Hafeli DH-2

Armed Reconnaissance Biplane Aircraft

Switzerland | 1916

"The DH-2 was the second attempt by Arthur Hafeli to produce a workable armed reconnaissance biplane for the Swiss Air Force."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/11/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Fresh off the heels of its 1916 DH-1 twin-boom reconnaissance biplane design (detailed elsewhere on this site), Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette (K+W) of Switzerland moved its attention to a possibly improved successor, the aptly-designated "DH-2" with Arthur Hafeli once again at the helm of the new development. Flying the same year as its predecessor, the DH-2 took on a more conventional in-line design, doing away with the twin-boom approach, though still relying on a biplane mainplane framework and two-person crew. Like the DH-1 before it, the DH-2 saw only limited production totals of just six aircraft and, similarly, was only in service with the Swiss Air Force for a short time.

The DH-2 of 1916 followed suit in that it was developed along the lines of a reconnaissance platform. The engine was set at the nose for tractor/puller function as opposed to the DH-1's trailer/pusher configuration at the rear of the central nacelle. A pair of open-air cockpits allowed for a crew of two, pilot and observer. The mainplane utilized the typical over-under arrangement of the time and featured twin bays with parallel strut works. Fabric-over-wood construction was used throughout most of the design. The tail included a single, small-area vertical fin and a pair of horizontal planes. For ground-running, a fixed, twin-legged/twin-wheeled undercarriage with tailskid was used.

While its original prototype form carried a German 100 horsepower Mercedes D.I engine, primary power for the series eventually stemmed from a single Argus As II liquid-cooled inline piston engine of 120 horsepower and this used to drive a wooden propeller blade at the nose (the same as powering the earlier DH-1). Estimated performance figures included a maximum speed of 75 miles-per-hour, a range out to 150 miles, and a service ceiling of around 30,000 feet.

All told, the design failed to meet expectations mainly through under-performance which led to no serial production being ordered. This left just the six aforementioned completed airframes which were used strictly for airman training by the Swiss Air Force until 1922 - at which point all were retired and scrapped.

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 Hafeli DH-2 Armed Reconnaissance Biplane Aircraft.

1 x Argus As II liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 120 horsepower driving twin-bladed, fixed-pitch wooden propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

78 mph
125 kph | 67 kts
Max Speed

65 mph
105 kph | 57 kts
Cruise Speed

32,283 ft
9,840 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling

155 miles
250 km | 135 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 Hafeli DH-2 Armed Reconnaissance Biplane Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

26.2 ft
8.00 m
O/A Length

38.4 ft
(11.70 m)
O/A Width

10.2 ft
(3.10 m)
O/A Height

1,653 lb
(750 kg)
Empty Weight

2,425 lb
(1,100 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 Hafeli DH-2 Armed Reconnaissance Biplane Aircraft .

Assumed to be 1 x 7.45mm machine gun on trainable mounting at observer's cockpit position.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Hafeli DH-2 family line.

DH-2 - Base Series Designation.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hafeli DH-2. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 6 Units
Contractor(s): Eidgenossische Konstruktionswerkstaette (K+W) / Hafeli - Switzerland

[ Switzerland ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 100mph

Lo: 50mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (78mph).

Graph Average of 75 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

6

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 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Hafeli DH-2 Armed Reconnaissance Biplane Aircraft.

Hafeli DH-1

Going Further...
The Hafeli DH-2 Armed Reconnaissance Biplane Aircraft appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

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. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)