The Austro-Hungarian-originated "Taube" was a single-seat monoplane aircraft whose design was eventually manufactured by a plethora of companies in Europe during the pre-World War 1 period. Design attribution fell to Igo Etrich and it first appeared in 1909 with a first-flight recorded during the following year. As the Etrich patent was allowed to expire, various firms undertook construction of the Taube including Rumpler, Lohner, Aviatik, DFW, Abatros and some of these saw service in World War 1 (1914-1918) as trainers, reconnaissance platforms and - to some extent - fighters / light bombers (though armed only through hand-held / hand-dropped weapons).
Despite its seemingly fragile appearance, Taube aircraft designs were used in a variety of civilian- and military-roles. Its first combat sortie took place over Libya when an Italian Taube dropped grenades upon an enemy position during 1911. In 1912 there followed combat exposure over the Balkans and, from then on, the series was used as observation and spotter platforms during World War 1 - though soon outclassed by more advanced aerial machines.
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Argentina; Austria-Hungary; Bulgaria; China; German Empire; Kingdom of Italy; Norway; Ottoman Empire (Turkey); Switzerland
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).
Length
32.5 ft (9.90 m)
Width/Span
46.9 ft (14.30 m)
Height
10.5 ft (3.20 m)
Empty Wgt
1,433 lb (650 kg)
MTOW
1,874 lb (850 kg)
Wgt Diff
+441 lb (+200 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Rumpler 4C Taube production variant)
Installed:
1 x Mercedes Typ E4F 4-cylinder water-cooled engine developing 86 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Rumpler 4C Taube production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
Usually none save for personal weapons carried by the crew including rifles, pistols, and hand-dropped bombs.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Rumpler 4C "Taube" - Base Series Designation
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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Argentina; Austria-Hungary; Bulgaria; China; German Empire; Kingdom of Italy; Norway; Ottoman Empire (Turkey); Switzerland
