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Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV)


Biplane Fighter Prototype


Switzerland | 1918



"The Hafeli DH-4 failed to impress Swiss authorities when it was tested during 1918 - leaving just one prototype to show for the work."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Hafeli DH-4 Biplane Fighter Prototype.
1 x Hispano-Suiza HS-41 8-cylinder liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 150 horsepower driving two-bladed, fixed-pitch wooden propeller at the nose.
Propulsion
93 mph
150 kph | 81 kts
Max Speed
14,108 ft
4,300 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling
186 miles
300 km | 162 nm
Operational Range
890 ft/min
271 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Hafeli DH-4 Biplane Fighter Prototype.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
19.7 ft
6.00 m
O/A Length
32.2 ft
(9.80 m)
O/A Width
8.5 ft
(2.60 m)
O/A Height
1,433 lb
(650 kg)
Empty Weight
1,951 lb
(885 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV) Biplane Fighter Prototype .
1 x 7.45mm machine gun in fixed, forward-firing mounting over the nose synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV) family line.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/14/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Swiss aeronautics engineer August Hafeli went on to develop a series of military biplane aircraft for Swiss Air Force consideration, this after coming over from the A.G.O. concern of the German Empire. His experience in working on the German C.I and C.II twin-boom biplanes (both detailed elsewhere on this site) led to the similar Swiss-originated "DH-1" (also detailed elsewhere on this site). The move to the DH-2 saw the twin-boom concept dropped in favor of the more traditional inline arrangement and this led to the successful DH-3 armed biplane scout of 1917 - total production yielding 110 units.

Against the backdrop of World War in Europe, Hafeli continued to push designs such as the "DH-4" of 1918, another conventional biplane approach with single-engine performance and fighting function centered around an operating crew of one. This entry relied on the successes and strong qualities of the preceding DH-3 but did away with the two-man crew and its reconnaissance role.

Its construction was completed in the early part of 1918 and the fighter exhibited expected fighter qualities such as an over-under biplane wing arrangement, open-air cockpit, and fixed, wheeled undercarriage with tailskid. The fuselage was given slab sides and the engine was installed at the nose in the usual way - the Hispano-Suiza HS-41 8-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine of 150 horsepower driving a two-bladed, fixed-pitch propeller at the nose. The upper wing member had a section of its central trailing edge cut away for improved vision for the pilot.

Dimensions of the aircraft included a running length of 19.7 feet, a wingspan of 32.1 feet, and a height of 8.5 feet. Empty weight was 1,410lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 1,950lb. Armament was a single 7.45mm machine gun fitted ahead of the pilot and synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. Construction was of the typical fabric-over-wood approach of the period.

Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette (K+W) headed manufacture of the one and only airframe completed. This example was flown in 1918 and tests were had from May until August of that year - after which the design was shown to have unsatisfactory performance and handling. K+W took the specimen back for modification and additional testing but the aircraft never flew in a meaningful way again.

As tested, the DH-4 showcased a maximum speed of 92 miles-per-hour and a range out to 190 miles - able to fly for some 4.5 hours. Rate-of-climb was 890 feet-per-minute and 6,000 feet could be reached in fourteen minutes.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units

Contractor(s): Eidgenossische Konstruktionswerkstaette (K+W) / Hafeli - Swtizerland
National flag of Switzerland

[ Switzerland (tested) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV)
Image from the Public Domain.

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV) Biplane Fighter Prototype Specifications and Pictures.
Going Further...
The Hafeli DH-4 (M.IV) Biplane Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:
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