Daimler D.I (L6)

History of Daimler D.I (L6)

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler)'s experience in the automotive business before the First World War (1914-1918) made the company attractive strength in terms of strength to aid the war effort of the German Empire. At the request of the German government itself, the company established an aircraft building division in mid-1915 to meet the wartime demand for fighter jets.

This led to their first foray into the field - the Daimler "D.I" biplane fighter was dubbed the "L6" by the company (design attributed to Karl Schhopper).

This machine follows the basic form and function of the existing model for convenience. An upper and lower biplane arrangement (single cabin, equal span) was used, including parallel struts and support cables. The main aircraft is mounted forward amidships, but behind the nose. The nose section accommodates the engine through a circular streamlined design approach to improve aerodynamic efficiency.

The open-air cockpit was used to provide the pilot with the best all-round visibility - although this was largely hindered by the biplane wing arrangement, a common failure in many fighter jets of the time. However, the upper wing panel remains relatively low relative to the top of the fuselage, allowing pilots to better view the aircraft due to the cut-out portion of the trailing edge. The length of the fuselage was rounded and tapered to the rear, at which point the traditional three-blade empennage appeared.

For ground operation, a supported two-wheeled main landing gear carries most of the aircraft's weight - a simple tail skid pulls up the tail.

The engine of choice became the all-new internal water-/liquid-cooled Daimler D.IIIb V8 piston engine, producing an impressive 185 hp tractor-stylish nose when driving a two-bladed wooden (fixed-pitch) propeller.

The armament consists of two LMG 08/15 series air-cooled 7.92mm belt-driven machine guns, firing synchronised through the rotating propeller blades via a "breaker" transmission.

Dimensions in final form include a barrel length of 23.10 feet, a wingspan of 32.5 feet, and a height of 9 feet. The kerb weight is 1,655 pounds and the MTOW is 2,040 pounds.

Due to engine problems, the L6 struggled to make its first flight, and it did not enter the test flight phase until November 1917, which continued until March of the following year. During this period, the imbalance (heavy tail) was addressed by modifying the internal fuselage layout of the main aircraft.

With the problem resolved, the aircraft was transferred to the government for type testing/certification (as part of the second "Idflieg" fighter competition in 1918), recorded in July 1918.

In this demonstration, the aircraft exhibited performance degradation at high altitudes, which limited its operational upper limit. Nonetheless, the potential and demand remained, and the German authorities contracted the first 20 Jagers in the same month.

Before mass production actually began, however, the war ended with the armistice of November 1918 - the first deliveries of these fighters were not delivered until December, and even then only six were completed before the armistice itself.

The aircraft has been tested at a top speed of 114 mph and has an endurance window of approximately two hours. The time to reach 19,700 feet is approximately 30 minutes.

Those numbers put the new fighter on par with other post-war offerings - it doesn't offer anything new or better, and it's largely traditional in design and performance.

Daimler D.I (L6) Code

Principles

Year of Operation

1918

Origins

German Empire

Status

retirement

does not work.

Crew

1

Production

6

Manufacturer

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler) - German Empire

Operators

German Empire

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

24. 0 feet

(7.30m)

Width/span

32.5 feet

(9.90m)

Height

9.0ft

(2.75m)

Cured weight

1,653 lbs

(750kg)

MTOW

2,039 lbs

(925 kg)

Wgt Difference

+386 lbs

(+175kg)

Performance

Installed:

1 x Daimler D.IIIb V8 185 hp water-cooled engine, driving a twin-blade nose-mounted propeller unit.

Maximum speed

115 km/h

(185 km/h | 100 knots)

Maximum

19,685 feet

(6,000 m | 4 km)

Area

230 km

(370 km | 685 nautical miles)

rate of climb

655 ft/min

(200m/min)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Weapons

2 x 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 air-cooled, belt-fed machine guns mounted on fixed forward-firing mounts above the nose, synchronised firing via rotating propeller blades.