Daimler D.II (L9)

Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype

Imperial Germany | 1918

"The Daimler D.II became another lost German Empire aircraft project of The Great War years - falling victim to the end of hostilities that arrived in November of 1918."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/15/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

By request of German authorities, automotive player Daimler-Gesellschaft-Werke (Daimler) established an aircraft-making division in middle of 1915 as World War 1 (1914-1918) raged on across Europe. From this was drawn up plans for an in-house single-seat, single-engine fighter biplane to rely on the equally in-house Daimler D.IIIb series 8V water-cooled engine of 185 horsepower. The aircraft became the "L6" and was type certified by German authorities in a 1918 fighter competition - an order for twenty was ultimately had (to carry the "D.I" designation). However, the end of the war meant that only six of the type would ever be completed.

Beyond this, the company went to work during the wartime years on yet another design - this time a twin-seat, single-engine biplane intended for the escort fighter role. The wing structure utilized an unequal span, single bay approach and one machine gun was afforded to the pilot while an observer/rear gunner managed another weapon on a trainable mounting facing mainly to the rear. The aircraft, the "L8", was dimensionally larger in all directions but slower as performance compared to the earlier L6 - though with greatly enhanced range (four hours versus two) and a more flexible weapons loadout. In any event, the design fell to naught as just a single, flyable prototype was realized before the Armistice of November 1918. An offer to Chile for this aircraft also fell through in July 1919. It was to carry the "Cl.I" designation in German service.

Continuing with the promising L6 design, Daimler engineers reworked the fighter to become the "L9" ("D.II"). By all accounts, the L9 was a further evolution of the line begun in 1917, eventually deleting the original parallel struts of the mainplanes and adding single "I-type" supports in their place. The equal-span wings were also modified into unequal planes with the larger member being of greater span than the lower. The fighter retained the streamlined forms of the L6 and L8 before it and carried an oversized spinner at the two-bladed wooden propeller for enhanced aerodynamic efficiency. Beyond this, the fighter was given the same Daimler D.IIIb V8 water-cooled engine of 185 horsepower as the others before it and had a twin 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine gun arrangement over the nose similar to the L6 - these weapons synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. Ground-running was through a conventional / traditional tail-dragger configuration.

The original aircraft was worked on into July 1918 and its new I-type struts were added in August of that year. However, like other Daimler-originated fighters of the period, the design was ended with the end of the war in November of 1918 with just a single prototype completed. In 1920, Daimler attempted to interest global carriers in the idea of the L9 as a mailplane but this modification initiative went nowhere.

For its short time in the air, the L9/D.II recorded a maximum speed of 118 miles-per-hour with a range out to 275 miles, and a rate-of-climb near 905 feet-per-minute (initial rate). Empty weight was 1,635lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 2,185lb. Dimensions included a running length of 23.7 feet, a wingspan of 29.6 feet, and a height of 8.6 feet.

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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 Daimler D.II Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype.

1 x Daimler D.IIIb V8 water-cooled engine developing 185 horsepower driving two-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

118 mph
190 kph | 103 kts
Max Speed

20,341 ft
6,200 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

273 miles
440 km | 238 nm
Operational Range

905 ft/min
276 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 Daimler D.II Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

23.6 ft
7.20 m
O/A Length

29.5 ft
(9.00 m)
O/A Width

8.5 ft
(2.60 m)
O/A Height

1,642 lb
(745 kg)
Empty Weight

2,205 lb
(1,000 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 Daimler D.II (L9) Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype .

2 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine guns over the nose synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Daimler D.II (L9) family line.

D.II - Base Series Designation; single, flyable prototype completed.

L9 - Daimler company designation for the D.II.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Daimler D.II (L9). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler) - German Empire

[ German Empire (cancelled) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 120mph

Lo: 60mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (118mph).

Graph Average of 90 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

1

36183

44000

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

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

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

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

X-PLANE

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 Daimler D.II (L9) Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:

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