Albatros D.V

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Albatros D.V
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Albatros-Flugzeugwerke
Designed by	Robert Thelen
Maiden flight	May 1917
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	approximately 2500

The Albatros D.V was a fighter aircraft used in large numbers by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during the First World War.

Contents 1 Development 2 Operational use 3 Modifications 4 Operators 5 Specifications 5.1 General Characteristics 5.2 Performance 5.3 Armament 6 References 7 Related content

[edit] Development

In April 1917, Albatros received an order from the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen) for an improved version of the D.III.

The resulting D.V featured a new fuselage of elliptical cross-section, which was 70 lbs (32 kg) lighter than that of the D.III. The prototype D.V retained the standard tail surfaces of the D.III, but production examples used the enlarged rudder of the Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW) D.III, as well as a revised ventral fin. The upper wing was repositioned 4.75 inches closer to the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without a fairing. The wings themselves were similar to those of the standard D.III, except for a revised linkage of the aileron cables. Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest, which was typically removed by pilots because it obstructed the field of view. Aircraft deployed in Palestine used two wing radiators to cope with the warmer climate.

[edit] Operational use

The D.V entered service in May 1917 and, like the preceding D.III, immediately began experiencing structural failures of the lower wing. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that the D.V was even more prone to wing failures than the D.III. Furthermore, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance. This caused considerable dismay among frontline pilots. Manfred von Richthofen was particularly critical of the new aircraft. In a July 1917 letter, he described the D.V as "so obsolete and so ridiculously inferior to the English that one can't do anything with this aircraft." Nevertheless, 400 D.Vs were ordered in May and 300 more in July.

[edit] Modifications

In October 1917, production switched to the D.Va, which reverted to the D.III's aileron cable linkage to provide a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were in fact interchangeable. In an effort to resolve continuing problems with wing flutter, the D.Va also featured a metal sleeve to strengthen the lower main spar, as well as a small brace connecting the interplane struts to the leading edge of the lower wing. These modifications made the D.Va 50 lbs (23 kg) heavier than the D.III, while failing to cure the flutter problem.

The D.V offered a slight performance advantage over the D.III through the use of more powerful engines. Most D.V aircraft were equipped with the 170 hp Mercedes D.IIIa, but late D.V and almost all D.Va aircraft used the high-compression 180 hp Mercedes D.IIIaü.

The D.Va was the final development of the Albatros D.I family, and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service during World War I. Despite its well-known shortcomings and general obsolescence, Albatros and OAW produced approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft. Service numbers peaked in May 1918; 131 D.V aircraft and 928 D.Va were on the Western Front at that time. Numbers declined as production ended and the superlative Fokker D.VII entered service, but the D.Va remained in widespread use until the Armistice.

Today, two D.Va aircraft survive in museums. Serial D.7161/17 is displayed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., and serial D.5390/17 is displayed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.

[edit] Operators

• Germany
•  Poland (post-war)

[edit] Specifications

[edit] General Characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 24 ft 0.6 in (7.33 m)
• Wingspan: 29 ft 8 in (9.04 m)
• Height: 8 ft 10.5 in (2.70m)
• Wing area: 228.50 ft² (21.20 m²)
• Empty: 1,515 lb (687 kg)
• Loaded: 2,066 lb (937 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 x 180 hp Mercedes D.IIIaü six-cylinder watercooled inline engine

[edit] Performance

• Maximum speed: 115.9 mph (187 km/h) at sea level
• Endurance: 2.0 h
• Service ceiling: 9,840 ft (3000 m)
• Time to climb: 4.35 min to 3,280 ft

[edit] Armament

• 2x forward-firing 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 machine guns

[edit] References

• Connors, J. Albatros Fighters In Action (Aircraft No. 46). 1981. ISBN 0-89747-115-6.

[edit] Related content

Designation sequence: D.I - D.II - D.III - D.IV - D.V - D.VI - D.VII - Dr.I - D.VIII - D.IX - D.X - Dr.II - D.XI - D.XII -