Hansa-Brandenburg W.18

The Hansa-Brandenburg W.18  was a single-seat German built fighter flying boat of World War I.

It was used by both the Imperial German Navy and the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

It was a single engined, single seat flying boat, with a Hiero 6 pusher engine mounted between the wings.

It had single-bay wings, with the unusual “Star-Strutter” arrangement of bracing struts shared with the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I, Hansa-Brandenburg CC, and Hansa-Brandenburg KDW.

Austro-Hungary received 47 Hansa Brandenburg W.18 aircraft, from September 1917 to May 1918, using them to provide air defence for ports and naval bases along the Adriatic sea coast.

One Benz engined example was delivered to the Imperial German Navy.

Specifications

W.18 – Benz engine

Crew

1

Length

8.15 m (26 ft 9 in)

Wingspan

10.70 m (35 ft 1 in)

Height

3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)

Wing area

34.38 m2 (370.1 sq ft)

Empty weight

875 kg (1,929 lb)

Gross weight

1,145 kg (2,524 lb)

Powerplant

1 × Benz Bz.III 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine, 110 kW (150 hp)

Propellers

2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed

160 km/h (99 mph, 86 kn)

Time to altitude

1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 5 minutes; 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 23 minutes

Armament

Guns

1 or 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 Spandau machine guns