a sheen to match that of open water on a moonlit night.[3]

It was applied to aircraft from 1918 and was used on the Vickers Virginia, Handley Page Hyderabad, Handley Page Hinaidi, Handley Page Heyfords and Fairey Hendon bombers.

By the mid-1930s, tests had determined that the varnish was too reflective when searchlights were shone on it.[3] NIVO was phased out in the late 1930s, and had been discontinued by the time of the arrival of the new British medium bombers - the Vickers Wellington, Handley Page Hampden and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley.

NIVO is covered by Federal Standard 595 colour FS:34096[4][5]

References

  1. [1]
    "Federal Standard 595 Color FS 34096". colorserver.net. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  2. [2]
    Kinsey, Gordon (1 March 1992). Boulton & Paul Aircraft. Terence Dalton Limited. p. 172. ISBN 978-0861380855.
  3. [3]
    Richardson, Doug (11 October 2001). Stealth Warplanes: Deception, Evasion, and Concealment in the Air. Zenith Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0-7603-1051-3.
  4. [4]
    Urban Fredriksson & Martin Waligorski (September 2006). "Urban's Colour Reference Charts". IPMSStockholm.org. IPMS Stockholm. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  5. [5]
    "British Military Colours 1940 to date". vicflintham.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
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