Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI is an incremental improvement to the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI. This was one of a series of large bombers called Riesenflugzeugen intended to be less vulnerable than dirigibles in use at the time.
| Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI | |
|---|---|
| Role | Bomber |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Schütte-Lanz |
| Designer | Graf von Zeppelin |
| First flight | 1918 |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Variants | Zeppelin-Staaken R.V, Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV, Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge |
Development
The Staaken Bomber had two engine pods with 4 engines in a push-pull configuration. The pods were large enough for some in-flight maintenance. [1]
Operational history
3 Staaken R.XIVa (Schül), were scheduled to be built under license by the Schütte-Lanz company. One was only partially completed by January 1919. Each were destroyed to prevent falling into enemy hands. A Staaken R.XIVa built by Staaken was completed on 19 October 1918 and was chartered by the post-War Ukrainian government to fly money into the Ukraine, but was seized by the Inter-Allied Control Commission at Aspern, near Vienna, after it returned from Ukraine. It was subsequently turned over to the Italians.
Operators
Specifications (Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI)
General characteristics
- Crew: 7
- Length: 22.1 m (72 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 42.2 m (138 ft 5 in)
- Height: 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 332 m2 (3,570 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 7,921 kg (17,463 lb)
- Gross weight: 11,848 kg (26,120 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Benz Bz.VI pusher engine , 400 kW (530 hp) each
- Powerplant: 2 × Benz Bz.IV tractor engines , 160 kW (220 hp) each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)
- Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
Armament
Notes
References
- A. K. Rohrbach, “Das 1000-PS Verkehrsflugzeug der Zeppelin-Werke, Staaken,” Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt, vol. 12, no. 1 (15 Jan. 1921);
- E. Offermann, W. G. Noack, and A. R. Weyl, Riesenflugzeuge, in: Handbuch der Flugzeugkunde (Richard Carl Schmidt & Co., 1927).
- The German Giants by G.W. Haddow and Peter M. Grosz.
http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.film.f/f041a A Zeppelin-Staaken R XIVa airplane lands in Aspern, 1919