Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV

Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV
Role	Bomber
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Schütte-Lanz
Designer	Graf von Zeppelin
First flight	25 July 1918
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Developed from	Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV

The Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV was an Imperial German bomber of World War I. An incremental improvement to the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, this was one of a series of large strategic bombers called Riesenflugzeuge intended to be less vulnerable than dirigibles in use at the time.

Development

Almost identical to the R.XIV, the R.XV had a lighter airframe and more refined aerodynamics, in an effort to improve performance. Three aircraft were ordered, (R.46 to R.48); all three being completed by 1 September 1918.

As with most Zeppelin Riesenflugzeuge, the R.XV had two engine pods with 4 engines in a push-pull configuration, large enough for some in-flight maintenance. Additional power was provided by a fifth engine mounted in the nose of the aircraft.

Operational history

At least two of the R.XVs built saw action on the Western Front, late in 1918.

Operators

• German Empire

Specifications (Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV)

Data from The German Giants

General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Length: 22.5 m (73 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 42.2 m (138 ft 5 in)
• Height: 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 334 m² (3,600 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 7,921 kg (17,463 lb)
• Gross weight: 14,450 kg (31,857 lb)
• Powerplant: 5 × Maybach Mb.IVa 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engines, 183 kW (245 hp) each

Performance

• Cruising speed: 130 km/h (81 mph; 70 kn)
• Range: 800 km (497 mi; 432 nmi)

Armament

References

• A. K. Rohrbach, “Das 1000-PS Verkehrsflugzeug der Zeppelin-Werke, Staaken,” Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt, vol. 12, no. 1 (15 January 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.