Halberstadt CL.IV

Ground Attack / Biplane Fighter Aircraft

Imperial Germany | 1918

"Though excelling in the ground attack role, the Halberstadt CL.IV biplane attacker lacked the needed protection against ground-based fire."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/18/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

The CL.IV was a further development of the CL.II design, both aircraft a product of Halberstadt Flugzeugwerke of Germany. The CL.II was found to be a perfect platform when used in the close-support role and, as such, the CL.IV was designed as its replacement with that specific role in mind. Fielded in 1918, the type served in the final major campaigns of the First World War, taking on sorties that ran the gamut of light bombing, ground strafing, nightbombing and interception while still being capable of dogfighting.

The CL.IV was of an orthodox design with a crew of two. The pilot occupied the forward cockpit area just behind the trailing edge of the upper wing. Visibility was somewhat obscured due to the wing placement but views above, left and right were generally good. The pilot had access to a synchronized 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine gun. The engine was mounted to the extreme forward of the fuselage just in front of the pilot and was of a 160 horsepower Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder, in-line, water-cooled engine type operating a two-blade propeller. The observer/gunner sat to the pilot's rear (directly behind actually, separated only by a wood panel) and operated a ring-mounted 7.92mm Parabellum LMG 14 machine gun. Externally, the CL.IV was designed to carry up to five 10 kilogram bombs. Wings were of equal span with single bays supported by parallel struts. The undercarriage was traditional, with two main wheels and a tail skid.

The new design proved a great deal better than her forerunner. The CL.IV was a stronger aircraft with good maneuverability. Though an exceptional aircraft when taking on ground targets, protection afforded to the crew was less than stellar, forcing the pilot to utilize the maneuverability of the CL.IV to avoid ground fire. With this in mind, the CL.IV was fielded in handfuls for collectively devastating attacks on ground forces through use of machine guns or bombs. Despite their effectiveness in this role, victory was falling ever farther from Germany's reach until the country officially capitulated.

The CL.IV was designed by Halberstadt chief designer Karl Thies.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Halberstadt CL.IV Ground Attack / Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

1 x Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder in-line water-cooled engine developing 160 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

116 mph
186 kph | 100 kts
Max Speed

20,997 ft
6,400 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

300 miles
482 km | 260 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Halberstadt CL.IV Ground Attack / Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

21.5 ft
6.54 m
O/A Length

35.2 ft
(10.74 m)
O/A Width

8.8 ft
(2.67 m)
O/A Height

1,605 lb
(728 kg)
Empty Weight

2,348 lb
(1,065 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Halberstadt CL.IV Ground Attack / Biplane Fighter Aircraft .

STANDARD:
1 x 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 synchronized machine gun
1 x 7.92mm Parabellum LMG 14 in rear seat cockpit

OPTIONAL:
4 OR 5 x 10kg bombs carried.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Halberstadt CL.IV family line.

CL.IV - Base Production Model Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Halberstadt CL.IV. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 700 Units
Contractor(s): Halberstadter (Halberstadt ) Flugzeugwerke GmbH - Germany

[ Estonia; German Empire; Poland; Russian Empire ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 120mph

Lo: 60mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (116mph).

Graph Average of 90 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

700

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 10