Albatros C.I

History

The Albatross C.I aircraft family is the next evolution in the brand's reconnaissance aircraft family. Derived from the development of the Albatross B.II product, the C.I shares many of the features common to the original design, including the biplane wing assembly and basic fuselage design.

However, it differs from the B.II in crew assignments, the implementation of self-defense weapons, and increased capabilities. The C.I became the aircraft that introduced many German aces into air combat and honed their skills before evolving into a new generation of true fighter jets.

The C.I, like the B.II before it, had two crew quarters, a pilot and a rear "observer" who also doubled as a gunner. Unlike the B.II, the C.I switched the pilot and observer positions to a more traditional layout, placing the pilot directly behind the engine and the observer to the rear. This gives the pilot a more traditional vantage point from the front of his machine, while the rear spotter/gunner has a larger area to train his weapon for self-defense.

Armament includes a 7.5mm Parabellum machine gun located in the rear gunner section. Furthermore, the system was a reconnaissance aircraft not built for direct combat, although the CI was quite successful in this regard.

The Albatros C.I offers a performance upgrade thanks to the Mercedes D.III liquid-cooled inline engine. Performance boosts top speed from 66 mph in the B.II to 87 mph in the C.I.

However, the endurance of the newer C.I suffered considerably, going from the B.I's 4 hours flight time to just 2 hours flight time. Despite this, the powerplant was one of the best and most powerful at the time.

Compared to its contemporaries, its handling is described as excellent, and despite these shortcomings, it is still a deadly weapon.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes