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Airco DH.10 Amiens
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Airco DH.10 Amiens
The Airco DH.10 Amiens was a twin-engined heavy bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airco. It performed the first nighttime air mail service in the world on 14-15 May 1919.
The DH.10 was developed in the final years of the First World War in response to a requirement to equip the newly-formed Royal Air Force (RAF) with an expanded offensive bombing capability. It was based upon the earlier Airco DH.3 bomber, which had not been pursued largely due to disinterest in heavy bombers at that time. The first prototype performed its maiden flight on 4 March 1918; dissatisfaction with its performance led to the aircraft being redesigned with more powerful engines and a tractor configuration, which was received more favourably. Over 1,200 DH.10s were on order at one stage.
Only a handful of DH.10s had been delivered to the RAF, and a single offensive mission conducted, before the Armistice of 11 November 1918 came into effect, ending the conflict. The diminishing need for bombers meant orders for the type were reduced and production was scaled back substantially. Nevertheless, over 250 DH.10s were constructed and were operated during the interwar period, seeing use in the Third Anglo-Afghan war as well as for air mail services in various regions. The type was replaced by more capable bombers during the early 1920s.
The origins of the DH.10 can be largely traced back to April 1917 and the Air Board's issuing of Specification A.2.b, which sought a new day bomber, powered either by single or twin-engines. Stipulations of the requirement included up to 500 lb of bombs, at least two guns with 150 lb of ammunition, and the ability to fly at least 110 mph at an altitude of 15,000 feet when fully loaded. A good means of communication between the crew was also mentioned, as well as for the aircraft to be capable of staying afloat for at least three hours in the event of a water landing. In late 1917, Airco decided to respond to A.2.b, with the work headed by the aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland. The proposal was heavily derived from the company's earlier 320 hp (240 kW) DH.3A bomber, which had flown in 1916 but had been rejected by the War Office largely due to a lack of engine power resulting in a dismal climb rate - taking 58 minutes to reach 6,500 feet, which made strategic bombing with it impractical, while the other submission for the role, the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4 had fared even worse.
In comparison to the DH.3, the proposed aircraft, which was designated DH.10, shared a broadly similar configuration but was slightly larger. While also equipped with twin engines, more powerful Siddeley Puma engines, each capable of generating up to 230 hp (170 kW), were adopted for the aircraft in a pusher arrangement. It was also designed as a three-seater, an arrangement that met with official acceptance despite the specification having called for a crew of two. Having been sufficiently impressed with the proposal, the company was issued with Contract No. AS.31576 for a total of four prototypes to be constructed.
The first prototype, C8858, conducted its maiden flight on 4 March 1918. Originally, the first flight had been intended to occur in January 1918, but its completion had been delayed due to labour issues and the late delivery of components. During its service evaluation at Martlesham Heath one month later, the performance of this prototype was determined to be beneath expectations, attaining only 90 mph (140 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m) with the required bomb load, compared with the specified 110 mph (180 km/h). Owing to this poor performance, the DH.10 was redesigned with more powerful engines in a tractor installation.
The second prototype, C8959, known as the Amiens Mark.II, was powered by two 360 hp (270 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. It made its first flight on 20 April 1918 and was test flown by Airco for roughly two months. It demonstrated superior performance, proving to be faster than the single engine Airco DH.9A while carrying twice the bomb load, that the company decided to adopt the tractor configuration for all future aircraft. While shortages of the Eagle meant that the Amiens Mark.II could not be put into production, it proved the design of the definitive aircraft. The third design, Amiens Mark III, prototypes C8860 and C4283, which was powered by the more readily available 395 hp (295 kW) Liberty 12 from America, as was the DH.9A.
During June 1918, evaluation flights of the third prototype commenced; it was damaged in a crash at Martlesham Heath that summer, but was repaired. The fourth prototype was almost one-for-one identical with the subsequent production aircraft; it started official evaluations during August 1918. According to aviation author J.M. Bruce, confidence in the DH.10 was relatively high amongst officials. Following its successful evaluation, several large orders were placed, totalling 1,291 aircraft on order at one point.
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Airco DH.10 Amiens
The Airco DH.10 Amiens was a twin-engined heavy bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airco. It performed the first nighttime air mail service in the world on 14-15 May 1919.
The DH.10 was developed in the final years of the First World War in response to a requirement to equip the newly-formed Royal Air Force (RAF) with an expanded offensive bombing capability. It was based upon the earlier Airco DH.3 bomber, which had not been pursued largely due to disinterest in heavy bombers at that time. The first prototype performed its maiden flight on 4 March 1918; dissatisfaction with its performance led to the aircraft being redesigned with more powerful engines and a tractor configuration, which was received more favourably. Over 1,200 DH.10s were on order at one stage.
Only a handful of DH.10s had been delivered to the RAF, and a single offensive mission conducted, before the Armistice of 11 November 1918 came into effect, ending the conflict. The diminishing need for bombers meant orders for the type were reduced and production was scaled back substantially. Nevertheless, over 250 DH.10s were constructed and were operated during the interwar period, seeing use in the Third Anglo-Afghan war as well as for air mail services in various regions. The type was replaced by more capable bombers during the early 1920s.
The origins of the DH.10 can be largely traced back to April 1917 and the Air Board's issuing of Specification A.2.b, which sought a new day bomber, powered either by single or twin-engines. Stipulations of the requirement included up to 500 lb of bombs, at least two guns with 150 lb of ammunition, and the ability to fly at least 110 mph at an altitude of 15,000 feet when fully loaded. A good means of communication between the crew was also mentioned, as well as for the aircraft to be capable of staying afloat for at least three hours in the event of a water landing. In late 1917, Airco decided to respond to A.2.b, with the work headed by the aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland. The proposal was heavily derived from the company's earlier 320 hp (240 kW) DH.3A bomber, which had flown in 1916 but had been rejected by the War Office largely due to a lack of engine power resulting in a dismal climb rate - taking 58 minutes to reach 6,500 feet, which made strategic bombing with it impractical, while the other submission for the role, the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4 had fared even worse.
In comparison to the DH.3, the proposed aircraft, which was designated DH.10, shared a broadly similar configuration but was slightly larger. While also equipped with twin engines, more powerful Siddeley Puma engines, each capable of generating up to 230 hp (170 kW), were adopted for the aircraft in a pusher arrangement. It was also designed as a three-seater, an arrangement that met with official acceptance despite the specification having called for a crew of two. Having been sufficiently impressed with the proposal, the company was issued with Contract No. AS.31576 for a total of four prototypes to be constructed.
The first prototype, C8858, conducted its maiden flight on 4 March 1918. Originally, the first flight had been intended to occur in January 1918, but its completion had been delayed due to labour issues and the late delivery of components. During its service evaluation at Martlesham Heath one month later, the performance of this prototype was determined to be beneath expectations, attaining only 90 mph (140 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m) with the required bomb load, compared with the specified 110 mph (180 km/h). Owing to this poor performance, the DH.10 was redesigned with more powerful engines in a tractor installation.
The second prototype, C8959, known as the Amiens Mark.II, was powered by two 360 hp (270 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. It made its first flight on 20 April 1918 and was test flown by Airco for roughly two months. It demonstrated superior performance, proving to be faster than the single engine Airco DH.9A while carrying twice the bomb load, that the company decided to adopt the tractor configuration for all future aircraft. While shortages of the Eagle meant that the Amiens Mark.II could not be put into production, it proved the design of the definitive aircraft. The third design, Amiens Mark III, prototypes C8860 and C4283, which was powered by the more readily available 395 hp (295 kW) Liberty 12 from America, as was the DH.9A.
During June 1918, evaluation flights of the third prototype commenced; it was damaged in a crash at Martlesham Heath that summer, but was repaired. The fourth prototype was almost one-for-one identical with the subsequent production aircraft; it started official evaluations during August 1918. According to aviation author J.M. Bruce, confidence in the DH.10 was relatively high amongst officials. Following its successful evaluation, several large orders were placed, totalling 1,291 aircraft on order at one point.
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