Hansa-Brandenburg W.18
The Hansa-Brandenburg W.18 was a single-seat German fighter flying boat of World War I. It was used by both the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) and the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
| W.18 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Umberto Calvello with personnel of 261st Squadron next to the wreckage of A91 shot down and captured on 4 May 1918 | |
| Role | Fighter flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Hansa und Brandenburgische Flugzeug-Werke |
| First flight | 1917 |
| Primary users | Austro-Hungarian Navy Kaiserliche Marine |
| Produced | 49 |
| Developed from | Hansa-Brandenburg CC |
Development and design
The Hansa-Brandenburg W.18 during 1916 for use by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. It was a single engined, single seater flying boat, with a Hiero 6 pusher engine mounted between the wings. It had single-bay wings, with the unusual "Star-Strutter" arrangement of bracing struts (where four Vee struts joined in the center of the wing bay to result in a "star" arrangement) shared with the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I, Hansa-Brandenburg CC, and Hansa-Brandenburg KDW.
Operational history
Austro-Hungary received 47 Hansa Brandenburg W.18 aircraft, from September 1917 to May 1918, using them to provide air-defence for ports and naval bases along the Adriatic sea coast. One Benz-engine example was delivered to the Imperial German Navy.
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Specifications (W.18 - Benz engine)
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.15 m (26 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 10.70 m (35 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 34.38 m2 (370.1 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 875 kg (1,929 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,145 kg (2,524 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.III 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine, 110 kW (150 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 160 km/h (99 mph, 86 kn)
- Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 5 minutes; 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 23 minutes
Armament
- Guns: 1 or 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 Spandau machine guns
References
- Gray, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. p. 294. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
Bibliography
- Herris, Jack (2012). German Seaplane Fighters of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Seaplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 2. Charleston (S.C.): Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-09-4.
- Owers, Colin A. (2015). Hansa-Brandenburg Aircraft of WWI: Volume 2–Biplane Seaplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 18. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-32-2.
External links
