Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV

National origin: Germany
Manufacturer: Schutte-Lanz
Designer: Graf von Zeppelin
First flight: 1918
Introduction: 1918
Primary user: Luftstreitkrx¤fte
Developed from: Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
Variants: Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI

The Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV was an incremental improvement to the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI. This was one of a series of large bombers called Riesenflugzeugen intended to be less vulnerable than dirigibles in use at the time.

Development

The Staaken Bomber had two engine pods with 4 engines in a push-pull configuration. The pods were large enough for some in-flight maintenance. A fifth internal engine was used to drive a supercharger.

Operational history

3 Staaken R.XV (Schx¼l), were built.

Operators

German Empire

Specifications (Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV)

General characteristics

Crew: 7
Length: 42 m (138 ft)
Wingspan: 42.2 m (138 ft 5 in)
Height: 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 332 m (3,570 sq ft)
Empty weight: 7,921 kg (17,463 lb)
Gross weight: 14,450 kg (31,857 lb)
Powerplant: 5 x— Maybach MB.IV

Performance

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

Armament

A. K. Rohrbach, “Das 1000-PS Verkehrsflugzeug der Zeppelin-Werke, Staaken,â€� Zeitschrift fx¼r 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.

Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV Pictures

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Source: WikiPedia