Dornier Do 22

History of Dornier Do 22

The Dornier Do 22 is a three-person seaplane designed and produced in Germany. It was produced in Germany and Switzerland for export markets, although the aircraft proved to be a successful German design.

The Do 22 appeared in limited numbers and served with a handful of nations during the war, many of which were lost in action in Germany or piloted by the Allies until spare parts forced them to retire.

The Do 22 was in development in the early and mid-1930s, first flew as a prototype in 1935, and finally entered production in 1938. Although Dornier became the main aircraft manufacturer for the Luftwaffe during World War II, the Do 22 was relegated to an export order during the war, so not a single Do 22 system was produced for the Luftwaffe throughout the war.

The three crew consisted of a pilot, a radio operator and a gunner. Self-defense weapons are 4 x 7.92mm MG 15 machine guns located in the bow, belly and stern positions. Offensive weapons can be a single 1,764-pound anti-ship torpedo or 4 x 110-pound bombs.

A single Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs inline piston engine produces 860 hp. Performance reached a top speed of over 215 mph (nearly 10,000 feet), with a reported range of 1,428 miles and an operating ceiling near 30,000 feet.

In any case, the performance of this aircraft turned out to be excellent for this type of aircraft, which made the fact that the system was only used for export all the more interesting.

All Greek-owned Dornier Do 22 were defeated by the Germans when they invaded the Balkans. Only eight of the twelve Yugoslav Do 22s made it safely to Egypt (where they were once under the control of the RAF). Finland remains the third largest customer for four Do 22s.

The exporting Do 22 systems are named Do 22Kg (Greece), Do 22Kj (Yugoslavia) and Do 22Kl (Finland).

A land-based prototype was tested using conventional landing gear. This model received the designation Do 22L.

DORNIER Do 22 size

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes