Halberstadt D.IV

History

The Halberstadt D. IV brand is a short-lived biplane following the earlier D. II design. The D.IV was developed under the German Air Service contract awarded on March 9, 1916, which called for a twin-gun fighter with strong performance and air combat qualities.

The resulting plane fell short of expectations, with the company building just three - with authorities citing poor Cabane design as hindering pilots' critical vision.

The aircraft retained many of the traditional biplane combat qualities of the time - open-air single-seat cockpit, biplane (up and down) wing layout, and fixed wheel landing gear (tail drag). Power should come from a 150 to 160 hp engine, so a Mercedes Bz.

The 150 hp Series III engine was used to drive the two-bladed wooden propeller. The engine sits under the hood, adding some aerodynamic efficiency at the nose. Armament consists of synchronized 2 x 7.92mm machine guns, firing through rotating propeller blades.

Three D.IV aircraft have been contracted for different test phases. The draft was formally presented to the German authorities in October 1916, but was rejected. Nonetheless, the company continued to develop designs and produce the successful CL. II Two-seat escort/fighter/ground attack biplane.

800 of this brand were built by the end of the war.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes