Excessive vibrations, even after an engine change, doomed the Kondor Dreidecker triplane fighter attempt of World War 1.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited:
7/31/2019
Kondor Flugzeugwerke of Essen, Germany (then the German Empire) was committed to building Albatros B.II and B.IIa series biplane fighters during World War 1 until, in mid-1917, the company benefitted from the arrival of designers Walther Rethel and Paul G. Ehrhardt who, previously, had served with competing LVG (Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft). The first original aircraft put forth by the company then became the Kondor "Dreidecker", a triplane-winged single-seat, single-engine fighter.
In prototype form, this aircraft recorded a first-flight during October 1917. However, the design underperformed with its original engine (unknown make and model) and was re-engined with a Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder liquid-cooled powerplant of 160 horsepower output (this still driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose). In this form, the triplane did no better for excessive vibrations, unable to be overcome, ultimately doomed the project to the single prototype.
The Kondor D.1, a more conventionally-arranged biplane fighter design, was being developed at the same time but even this model appears to have fared no better.
Specifications
Year: 1917
Status Cancelled
Crew 1
[ 1 Units ] : Kondor Flugzeugwerke - German Empire
German Empire (cancelled)
- Fighter
- X-Plane / Developmental
Length:
18.04 ft (5.5 m)
Width/Span:
22.97 ft (7 m)
Height:
9.68 ft (2.95 m)
(Showcased structural dimension values pertain to the Kondor Dreidecker production model)
Empty Weight:
882 lb (400 kg)
MTOW:
1,213 lb (550 kg)
(Diff: +331lb)
(Showcased weight values pertain to the Kondor Dreidecker production model)
1 x Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder liquid-cooled geared engine developing 160 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose.
(Showcased powerplant information pertains to the Kondor Dreidecker production model)
Maximum Speed:
96 mph (155 kph; 84 kts)
Service Ceiling:
18,045 feet (5,500 m; 3.42 miles)
Maximum Range:
155 miles (250 km; 135 nm)
Rate-of-Climb:
800 ft/min (244 m/min)
(Showcased performance values pertain to the Kondor Dreidecker production model; Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database)
PROPOSED:
2 x 7.92mm machine guns over the nose synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
(Showcased armament details pertain to the Kondor Dreidecker production model)
Kondor Dreidecker - Base Series Name; single flyable example completed in 1917.
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German Empire (cancelled)