During 1914, the Schwade concern of Erfurt, Germany worked on a new biplane fighter design known as the "Nr.1". This aircraft relied on a traditional biplane wing arrangement (over-and-under members) braced through cabling and parallel struts. The wings sat over and under a smallish circular fuselage nacelle which contained seating for one in an open-air cockpit. The tail section was held out from the mass of the aircraft by way of triangular struts which also supported the tail surfaces. The fuselage nacelle also contained the powerplant and armament fit. The former was arranged in a "pusher" configuration driving a two-bladed wooden propeller while the latter became a single machine gun on a flexible mounting. The undercarriage was of a simple two-legged, two-wheeled configuration with a tailskid supporting the rear.
Its design was very consistent with early-World War 1 aircraft - simple, fragile and making due for lack of better alternatives. Since the engine was arranged at the rear of the nacelle, the machine gun at the nose was given clear firing arcs and armament was made up of 1 x 7.92mm Bergmann LMG 15 series machine gun. Despite the gun's flexibility, it became awkward for the pilot to control his aircraft while also being asked to train his weapon on a moving target in the sky.
Power for the design came from a Schwade Stahlherz 7-cylinder rotary piston engine developing 80 horsepower.
Despite the commitment to bringing the Nr.1 to fruition, only a single example was completed before attention turned to the more promising Nr.2 design twin-boom biplane fighter design.
(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.
✓X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
Length
102.5 ft (31.25 m)
Width/Span
158.8 ft (48.40 m)
Height
39.4 ft (12.00 m)
Empty Wgt
1,433 lb (650 kg)
MTOW
1,764 lb (800 kg)
Wgt Diff
+331 lb (+150 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Schwade Kampfeinsitzer Nr.1 production variant)
Installed:
1 x Schwade Stahlherz 7-cylinder rotary engine developing 80 horsepower and arranged in a pusher configuration driving a two-bladed propeller unit.
1 x 7.92mm Bergmann LMG 15 machine gun on a flexible mounting fitted to the nose.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
Nr.1 - Base Series Designation; single example completed.
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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German Empire (cancelled)
