| DH.3 | |
|---|---|
 Airco DH.3 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Biplanebomber |
| Manufacturer | Airco |
| Designer | |
| Status | Prototype |
| Number built | 2[1] |
| History | |
| First flight | before May 1916 |
| Developed into | Airco DH.10 Amiens |
TheAirco DH.3 was a British bomber aircraft of theFirst World War. The DH.3 was designed in 1916 as a long-range day bomber byGeoffrey de Havilland, chief designer at theAircraft Manufacturing Company. It was a largebiplane with wide-span three-bay wings, slenderfuselage, and a curvedrudder. It was powered by two 120 hp (89 kW)Beardmore engines, mounted as pushers between the wings. In addition totailskid landing gear, two wheels were placed under the nose to prevent it from tipping over on the nose.
A second prototype, designatedDH.3A, was built with more powerful 160 hp (120 kW) Beardmore engines, and theWar Office placed a production order for 50.[1] This order was cancelled before any could be completed, possibly because the climb rate was still far too low, with it taking 58 minutes to reach 6,500 feet, and the other contender, theRoyal Aircraft Factory F.E.4 was even worse,[2] which madestrategic bombing with these machines impracticable. The two prototypes were scrapped in 1917.[3]
TheDH.10 Amiens was developed from the DH.3A with much more powerful engines (boosting installed power from 320 hp (240 kW) to nearly 800 hp (600 kW)) and some detail changes were made. This development first flew in March 1918, but was too late to see squadron service during the war.
Data from De Havilland Aircraft since 1909[4]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
