Airplanes, previously viewed as "toys", gained new meaning during WWI. A battle was found to be more effective with a reconnaissance mission carried out by a scout plane, though due to the weight that the early airplanes could handle, bombs were not much of an option until planes that could handle larger loads were built. One of the first true armed aircraft, meant for aerial combat was built by the Germans, the Fokker E-1. It was the first plane to mount the machine gun on the front of the aircraft, positioned behind the propeller. It synchronized the firing of the gun with the rotation of the propeller.
The Fokker E-1 was designed to roll using wing warping via acables attached to the wing. The plane was built of welded steel tubes, covered in fabric. It had a single machine gun, a 7.92 mm Parabellum LMG 14 or Spandau LMG 08 machine gun, affixed to the front of the aircraft, behind the propeller. It was employed to the Fliegertruppe of the German Army.
The Fokker E-1 was an important stepping stone in the development of fighters. More advanced fighters were developed and used by many countries during WWI.
Specifications (from Wikipedia)
Fokker E-1
Crew: one, pilot
Length: 7.22 m (23 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 8.85 m (29 ft 0 in)
Height: 2.9 m (9 ft 5½ in)
Wing area: 15.9 m² (172.2 ft²)
Empty weight: 360 kg (789 lb)
Loaded weight: 563 kg (1,241 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Oberursel U.0 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine (clone of Gnôme Lambda engine) using various makes of 2-blade propellers, from 2.3 to 2.5 meters (7.55 to 8.20 ft) diameter, 80 hp (60 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph)
Range: 198 km at 110 km/h (123 mi at 68 mph)
Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,840 ft)
Rate of climb: 20 min to 2,000 m (6,560 ft)
Armament
- 1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) Spandau lMG 08 machine gun (one Parabellum MG14 M/G on prototypes
Sincerely, Space Cadet
No comments:
Post a Comment