Daimler CL.I

The Daimler CL.I was a prototype two-seat fighter built in Germany during World War I.

Daimler CL.I
Role	Fighter
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Daimler
Designer	Hanns Klemm
First flight	1917
Number built	1

Design and development

The CL.I was built by the Daimler Motorengesellschaft Werke with the internal designation L8. It first flew in 1917 but did not enter production, although in 1919, it was marketed for export to the Chilean Air Force.

Specifications

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 7.45 m (24 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 11.82 m (38 ft 9 in)
• Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 31.5 m² (339 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 820 kg (1,808 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,230 kg (2,712 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Daimler D.IIIb V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 138 kW (185 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn)
• Cruise speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)
• Endurance: 4 hours

Armament

• Guns: 1 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine gun, with one7.92 mm (0.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun on a flexible mount in the rear caockpit

Further reading

• Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen (1987) [1970]. German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.
• Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon (2001) [1994]. The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Built and Flown (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-84065-269-1.
• Herris, Jack (2020). German Aircraft of Minor Manufacturers in WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Gret War Aviation Centennial Series (49). Vol. 1: Alter to Korn. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-85-8.