Aviation / Aerospace

Siemens-Schuckert D.III

Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1917 ]

The Siemens-Schuckert D.III was plagued by engine troubles early on, delaying its use along the Front for a time.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The Siemens-Schuckert D series of fighters evolved from captured French-made Nieuport 11 aircraft. The D.III appeared as an improved D.I - a design which arrived too late to be of much use and was therefore relegated to trainer. The D.III was developed from the D.IIc longer wing span prototype and featured a smaller propeller with shortened landing gears.

Production of the D.III began as an initial batch of fifty aircraft with all being received by the end of February 1918. The D.III was well-received by her pilots as she sported unparalleled climbing attributes vital in any dogfight. The honeymoon was soon over, however, as the 160 horsepower proved to overheat consistently after just 10 hours of operation time. While engine issues were ironed out, the D.III was pulled from service in favor of the Fokker D.VII. D.III systems were back in service by July 1918 with their engines adjusted for better cooling along with a redesigned rudder. Thirty of these "new build" D.III series aircraft were delivered and put into action immediately.

The D.III was eventually followed up with the D.IV, another D.series design developed from a D.IIc short wing span prototype.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1917

Origin

Imperial Germany

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

130
UNITS

Siemens-Schuckert Werke - Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

German Empire

(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.

Length

18.7 ft
(5.70 m)

Width/Span

27.7 ft
(8.43 m)

Height

9.2 ft
(2.80 m)

Empty Wgt

1,177 lb
(534 kg)

MTOW

1,598 lb
(725 kg)

Wgt Diff

+421 lb
(+191 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Siemens-Schuckert D.III production variant)

Installed: 1 x Siemens-Halske Sh III 11-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine developing 160 horsepower driving a four-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

112 mph
(180 kph | 97 kts)

Ceiling

26,247 ft
(8,000 m | 5 mi)

Rate-of-Climb

1,260 ft/min
(384 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Siemens-Schuckert D.III 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)

STANDARD:
2 x 7.92mm machine guns

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

D.I - Pilot trainer; Nieuport 11 direct copy; 95 produced.

D.II - Prototype; Siemens-Halske Sh III 160 horsepower rotary engine; larger fuselage to accomodate new engine; larger propeller blades.

D.II - Larger and wider fuselage

D.IIa - Prototype

D.IIb - Prototype

D.IIc - 2 Prototypes (long and short wing span versions)

D.IIe - Prototype

D.III - Upgraded powerplant to Siemens-Halske 160 horsepower rotary engine.

D.IV - Late arriving and post-Armistice production variant; 60 produced.

D.V - Proposed sesquiplane variant

D.VI - Parasol Monoplane variant becoming the E.I.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Advertisements

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

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.

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 all American military medals and ribbons.

www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-