AirCo DH.10 (Amiens)

Twin-Engine Medium Biplane Bomber Aircraft

United Kingdom | 1918

"Just under 260 examples of the Airco DH.10 were completed in all - though the type arrived very late for the fighting of World War 1."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/25/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

In the final year of World War 1 (1914-1918), Geoffrey de Havilland of AirCo developed an all-new, twin-engined biplane bomber in the form of the "DH.10". A first-flight was had on March 4th, 1918 and the type was introduced in November of that year - the same month the war officially came to a close. As such, the series did not leave its imprint on the Grand War and production was limited to 258 units with most arriving in the ensuring post-war period. The United Kingdom became its sole global military operator and the bomber served across some eight total squadrons in one form or another. Some continued on in civilian service in both the United Kingdom and the United States into the early-1920s.

The DH.10 was built in response to a British requirement for a new bomber to help end the war. de Havilland revised the earlier DH.3 series biplane platform for the specification a prototype was quickly arranged for testing. This form - the "Amiens Mk I" - carried 2 x Siddeley "Puma" engines of 230 horsepower output and configured in a "pusher" arrangement (propellers facing rearward). The design did not impress British authorities who deemed it too slow so this led to a revision of the already-revised aircraft, now fitting 2 x Rolls-Royce "Eagle" VIII series engines of 360 horsepower each in a more traditional conventional "puller" set up. In this form - "Amiens Mk II - the project succeeded. However, due to the unavailability of Eagle engines, the production model - "Amiens Mk III" - was flown with American "Liberty" 12 series engines of 395 horsepower and it was this model that proved the mark-of-choice for the Royal Air Force (RAF) who officially adopted the Amiens as the DH.10.

Amiens Mk III production totaled 221 examples. The Amiens Mk IIIA (DH.10A) was a version numbering 32 examples that flew with their engines fitted to the lower wing assemblies (as opposed to being suspended between the lower and upper wing assemblies as in the Mk III). The Amiens IIIC (DH.10C) was a limited-production model (five examples) that was flown with Eagle engines as insurance against availability of the American Liberty engines.

The DH.10 was received in number beginning in November of 1918 but managed only a single attack sortie against the enemy before the cessation of hostilities arrived through the Armistice - the line did not see combat service from then on, instead being used in other roles like mail delivery in parts of the British Empire and elsewhere. The aircraft served into 1923 before being given up for good.

As completed, the DH.10 featured an operating crew of three. Dimensions included a length of 12 meters with a wingspan of 20 meters and height of 4.4 meters. Empty weight was 5,750lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 9,050lb. Power was from 2 x Liberty 12A V12 engines developing 400 horsepower each and providing a maximum speed of 130 miles per hour with a service ceiling of 19,000 feet and a mission endurance window of six hours. Climb to 10,000 feet was eleven minutes.

Defensive armament was 1 or 2 x .303 Lewis machine guns on trainable (Scarff) wings. The guns were located at the nose and along midships to help provide defense against the slow-moving bomber. Internally there was provision for up to 920lb of conventional drop ordnance.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the AirCo DH.10 (Amiens IIIA) Twin-Engine Medium Biplane Bomber Aircraft.

2 x Liberty 12A V12 piston engines developing 400 horsepower each and driving two-bladed propellers in puller (tractor) configuration.
Propulsion

130 mph
210 kph | 113 kts
Max Speed

19,029 ft
5,800 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

783 miles
1,260 km | 680 nm
Operational Range

910 ft/min
277 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the AirCo DH.10 (Amiens IIIA) Twin-Engine Medium Biplane Bomber Aircraft.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

39.6 ft
12.08 m
O/A Length

65.6 ft
(19.98 m)
O/A Width

14.5 ft
(4.42 m)
O/A Height

5,765 lb
(2,615 kg)
Empty Weight

9,083 lb
(4,120 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the AirCo DH.10 (Amiens) Twin-Engine Medium Biplane Bomber Aircraft .

STANDARD:
1 OR 2 x .303 (7.7mm) Lewis Gun machine guns on trainable mountings at nose and midship positions along fuselage.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 920lb of internally-carried conventional drop stores (drop bombs).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the AirCo DH.10 (Amiens) family line.

DH.10 "Amiens" - Base Series Designation

Amiens Mk I - Prototype model with 2 x Puma engines in pusher configuration.

Amiens Mk II - Protype model with 2 x Rolls-Royce Eagle engines in puller configuration.

Amiens Mk III - Definitive production model; 2 x Liberty 12 series engines; 221 examples produced.

Amiens Mk IIIA (DH.10A) - Mark III model with relocated engines under wing mainplanes; 32 examples completed.

Amiens Mk IIIC (DH.10C) - Fitted with 2 x Rolls-Royce Eagle engines owing to possible shortage of Liberty powerplants; five examples completed.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the AirCo DH.10 (Amiens). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 258 Units
Contractor(s): Aircraft Manufacturing Company Ltd (AirCo) / de Havilland - United Kingdom

[ United Kingdom; United States (civilian market) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 150mph

Lo: 75mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (130mph).

Graph Average of 113 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

258

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

GROUND ATTACK

TRANSPORT

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Going Further...
The AirCo DH.10 (Amiens) Twin-Engine Medium Biplane Bomber Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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