Page 304 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

302 RECONNAISSANCE AND

1914–1945 FIGHTER AIRCRAFT Upper wings

with short
Initially, military aircraft were employed to observe the
ailerons
battlefield, but there was soon an imperative to control the
ARS airspace over it. The first aerial “dogfights” involved pistols
and rifles, and were inconclusive. Machine-guns, which could
be fired in bursts while the pilot corrected his aim, were the
answer. However, it was not until a method was developed of
ORLD W allowing such weapons to follow the pilot’s natural sightline, nosing-over on landing ▲ AVRO 504K
Skid prevented aircraft
and fire through the propeller’s arc, that the fighter aircraft
really came into its own. The first such attempts saw propeller
Date 1917 Origin UK
blades fitted with strips of steel to deflect bullets, but soon
Wingspan 36ft (10.97m)
THE W thereafter “interrupter” mechanisms were developed, which shut Length 29 ⁄2ft (8.97m)
1
off the gun while the blade passed through the line of fire.
Top speed 90mph (145kph)
Engine 110hp (82kW)
Le Rhône 9Ja single-bank
▶ S.E.5A
Date 1917 Origin UK 9-cylinder rotary
Early versions of the Avro 504
1
Wingspan 26 ⁄2ft (8.11m) .303in (7.7mm) Lewis MG served as reconnaissance and
Length 21ft (6.38m) combat aircraft, but the two-seater
504K came into its own as a
Top speed 140mph (225kph)
trainer. Over 10,000 were built
Engine 200hp (149.13kW) over a period of almost 20 years.
Hispano-Suiza 8b or Wolseley
W4a “Viper” in-line V-8
The S.E.5a was an upgraded “Fat” cantilevered wing
version of what was already an section gave improved lift
extremely powerful aircraft. It
was superior to the contemporary
Fokker D.VII in terms of stability Tail skid .31in (7.92mm) LMG
and speed, and had much better 08/15 or LMG Radial engine had
high-altitude performance. Wing braced by 14 fires between “horseshoe” semi-cowl
cables anchored on propeller blades
a central mast ◀ FOKKER EII
Two .31in (7.92mm)
Date 1915 Origin Germany
LMG 08/15 machine-guns
Wingspan 26¼ft (8m)
Length 24ft (7.3m)
Top speed 93mph (150kph)
Engine 100hp (74.5kW)
Oberursel U.19 single-bank
9-cylinder rotary
Dutchman Anton Fokker’s
Box section monoplane was an improved
fuselage copy of the Morane-Saulnier.
Tail plane has Its short-lived success was
no fixed fin due solely to it being the
first aircraft fitted with
synchronizing interrupter
gear for its gun.
6-cylinder in-line
engine protrudes
from faired-in nose ▼ ALBATROS D.V With a semi-monocoque plywood-
Date 1917 Origin Germany skinned fuselage, the Albatros
Two .31in (7.92mm) Wingspan 29 ⁄2ft (9m) Type D was notably stiffer than
1
LMG 08/15s frame-and-fabric designs, but the
Length 24ft (7.33m) D.V failed to correct a basic defect
Top speed 110mph (175kph) in the design of its lower wing,
and was unpopular with pilots. Automobile-type
Engine 200hp (149.13kW) cooling radiator
Daimler-Benz D.III in-line
6-cylinder
Laminated
wooden propeller

Poorly braced
lower wing