×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
MODERN AIR FORCES
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
WWI AIRCRAFT
X-PLANE AIRCRAFT
Aviation / Aerospace

Fokker V.8 (Quintuplane)


Quintuplane Fighter Prototype [ 1917 ]



Five wings made the Fokker V.8 Quintuplane prototype one of the most unique fighter offerings of World War 1 - it made two modest flights before being abandoned.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The arrival of the Sopwith Triplane for the Allies in World War 1 immediately showcased to the Germans the need for a plane of equal capability. The triple-wing arranged offered excellent maneuverability, rate-of-climb, and operating ceilings when compared to the traditional biplanes being fielded by the German Air Service at the time. Thus began a series of progressive developments into the realm of triplane flight beginning with the Fokker V.4 prototype and ending with the V.7. The V.5 ultimately served as the basis for the classis Fokker Dr.I triplane - the famous mount of the "Red Baron".

To benefit such a design even further, company own Anthony Fokker pushed the idea of a quintuplane - that is a fighter aircraft that relied on five whole wing mainplanes - reasoning that five mainplanes could have as much of an impact on capabilities as a triplane wing arrangement. The idea was realized (more or less) through the ungainly Fokker V.8 prototype which went on to complete two modest test flights and little more before the idea was abandoned.

Components of the equally-abandoned V.6 prototype made up some of the framework for the V.8. A slab-sided, long fuselage was created which sat the pilot ahead of midships in an open-air cockpit. The engine (driving a two-blade propeller) was fitted to the nose in the usual way. The tail unit was quintessentially Fokker with fuselage-mounted horizontal planes and a rounded vertical fin. The wing arrangement eventually settled on encompassed a full triplane configuration at the nose and a biplane configuration aft of the cockpit (at about midships). The undercarriage was fixed and sported a pair of wheels for ground running. The aircraft was powered by a Mercedes D.III water-cooled engine of 160 horsepower.

Beyond the V.8 being a "quintuplane" it was also, by definition, a tandem-wing aircraft. The forward tri-wing arrangement held unstaggered planes with vertical strutworks for strength. Balanced ailerons were affixed to the top-most wing mainplanes of both wing sets for improved controlling. The rear wing set held a thicker wing chord than that as seen in the triplane wings.

A first flight, essentially a running hop, was completed by Fokker himself during October of 1917. Some issues were revealed that brought along modifications to the aircraft and preceded a second flight some two weeks later. It was found that the five-wing configuration added little to fighter design and the whole program was abandoned a short time later.

Performance specifications on this page are purely estimates on the part of the author.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Fokker-Flugzeugwerke - Imperial Germany
Manufacturer(s)
German Empire (abandoned)
Operators National flag of the German Empire
1917
Service Year
Imperial Germany
National Origin
Cancelled
Project Status
1
Crew
1
Units


AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.


1 x Mercedes D.III water-cooled engine developing 160 horsepower driving a two-bladed wooden propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion
PROPOSED:
2 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.


0
Hardpoints


V.8 - Prototype Model Designation; single flyable example completed.


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Fokker V.8 (Quintuplane)
Image from the Public Domain.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)