Hansa-Brandenburg C.I
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 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 Schwarzlose gun on the port side of the fuselage. The normal bomb load for the C.I was 60 kg, but some aircraft could carry one 80 kg and two 10 kg 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 160 hp Austro-Daimlers
- Series 27 with 185 hp Austro-Daimlers
- Series 29 with 210 hp Austro-Daimlers
- Series 29.5, 129, 229 and 329 with 200 hp Hieros
- Series 429 with 230 hp Hieros
- Ufag
- Series 61, 64, 67 and 68 with 160 hp Austro-Daimlers
- Series 63 with 160 hp Mercedes D.IIIs
- Series 269 with 200 hp Austro-Daimlers
- Series 69 with 200 hp Hieros
- Series 169 with 220 hp Benz Bz.IVas
- Series 369 with 230 hp Hieros
Operators
- Polish Air Force (post-war)
Czechoslovakia Air Force (post-war)
Specifications (Hansa-Brandenburg C.I Series 23)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2, pilot and observer
Performance
- Endurance:~ 3 hours
Armament
- 1 or 2 × 8 mm Schwarzlose machine gun(s)
- Up to 100 kg of bombs
References
- Munson, Kenneth - Bombers, Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft 1914 - 1919 ISBN 0 7537 0918 X
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Albatros C.I - Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 - Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8