Caudron R-11
| Caudron R-11 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Bomber , scout |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1917 |
| Commissioning: |
February 1918 |
| Production time: |
1917/18 |
| Number of pieces: |
370 |
The Caudron R-11 was a French reconnaissance biplane developed by the Société des avions Caudron during the First World War .
history
The Caudron R-11 was developed by the designer Delville of the Caudron company in Issy-les-Moulineaux as a 3-seater bomber in order to replace the Caudron R-4 with a more powerful aircraft type.
development
The development path from the Caudron R-4 to the R-11 led René Caudron and his engineer Delville through various intermediate stages, such as the Caudron R-5 and the Caudron R-10 . The R-11 followed the three-seater concept with an even more aerodynamically improved, rounded fuselage, only two-legged wings, and extended engine pods for the more powerful engines, but was significantly smaller in size and dispensed with the nose wheel. As with the R-4, the cockpits were arranged one behind the other, in the middle the pilot, in front the observer, behind the gunner, both equipped with 2 Lewis machine guns. First 180 hp, later 220 hp Hispano-Suiza engines were installed.
Series production began in 1917, but delivery to the Aéronautique Militaire did not begin until 1918.
variants
In 1918, the development of more powerful Caudron R-12 with 300 hp Hispano-Suiza-8Fb engines began. As an attack aircraft, this variant was slightly smaller than the R-11. The tests began in June 1918 and dragged on until 1919; so there was no series production. From August 1918 work was already underway on the next version, the Caudron R-14 , with larger wings. This too came too late for the war effort.
commitment
Only in February 1918 could the first squadron, the Escadrille R.26, be equipped with R-11. The R-11 was originally intended as a night bomber with the additional designation Bn.3, but this did not prove itself due to the insufficient bomb load. The aircraft was used as the R-11A.3 as escort for the French bomber groups, which were mainly equipped with Breguet 14s . Eight Escadrilles of the French air force used the R-11 as " flying gunboats ", including the R.46, R.239, R.240, R.241, R.242 and R.246 squadrons. The aircraft remained in service until 1922.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 3 |
| length | 11.22 m |
| span | 17.92 m |
| height | 2.80 m |
| Wing area | 54.25 m² |
| payload | 620 kg |
| Empty mass | 1422 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 2167 kg |
| Top speed | 183 km / h near the ground |
| Climbing time to 2000 m | 8:10 min |
| Service ceiling | 5950 m |
| Range | 600 km |
| Flight duration | 3 h |
| Engines | two Hispano-Suiza 8Ba with 220 HP (160 kW) takeoff power |
| Armament | 5 MG 7.7 mm (Lewis), two each in front and two in the rear, one firing diagonally downwards, 120 kg bombs |
See also
literature
- Angelucci, Enzo; Matricardi, Paolo: Airplanes from the beginnings to the 1st World War , Falken-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9 , p. 161.
- Kens, Karlheinz; Müller, Hanns: The aircraft of the First World War 1914-1918 , Heyne-Verlag, Munich 1966, ISBN 3-453-00404-3 .
- Munson, Kenneth: Bomber 1914-19 , Zurich 1968.
- Nowarra, Heinz: The development of the aircraft 1914-18 , Munich 1959.
- Sharpe, Michael: Doppeldecker, Dreifachdecker & Wasserflugzeuge , Gondrom-Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1872-7 , p. 114.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ of 1000 aircraft ordered, only 370 had been delivered by the end of the war; see. Caudron R.11 on militaryfactory.com
- ^ Nowarra, Heinz: The development of the aircraft 1914-18 , Munich 1959, p. 74.
- ^ A b Munson, Kenneth: Bomber 1914-19 , Zurich 1968.
- ↑ Caudron R.11 on militaryfactory.com
- ^ Sharpe, Michael: Doppeldecker, Dreifachdecker & Wasserflugzeuge , Gondrom-Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1872-7 , p. 114
- ↑ Kens, Karlheinz; Müller, Hanns: The aircraft of the First World War 1914-1918 , Heyne-Verlag, Munich 1966, ISBN 3-453-00404-3 .