Selection of WW1 Heavy Bombers from all Nations World War I Heavy Bombers The first heavy bomber was designed as an airliner. The Russian aircraft designer, Igor Sikorsky designed the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets to fly between his birthplace 9poland) and his new home (St Petersburg). It did so briefly until August 1914, when the Russo-Balt wagon factory converted to a bomber version, with British Sunbeam Crusader V8 engines. By December 1914 a squadron of 10 was bombing German positions on the Eastern Front and by summer 1916 there were twenty.…
Category: Aircraft
Martin MB-1
MARTIN MB-1 The Martin MB-1 was an American large biplane bomber designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the United States Army Air Service in 1918. It was the first purpose-built bomber produced by the United States. In response to a requirement from the Air Service for a bomber that was superior to the Handley Page O/400. Martin proposed the MB-1 and were rewarded with an initial production contract for six aircraft. The MB-1 was a conventional biplane design with twin fins and rudders mounted above the…
CAPRONI Ca.5
CAPRONI Ca.5 The Caproni Ca.5 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I and the postwar era. It was the final version of the series of aircraft that began with the Caproni Ca.1 in 1914. By late World War I, developments in aircraft technology made older bomber designs unable to penetrate targets defended by modern fighters. Caproni’s response to this problem was to significantly uprate the power on the existing Ca.3 design, with some versions of the Ca.5 eventually carrying engines with nearly five times the total power…
Adolphe Bernard AB
Bernard AB -1 BN2 – France The Adolphe Bernard AB was a family twin-engined French biplane aircraft, built near the end of the First World War. Ten AB 1 BN2 bombers were produced for the Armée de l’Air but did not reach squadron service; post-war, two civil derivatives were considered but only one aircraft was built. The AB 1, built near the end of the First World War, was the first original design from the Adolphe Bernard factory, which had previously produced SPAD aircraft to government contracts. It was a…
Lloyd 40.08 Luftkreuzer (Sky Cruiser)
Lloyd L 1/11 or 40.08 – Austro-Hungarian The Lloyd 40.08 Luftkreuzer (Sky Cruiser) was a three engine triplane bomber type built during World War I. The design was proven to be ineffective and development did not proceed past the prototype stage. In August 1915, the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (Luftfahrttruppen) awarded funding to Lloyd for construction of a new heavy bomber that could carry a 200 kg (440 lb) bomb-load and have endurance of at least 6 hours. The aircraft was to be powered by one powerful engine…
Sikorsky Ilya Muromets
Sikorsky Ilya Muromets The Sikorsky Ilya Muromets (Sikorsky S-22, S-23, S-24, S-25, S-26 and S-27) were a class of Russian pre-World War I large four-engine commercial airliners and military heavy bombers used during World War I by the Russian Empire. The aircraft series was named after Ilya Muromets, a hero from Slavic mythology. The Ilya Muromets aircraft as it appeared in 1913 was a revolutionary design, intended for commercial service with its spacious fuselage incorporating a passenger saloon and washroom on board. During World War I, it became the first…
GOTHA G.I – Germany
GOTHA G.I – Germany The Gotha G.I was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. It was the first of the Gotha Bomber series, eventually ending with the larger Gotha G.V The design had a snub-nosed fuselage attached to the upper wing, and twin engine nacelles mounted on the lower one. The purpose of this arrangement was to allow the engines to be kept close together thereby minimizing asymmetrical thrust in the event of an engine failure. The aircraft’s unorthodox layout provided…
VICKERS VIMY – Britain
Vickers Vimy – British The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft developed and manufactured by Vickers Limited. Developed during the latter stages of the First World War to equip the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). Only a handful of aircraft had entered service by the time the Armistice of 11 November 1918 came into effect, so the type was not used in active combat operations during the war, but the Vimy became the core of the RAF’s heavy bomber force throughout the 1920s. The Vickers F.B.27 Vimy is an…
Hansa-Brandenburg W.29
SPAD V11 The Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 was a German monoplane fighter floatplane which served in the closing months of World War I, from bases on the North Sea coast. Its design was based on the W.12 The W.29 was a two-seater low wing monoplane. The monoplane configuration created less drag, and thus gave greater speed. The first batch, Nos. 2201 2206, were ordered in December and reached the operational units in the following spring and summer; they had 195 h.p. Benz engines with frontal radiators. Six exhaust stubs discharged above and…
HANNOVER CL.III
Hannover CL.III The Hannover CL.III was a German military aircraft of World War I. It was a two-seat multi-role aircraft, primarily used as a ground attack machine. Like the other Hannover “light-C-class”, or “CL” designated aircraft designed by Hermann Dorner, it included an unusual biplane tail, allowing for a greater firing arc for the tail gunner. Until the introduction of the aircraft, such tails had only been used on larger aircraft. Compared to the preceding CL.II, the CL.III had redesigned ailerons with aerodynamic balances that overhung the wingtips, a modification…