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WORLD WAR 1

Aviation / Aerospace


AEG C.IV


Two-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1916 ]



The AEG-produced C-series of aircraft provided German frontline troops with a versatile offensive performer throughout the course of World War 1.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/25/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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The C.IV was a twin-seat biplane aircraft produced by the German firm of Allgemeine Elektrizitats-Gesellschaft (or simply "AEG"). The type was primarily fielded as reconnaissance platform from 1916 onwards though it also served as a bomber escort and saw service with the German air service through to the end of World War 1in 1918. The C.IV represented one of AEG's most successful wartime ventures with production exceeding some estimated 658 examples.

Outwardly, the C.IV was a conventional biplane through and through. The wings featured and equal span upper and lower wing assembly with double bays and parallel struts. The engine, a single Mercedes D.III water-cooled in-line type of 160 horsepower - was mounted in the extreme forward portion of the fuselage with the distinct radiator "horn" protruding the top. The engine powered a two-blade wooden propeller. The forward portion of the fuselage was contoured to an extent, producing a somewhat aerodynamic look while the rest of the body maintained a boxy-like appearance. Seating was for two, made up of the pilot and an observer in tandem, with the pilot in the forward cockpit behind a simplistic windscreen. The pilot had access to a single Spandau machine gun offset to his right side. The system was synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades without damaging them via an interrupter gear. The observer manned the rear cockpit, facing aft, and sat inside of a Schneider-type gun mount ring. His position was dominated by a Parabellum machine gun with adequate traverse to engage trailing enemy fighters. The undercarriage remained fixed, characterized by the two large main landing gears at front and a simple tail skid under the tail section. The empennage featured a sharp-angled vertical tail fin with low-mounted horizontal stabilizers.

Performance was good for the time with the C.IV yielding a top speed of 98 miles per hour with a service ceiling of 16,404 feet. Endurance from the Mercedes engine was reported to be roughly 3 hours of flight time.

The C.IV entered service with Germany in early 1916 during the spring season. By June of 1917, no fewer than 150 examples were operating along the Western Front alone. The mount proved a success for the time it was fielded and several models continued in service after the cessation of hostilities.

The C.IV was produced in two other lesser-known variants designated as C.IVa and C.IV.N. The C.IVa distinguished itself from the base model by fitting an Argus engine of 180 horsepower. The C.IV.N was the prototype form of a C.IV night bomber developed sometime in 1917. The night bomber form was powered by a single Benz Bz.III series engine of 180 horsepower and would have carried 6 x 110lb bombs externally.

Beyond service to Imperial Germany, the C.IV was also fielded by the Turkish Flying Corps and the Bulgarian Air Force as well as with Poland - the latter in the years following the war (at least 64 examples).©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.
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Specifications



Service Year
1916

Origin
Imperial Germany national flag graphic
Imperial Germany

Status
RETIRED
Not in Service.
Crew
2

Production
658
UNITS


Allgemeine Elektritzitats Gesellschaft (AEG) - Germany
(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of Bulgaria National flag of the German Empire National flag of Poland National flag of Turkey Bulgaria; German Empire; Turkey; Poland
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.


Length
23.5 ft
(7.15 m)
Width/Span
44.2 ft
(13.46 m)
Height
11.0 ft
(3.35 m)
Empty Wgt
1,768 lb
(802 kg)
MTOW
2,469 lb
(1,120 kg)
Wgt Diff
+701 lb
(+318 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base AEG C.IV production variant)
Installed: 1 x Mercedes D.III water-cooled in-line engine developing 160 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Max Speed
98 mph
(158 kph | 85 kts)
Ceiling
16,404 ft
(5,000 m | 3 mi)
Range
280 mi
(450 km | 833 nm)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base AEG C.IV 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, FIXED:
2 x 7.92mm machine guns in fixed, forward-firing mountings.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 220lb of externally-held conventional drop bombs.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun
Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition


(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 2


C.IV - Base Production Model; fitted with 1 x Mercedes D.III series water-cooled in-line engine of 160 horsepower; 1 x Spandau machine gun in forward cockpit; 1 x Parabellum machine gun in rear observer's cockpit.
C.IVa - Fitted with a 1 x Argus engine of 180 horsepower.
C.IV.N - Night Bomber Model with provision for 6 x 110lb bombs; fitted with 1 x Benz Bz.III engine; elongated wings.


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.
68
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 100mph
Lo: 50mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (98mph).

Graph average of 75 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
 
  LON
LON
 
  PAR
PAR
 
  BER
BER
 
  MOS
MOS
 
  TOK
TOK
 
  SYD
SYD
 
  LAX
LAX
 
  NYC
AEG C.IV operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Small airplane graphic
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Pie graph section
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (658)
658
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
>>

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Front left side view of an AEG C.IV at rest


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