NIVO facts for kids

NIVO was a special dark grey-green paint used on British night bomber airplanes. Its full name was Night Invisible Varnish Orfordness. This special paint was used between 1918 and 1939, a time known as the inter-war period (meaning the time between World War I and World War II).

A Vickers Vimy airplane painted with NIVO. Its serial number was F8614 and it is now at the RAF Museum London.

What Was NIVO?

NIVO was created in 1918 at an experimental station in Orford Ness, England. Its main goal was to make airplanes harder to see at night. The paint had a special shine that made it look like the surface of open water on a moonlit night. This helped the planes blend in with the dark sky and ground below.

Airplanes That Used NIVO

This unique paint was first used on airplanes starting in 1918. Many British bomber planes from that time were painted with NIVO. Some of these famous aircraft included the Vickers Virginia, Handley Page Hyderabad, Handley Page Hinaidi, Handley Page Heyfords, and Fairey Hendon bombers.

Why NIVO Was Replaced

By the mid-1930s, new tests showed a problem with NIVO. When powerful searchlights shone on the planes, the varnish was too shiny. This made the aircraft easier to spot, which was the opposite of what the paint was designed for!

Because of this, NIVO was slowly stopped being used in the late 1930s. It was no longer in use when newer British medium bombers, like the Vickers Wellington, Handley Page Hampden, and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, arrived.