Dornier Do 215

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_215

The Dornier Do 215 was a light bomber, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and later
a night fighter, produced by Dornier originally for export, but in the event all
except two served in the Luftwaffe. Like its predecessor, the Dornier Do 17, it
inherited the title "The Flying Pencil" because of its slim fuselage. The
successor of the Do 215 was the Do 217.

The Do 17 fast bomber elicited renewed interest from foreign air forces (after
the initial Do 17K series production). In July 1937, Dornier therefore prepared
a pre-series Do 17 Z-0 as a demonstrator for export customers. It was given the
civil registration D-AAIV. While this aircraft was essentially identical to the
production Do 17Z, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium assigned the designation Do
215 to the export version. The V1 prototype retained the 9-cylinder Bramo 323
Fafnir radial engine of the Do 17Z.

The second prototype (Do 215 V2) was equipped with Gnome-Rhône 14-NO radial
engines. It safely completed testing, but did not attract export orders because
it did not offer a notable performance increase over the Do 17Z. Dornier
therefore equipped the V3 prototype with the 1,175 PS (1,159 hp) Daimler-Benz DB
601Ba inline engines. much like the 1937 fitment of the earlier DB 600
powerplants to the Do 17L and M subtypes. The V3, which first flew in the spring
of 1939, showed a noticeable improvement in flight performance compared to the
earlier prototypes.

Series production of the Do 215 A-1 began in 1939. The order, intended for the
Swedish Air Force, was stopped in August 1939 due to the political situation.
The 18 extant aircraft were embargoed and pressed into Luftwaffe service upon
the outbreak of World War II.

Some modifications were made and the resulting aircraft were redesignated Do
215B. This was the standard production version. According to official figures
105 Do 215s were produced between 1939 and 1941 by Dornier in their factory at
Oberpfaffenhofen.


Role
Light bomber/Night fighter

National origin
Germany

Manufacturer
Dornier Flugzeugwerke

Designer
Claude Dornier

First flight
1938

Introduction
1939

Retired
1944

Primary user
Luftwaffe

Produced
1939–1941

Number built
105

Developed from
Dornier Do 17

The Luftwaffe initially operated the Do 215 as a bomber and reconnaissance
aircraft. Aircraft equipped with the Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 cameras were used for
long-range reconnaissance missions, primarily at the Ob.d.L (Oberkommando der
Luftwaffe). Later aircraft operated as night fighters. The last of the Do 215s
were retired in late 1944.

Specifications (Dornier Do 215 B-1)

General characteristics
Crew: 4 (pilot, bomb aimer/gunner, two gunners)
Length: 15.79 m (51 ft 9? in)
Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 0? in)
Height: 4.56 m (14 ft 11½ in)
Wing area: 55 m² (592 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,200 kg (11,464 lb)
Loaded weight: 8,600 kg (18,959 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 601 Ba V-12-cylinder inverted vee type engines,
1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 506 km/h (273 kn, 314 mph) at 4,500 m (14,764 ft)
Range: 2,450 km (1,323 nmi, 1,522 mi) normal
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,500 ft)
Wing loading: 105.1 kg/m² (32.78 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 184 W/kg (0.113 hp/lb)

Armament

4 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns, later upgraded to 6
1,000 kg (2,205 lb) bombs






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