John Rickard <j...@rickard.karoo.co.uk>

This week we look at British Aircraft of the First World War, starting
with the aircraft designed by Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco and
continuing with the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 family of
reconnaissance aircraft.

Airco D.H. Aircraft of the First World War

The Airco D.H.1 was the first production aircraft designed by Geoffrey
de Havilland after his appointment as Chief Designer for the Aircraft
Manufacturing Co. Ltd in June 1914.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH1.html

The Airco D.H.2 was the first purpose built fighter aircraft to enter
British service, and played a major part in the defeat of the Fokker
monoplanes and the end of the Fokker scourge.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH2.html

The Airco D.H.3 was Geoffrey de Havilland's first twin engined
aircraft and was designed as a day bomber with the range to hit German
industry.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH3.html

The Airco D.H.4 was the Royal Flying Corps' first purpose-built day
bomber, filling a role that until then had been carried out by
aircraft that had been designed for other duties.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH4.html

The Airco D.H.5 was designed in 1916 as a replacement for Geoffrey de
Havilland's earlier D.H.2 pusher aircraft, but it was outclassed by
its British contemporaries and was most useful as a ground attack
aircraft
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH5.html

The Airco D.H.6 was Geoffrey de Havilland's first training aircraft,
and was a deliberately simple aircraft designed to be produced in
large numbers in preparation for the massive expansion of the R.F.C.
planned for 1917.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH6.html

The Airco D.H.7 was a design for a single-seat single-engined tractor
fighter, to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon engine.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH7.html

The Airco D.H.8 was a design for a pusher aircraft that would have
been armed with the 1 ½ pounder Coventry Ordnance Works gun (the
C.O.W. Gun)
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH8.html

The Airco D.H.9 was an unsuccessful single engined day bomber designed
to replace the D.H.4 but that was let down by its original engine.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH9.html

The Airco D.H.9A was a single-engined day bomber produced by matching
the fuselage of the unsuccessful Airco D.H.9 with a 400hp Liberty 12
engine. The resulting aircraft was one of the most successful bombers
of its period and remained in front line service with the RAF until
1931.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH9A.html

The Airco D.H.10 Amiens was a two-engined heavy bomber based on the
earlier D.H.3, but that arrived too late to make any contribution to
the fighting during the First World War.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH10_amiens.html

The Airco D.H.11 Oxford was designed as a potential replacement for
the D.H.10 twin-engined day bomber, but never progressed beyond the
prototype stage.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH11_oxford.html

The Airco D.H.12 was to have been a twin engined day bomber based on
the D.H.11 Oxford
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH12.html

The Airco D.H.14 Okapi was a single-engined day bomber designed to
replace de Havilland's earlier single engined bombers, but that never
progressed beyond the prototype stage.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH14_okapi.html

The Airco D.H.15 Gazelle was an experimental version of the D.H.9A,
built as a flying test bed for a 500hp B.H.P. Atlantic twelve cylinder
water-cooled engine
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_airco_DH15_gazelle.html

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 family

We start with a list of Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2/ B.E.12 Squadrons
of the First World War.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2_squadrons.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory (R.A.F.) was responsible for the design of
most Royal Flying Corps aircraft in the early years of the First World
War.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/company_royal_aircraft_factory.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 was the first tractor biplane to be
designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, and was the immediate predecessor
of the B.E.2 and its variants, the mainstay of the early R.F.C.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE1.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was the second in the Factory's
series of experimental tractor biplanes, and was also the prototype
for the B.E.2a and the family of aircraft that followed.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2a was a two seat tractor biplane that
became the standard equipment of the pre-First World War Royal Flying
Corps.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2a.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2b was a slightly improved version of
the B.E.2a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, developed early in 1914
to increase crew comfort.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2b.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c was the most controversial British
aircraft of the First World War. Designed to be a stable
reconnaissance platform it was a perfectly capable military aircraft
until the arrival of the Fokker E.I, when its built-in stability and
lack of any defensive armament made it a sitting duck
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2c.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2d was a version of the B.E.2c with
dual controls and a modified fuel system that was produced in small
numbers between October 1915 and early 1916.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2d.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e was produced in an attempt to
improve the military performance of the B.E.2c. Taken in isolation
these efforts were successful, for the B.E.2e was the fastest version
of the B.E.2, but the improvements weren't enough to compensate for
the ever-increasing capacity of German fighter aircraft
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2e.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2f was the designation given to
existing B.E.2cs that had been modified to the B.E.2e standard by
giving them the unequal span wings and modified tail of the newer
design.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2f.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2g was the designation given to
existing B.E.2ds that had been modified to the B.E.2e standard by
giving them the unequal span wings and modified tail of the newer
design.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE2g.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3 was the third entry in the BE.1/2
family and differed from the earlier aircraft in having heavily
staggered wings
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE3.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.4 was structurally identical to the B.E.
3 but with a more powerful engine
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE4.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.5 was one of a number of similar
aircraft all based on the original B.E.1 built by the Aircraft Factory
in the years before the First World War.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE5.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.6 was one of a series of early R.A.F.
aircraft that were official produced by reconstructing damaged
aircraft, in this case the Factory's own S.E.1.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE6.html

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.7 was a higher powered version of the
B.E.3 and B.E.4, two experimental members of the B.E.2 family that
were distinguished mainly by their staggered wings.
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE7.html