The Airco DH.4 was a fighter-bomber employed by the British Royal Air Corps during the First World War. It was designed and produced by the Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) from England, performing its maiden flight in 1916. It entered service on April 6, 1917, with No 55 Squadron.
The Airco DH.4 received its baptism of fire on the same day it entered service, on an air raid to attack the German positions in Valenciennes, France. After the war, it would be massively produced in the United States, with more than 6,000 aircraft built as two main models would be developed from it; the DH.9 and the DH.9A, which were used in civil service for mail delivery.
Technical Characteristics
The Airco DH.4 was a single-engine, biplane, fitted with straight staggered wings. This means the lower wing was set backwards in relation to the upper one, so that the pilot had a good view of the ground. Like all World War I biplane, it was equipped with fixed landing gear. Variants: DH.4A, DH.4B, and DH.4M.
Armament
It was equipped with two, firing-forward, 7.7-mm Lewis machine guns, and one backward-firing 7.7-mm machine gun mounted in the rear cockpit. The bomb payload was 209 kg.
Specifications
Length: 9.35 m (30 ft, 8 in)
Wingspan: 12.92 m (42 ft, 5 in)
Wing Area: 40.32 sq. meter (434 sq. feet)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Power Plant: one Rolls Royce Eagle VIII, water-cooled, 12-cylinder engine, delivering 375 HP.
Maximum Speed: 230 km/h (143 mph)
Range: 700 km (435 miles)
Below, the Airco DH.4 in 1919 in Belgium, during peace time.
Below, the DH.4B, an air mail plane in the skies over the USA.
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