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Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7 was a British two-seat light bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory and built under contracts by the Coventry Ordnance Works, Austin, Napier and Siddeley-Deasy for the Royal Flying Corps.
Contents
Development
Developed from the R.E.5 the R.E.7 was designed to carry heavier loads and also suitable for escort and reconnaissance duties. It was an-unequal span biplane with a fixed tailskid landing gear and powered by a nose-mounted 120hp (89kW) Beardmore engine driving a four-bladed propeller. The aircraft was built by a number of different contractors with the first aircraft operational with the Royal Flying Corps in France in early 1916. The aircraft had two open cockpits with the observer/gunner in the forward cockpit under the upper wing and the pilot aft.
Operational history
It was soon found that the aircraft could not be used in the escort role due to the limited field of fire for the single lewis gun, but the R.E.7 had a useful payload and was soon used in the light bomber role with the a more powerful engine (either a 150hp (112kW) RAF 4a or 160hp (119kW) Beardmore). Over a quarter of the aircraft built were used in France in the middle of 1916, but their slow speed and low ceiling with a bomb load made them vulnerable to attack. The R.E.7s were withdrawn into a training role and a number were used as engine test beds. An unusual role was as a target tug trailing a sleeve drogue for air-to-air firing practice, probably one of the first aircraft used in this role.
Operator
Specifications (light bomber)
See also
Related lists
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing, 2820.
- British Aircraft Directory
Template:Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
fr:Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7". |
