| D.I | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Single-seat biplane fighter |
| Manufacturer | Siemens-Schuckert Werke |
| First flight | 1916 |
| Introduction | 1917 |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | 95 |
| Developed from | Nieuport 17 |
The Siemens-Schuckert D.I was a single-seat fighter built by Siemens-Schuckert Werke in 1916. It was a German copy of the French Nieuport 17 that was obsolete by the time it was available in numbers, so that it served mainly as an advanced trainer.
Design and development[]
The French Nieuport 17 fighter, which reached the front in March 1916, established such ascendency over existing German fighters that captured examples were supplied to several German aircraft manufacturers with a request to "study" the type.[1] The Siemens-Schuckert Werke produced the D.I, based very closely on the Nieuport. The most important difference from the Nieuport 17 was the powerplant - instead of the Le Rhone 9J of the Nieuport (licenced and un-licenced versions of which were actually available in Germany at the time), Siemens-Schukert chose to use their own 110 hp (82 kW) Siemens-Halske Sh.I rotary engine - in which the cylinders and the propeller rotated at 900 rpm in opposite directions: producing an effective 1800 rpm. Visually, the effect of this was that in place of the Nieuport 17's circular, fully "closed" cowling the D.I had a small, close fitting, semi-circular cowling with an open bottom, to allow adequate cooling for the slow revving Siemens-Halske. This gives some photographs of the type the appearance of the earlier Nieuport 11.
The wing area (14.4m²) was a little less than the famous 15m² of the Nieuport - the gap between the wings was reduced slightly, and the interplane struts were of steel tube, with broad wooden fairings, in place of the well-known tape bound struts of the original.
Production history[]
An order for 150 aircraft for the Luftstreitkräfte was placed on 25 November 1916,[1] but initial deliveries were slow, due to production difficulties with the complicated geared engines,[2] so that the type was not available for service until well into 1917, by which time many Jagdstaffeln were already equipped with the very much superior Albatros D.III. A backup order for a further 100 machines, placed on 21 March 1917, was cancelled, and only 95 were produced in total.[1]
Late production models were fitted with modified tailskids, and had large pointed spinners on their propellers.
Operational History[]
The S.S.W. D.I was obsolete before it was available in numbers, so that most of the examples produced were sent to the fighter training schools, although a few Jastas received one or two examples during 1917.[1]
The type is poorly documented - in particular no reliable details are available for its performance: the published figures are essentially those of the Nieuport 11, whereas such a close copy of the 17, with a powerplant of similar output, might have been expected to have a performance roughly equivalent to that of the original from which it was derived.
Variants[]
A single D.Ia was produced with a greater wing area - two examples of the D.Ib had a higher compression version of the Siemens-Halske Sh.I. Neither was ordered into production. Development continued through a series of D.II prototypes to the Siemens-Schuckert D.III.
Operators[]
German Empire
Specifications(D.I)[]
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), German Aircraft of the First World War [1][3]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 6.0 m (19 ft 8¼ in)
- Wingspan: 7.50 m (24 ft 7⅜ in)
- Height: 2.59 m [2] (8 ft 5⅞ in)
- Wing area: 14.4 m² (156 ft²)
- Empty weight: 430 kg (946 lb)
- Loaded weight: 675 kg (1,485 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh.I geared rotary engine, 110 hp (82 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 155 km/h (84 knots, 97 mph)
- Endurance: 2 hr 20 min
- Climb to 4,000 m (13,125 ft): 24 min 18 sec
Armament
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Grey, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1962). German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Green, W; Swanborough, G (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. Smithmark. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
- ↑ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Bibliography[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Siemens-Schuckert aircraft. |
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
- German Aircraft of the First World War (rev.edition). London: P:utnam & Company. 1970.
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The original article can be found at Siemens-Schuckert D.I and the edit history here.