Hansa-Brandenburg C.I
| Hansa-Brandenburg C.I | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Hansa-Brandenburg |
| Designer | Ernst Heinkel |
| Introduction | 1916 |
| Primary users | Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops Polish Air Force |
| Number built | 1318 |
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| |
The Hansa-Brandenburg C.I, also known as Type LDD, was a 2-seater armed single-engine reconnaissance biplane designed by Ernst Heinkel, who worked at that time for the parent company in Germany. The C.I had similarities with the earlier B.I (Type FD, also designed by Heinkel), including inward-sloping interplane bracing struts. Like other early-war Austro-Hungarian reconnaissance aircraft, such as C-types of Lloyd or Lohner, the Type LDD had a communal cockpit for its crew.
The C.I served in the Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops in visual- and photographic reconnaissance, artillery observation and light bombing duties from early spring 1916 to the end of World War I. The aircraft had good handling characteristics, and steady introduction of more powerful engines in successive production batches (see below) enabled the improvement of performance and thus the continuing front-line service.
Armament of the type consisted of a free-firing 8 mm (.315 in) Schwarzlose machine gun at the rear for the observer, and at least in some aircraft for the pilot there was also a similar fixed, non-synchronised forward-firing gun in a pod above the top wing. This latter weapon was replaced in later production examples by a synchronised 8 mm (.315 in) Schwarzlose gun on the port side of the fuselage. The normal bomb load for the C.I was 60 kg (130 lb), but some aircraft could carry one 80 kg (180 lb) and two 10 kg (20 lb) bombs.
Production
In addition to 84 aircraft built by Hansa-Brandenburg, Phönix Flugzeugwerke (400 aircraft produced) and Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik A.G. (834 aircraft produced) also made the type under licence in following batches:
- Phönix
- Series 23 and 26 with 120 kW (160 hp) Austro-Daimlers
- Series 27 with 140 kW (185 hp) Austro-Daimlers
- Series 29 with 160 kW (210 hp) Austro-Daimlers
- Series 29.5, 129, 229 and 329 with 150 kW (200 hp) Hieros
- Series 429 with 170 kW (230 hp) Hieros
- Ufag
- Series 61, 64, 67 and 68 with 120 kW (160 hp) Austro-Daimlers
- Series 63 with 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.IIIs
- Series 269 with 150 kW (200 hp) Austro-Daimlers
- Series 69 with 150 kW (200 hp) Hieros
- Series 169 with 160 kW (220 hp) Benz Bz.IVas
- Series 369 with 170 kW (230 hp) Hieros
- Aero (Czechoslovakia) post-war
Aero A-14, Aero A-15 and Aero A-26 with engine 138 kW (185 hp) BMW IIIa built by Walter Engines
Operators
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- Polish Air Force (post-war)
Czechoslovakia Air Force (post-war)
Specifications (Hansa-Brandenburg C.I Series 23)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2, pilot and observer
- Length: 8.20 m (26 ft 10¾ in)
- Wingspan: 13.12 m (43 ft 0⅜ in)
- Height: m (ft in)
- Wing area: 43.46 m² (468 ft)
- Loaded weight: 1,060 kg (2,332 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Austro-Daimler water-cooled in-line, 120 kW (160 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 125 km/h at sea level (68 kn, 78 mph)
- Service ceiling: 5,800 m (19,000 ft)
- Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
- Endurance:~ 3 hours
Armament
- 1 or 2 × 8 mm (.315 in) Schwarzlose machine gun(s)
- Up to 100 kg (220 lb) of bombs
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Albatros C.I - Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 - Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
References
- Munson, Kenneth - Bombers, Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft 1914 - 1919 ISBN 0 7537 0918 X