Junkers CL.I

Single-Seat Monoplane Fighter [ 1918 ]

The Junkers CL.I could have been so much more had it not been for production difficulties encountered in war time Germany.

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

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The Junkers CL.I was something of a break-through aircraft design for its time, appearing during the latter stages of World War 1 (1914-1918). Due to production difficulties in war-torn Germany, the aircraft saw only limited manufacture numbering less than 50 units. Junkers approached the CL.1 with a largely metal design coupled to a low-wing assembly - this at a time when manufacturers favored fabric-over-wood aircraft utilizing an upper and lower wing assembly (biplane).

Development of the CL.1 was formed along the lines of the preceding all-metal designs in the Junkers D.I and the J.I. The CL.1 was given a standard operating crew of two seated in tandem with the pilot in the forward open-air cockpit and his gunner/observer in the rear cockpit. The engine was mounted at the front in the usual way with a single-finned tail unit at the rear. Power was served from a Mercedes D.IIIa series 6-cylinder, liquid-cooled, inline engine developing 180 horsepower. This, coupled to the airframe design, provided a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour with a service ceiling reaching 19,600 feet. The aircraft featured an armament suite of 3 x 7.92mm machine guns - two fixed, forward-firing and the third on a trainable mount in the rear cockpit - as standard along with provision for antipersonnel grenade dispensers mounted under the fuselage.

Despite the revolutionary design, German factories were heavily experienced in the rapid construction of fabric-over-wood aircraft and found the metal design of the CL.1 difficult to incorporate into well-accepted practices. The promising CL.I therefore foundered and held little impact by war's end. Despite the CL.1's failed showing, the concept of all-metal construction in aircraft grew into the norm heading into the interwar years. Indeed, all-metal aircraft were the norm during World War 2, making fabric-over-wood mounts largely obsolete.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1918

Origin

Imperial Germany

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

47
UNITS

Junkers - 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

25.9 ft
(7.90 m)

Width/Span

39.5 ft
(12.04 m)

Height

8.7 ft
(2.65 m)

Empty Wgt

2,315 lb
(1,050 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Junkers CL.I production variant)

Installed: 1 x Mercedes D.IIIa 6-cylinder liquid-cooled inline engine developing 180 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

100 mph
(161 kph | 87 kts)

Ceiling

19,685 ft
(6,000 m | 4 mi)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Junkers CL.I 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 in fixed, forward-firing mounts on fuselage.
1 x 7.92mm machine gun on trainable mounting in rear cockpit.

OPTIONAL:
Antipersonnel Grenade Dispensers.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

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

Hardpoint Mountings: 2

CL.I - Base Series Designation

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