Fokker D.II

Fokker D.II

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_D.II

Fokker D.II

Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Fokker-Fluzeugwerke
Designed by	Martin Kreutzer

The Fokker D.II was a German fighter biplane of World War I. It was a single seat fighter aircraft developed before the Fokker D.I. It was based on the M.17 prototype, with single-bay unstaggered wings and a larger fuselage and shorter span than production D.IIs. Using a 75 kW (100 hp) Oberursel U.I, the D.II was underpowered, though the single 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine gun was normal for 1916. The German Army purchased 177.

Operational history

In service, the D.II proved to be little better than the earlier Fokker Eindecker fighters - in particular, it was outclassed by the Nieuport 11 and 17. A few examples were used by the Kampfeinsitzerkommandos and the early Jagdstaffeln alongside the Halberstadt D.II but the early Fokker biplanes were quickly discarded when the new Albatros fighters came out.

Specifications (D.II)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 6.40 m (21 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 8.75 m (28 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 18.0 m² (194 ft²)
Empty weight: 384 kg (847 lb)
Gross weight: 575 kg (1,268 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Oberursel U.I rotary, 75 kW (100 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph)
Range: 200 km (124 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,125 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.2 m/s (820 ft/min)

Armament

1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine gun

Operational history

Specifications (D.II)

See also