Zeppelin-Staaken R.V

Zeppelin-Staaken R.V
Role	Bomber
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Schütte-Lanz
Designer	Graf von Zeppelin
First flight	1917
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	3
Variants	Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI,

The Zeppelin-Staaken R.V was one of a series of large bombers called Riesenflugzeugen intended to be less vulnerable than the rigid airships in use at the time.

Development

In 1916, Zeppelin moved development of large bombers to Staaken, Germany. The R.V was co-developed alongside the R.VI and R.VII. The Staaken bomber had two engine pods with two engines paired in tandem in each, driving single propellers through clutches, gearboxes and shafts. An additional tractor engine was also fitted in the nose of the fuselage. The pods were large enough for some in-flight maintenance.

Operational history

The Model R.IV was selected for production rather than the R.V because of geared engines that posed a higher developmental risk. Each R-series aircraft required ground crews of 50 men.

Operators

• German Empire

Specifications (Zeppelin-Staaken R.V)

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Length: 23 m (75 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: 9,450 kg (20,834 lb)
• Gross weight: 13,010 kg (28,682 lb)
• Useful load: 3,560 kg (7,850 lb)
• Powerplant: 5 × Maybach Mb.IVa 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engines, 183 kW (245 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph; 73 kn)
• Endurance: 7 hours
• Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,764 ft) approx.
• Time to altitude:
  • 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 10 minutes.
  • 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 22 minutes.
  • 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 34 minutes.
• Wing loading: 42 kg/m² (8.6 lb/sq ft)

Armament

• Guns: 5 x machine-guns in dorsal, ventral, upper wing and two nacelle positions