During the World War 1 (1914-1918) period, Hanriot of France was able to deliver several capable fighting biplanes by way of several successful designs beginning with the HD.1 (detailed elsewhere on this site). The follow-up HD.2 became its floatplane derivative and the line was bettered through the addition of the HD.3 in the weeks leading up to the end of the war (November 1918). To push the line even further, in early 1918 the company was already engaged in a new biplane fighter to entice prospective buyers towards the end of the war - this becoming the "HD.5".
The HD.5 continued the form and function established by the HD.3 including its two-seat, tandem crew arrangement with the pilot seated at front and the gunner at the rear. The biplane configuration was traditional for the period though now left unstaggered as opposed to the staggered pair seen on the HD.3. The members used parallel strut supports and a wider span, the latter necessitating two bays to support the length. The members were positioned well-ahead of midships and, rather uniquely, both the leading and trailing edges of the upper wing were cut-out to clear spaces for both the pilot and gunner - this also allowed the upper wing to be seated closer to the fuselage while improving views for both crewmembers. Another change from the earlier HD.3 came in the form of the Hispano-Suiza 8Fb 8-cylinder, water-cooled inline engine of 300 horsepower to drive a wooden propeller blade at the nose. The tail unit was conventional mounting a single, rounded large-area rudder and low-set horizontal planes. For ground-running, a typical twin-wheeled/tailskid undercarriage was used.
Like other Hanriot fighters, the HD.5 would be well-armed: 2 x 7.7mm Vickers Machine Guns in fixed, forward mountings over the nose and managed by the pilot with 1 or 2 x 7.7mm Lewis Machine Guns set atop a trainable mounting in the rear cockpit for the gunner/observer. The forward-facing guns were synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
The HD.5 prototype was tested as soon as Spring of 1918 with the war's end still in doubt. However, the sole test vehicle was all that was had on the project but its design was used to influence the development of the HD.7, a navalized fighter version appearing in the post-war period.
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(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.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
Length
26.1 ft (7.97 m)
Width/Span
34.1 ft (10.40 m)
Height
9.0 ft (2.75 m)
Empty Wgt
1,764 lb (800 kg)
MTOW
2,756 lb (1,250 kg)
Wgt Diff
+992 lb (+450 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Hanriot HD.5 production variant)
Installed:
1 x Hispano-Suiza 8Fb 8-cylinder, liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 300 horsepower and driving a two-bladed wooden propeller at the nose.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Hanriot HD.5 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)
PROPOSED:
2 x 7.7mm Vickers Machine Guns in fixed, forward-firing mountings over the nose and synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
1 OR 2 x 7.7mm Lewis Machine Guns on trainable mounting in rear cockpit.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
HD.5 - Base Series Designation; single flyable prototype completed.
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
58
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 150mph
Lo: 75mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (134mph).
Graph average of 113 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Hanriot HD.5 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (1)
1
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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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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France (cancelled)
