The Halberstadt D.I was a prototype fighter aircraft built in Germany in 1916 as a scaled down version of the firm's earlier B.II two seater. It was a conventional, two-bay biplane with staggered wings of nearly equal span and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The engine was the same Mercedes D.I that was fitted to the B.II, and a single machine gun was fitted. Two prototypes were evaluated by the Idflieg, their performance being found inadequate. The modifications required to bring the aircraft up to an acceptable standard would result in the Halberstadt D.II later the same year.
| Halberstadt D.I | |
|---|---|
| |
| Second prototype Halberstadt D.I with nose radiator | |
| Role | Fighter prototype |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke |
| First flight | Late Autumn 1915 |
| Number built | 2 |
Specifications
editGeneral characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Wingspan: 8.80 m (28 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 23.6 m2 (254 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 550 kg (1,210 lb)
- Gross weight: 740 kg (1,630 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.I , 75 kW (100 hp)
Armament
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 08 machine gun
References
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halberstadt D.I.
- Grosz, Peter M. (1996). Halberstadt Fighters-Classics of World War I Aviation. Albatros Publications.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 458.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 896 Sheet 03.
- Grey & Thetford (1962–70). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). Putnam & Company.