×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Scale (2024) Special Forces

Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I)


Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype


Imperial Germany | 1917



"The Friedrichshafen D.I failed to impress with its two prototypes and was thus abandoned during 1917."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Friedrichshafen D.I Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype.
1 x Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine developing 160 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion
109 mph
175 kph | 94 kts
Max Speed
15,502 ft
4,725 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling
217 miles
350 km | 189 nm
Operational Range
550 ft/min
168 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Friedrichshafen D.I Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
21.2 ft
6.45 m
O/A Length
29.7 ft
(9.05 m)
O/A Width
9.5 ft
(2.90 m)
O/A Height
1,510 lb
(685 kg)
Empty Weight
1,984 lb
(900 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I) Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype .
PROPOSED:
2 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 air-cooled, belt-fed machine guns over the nose in fixed, forward-firing mountings synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I) family line.
FF.46 - Base series / company designation; two flyable prototypes completed and tested.
D.I - In-service designation of the FF.46.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/13/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The one-off Friedrichshafen FF43 floatplane fighter prototype (detailed elsewhere on this site) failed to impressed German Navy authorities back in 1916 but the service thought enough of the base design to order it in three prototype land-based forms. As such, the FF43 lost its twin floats (which permitted waterborne landings and take-offs) and was given a traditional "tail-dragger" wheeled arrangement. Three aircraft - known internally as "FF46" - were contracted for in September 1916 by authorities to serve under the "D.I" designation.

Like the FF.43 before it, the FF46 carried the proven Mercedes D.III V6 water-cooled inline piston engine of 160 horsepower, this used to drive a two-bladed, fixed-pitched wooden propeller at the nose in tractor fashion. The fighter seated one in an open-air cockpit and relied on a single-bay, unequal-span wing mainplane arrangement with parallel struts. The upper wing member was kept close to the fuselage and had a section of its trailing edge cut out to enhance pilot vision around his aircraft. Armament would centered on 2 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine guns in fixed, forward-firing mountings over the nose - synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades as was common to the time.

Despite the order for three total aircraft, just two prototypes would eventually be realized. The first was given vertical cabane-style struts at the wing members while the second offering differed in its implantation of splayed strut supports in an effort to further enhance pilot vision.

The FF.46 was not formally tested by the Germans until April of 1917 by which point the design had little to offer over its competitors. As such, no serial production was undertaken of the type and the two examples were later scrapped.

The FF.46 was the first in several biplane fighters that Friedrichshafen would offer during the war - contracts proving to be elusive. The company went defunct in 1923 and its production center taken over by Dornier.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 2 Units

Contractor(s): Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen - German Empire
National flag of the German Empire

[ German Empire (cancelled) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I)
Image from the Public Domain.

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I) Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype Specifications and Pictures.
Going Further...
The Friedrichshafen FF.46 (D.I) Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
WWI AIRCRAFT
X-PLANE AIRCRAFT
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country

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.

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.


©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)