| W.25 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Floatplane fighter |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Hansa-Brandenburg |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1918 |
| Developed from | Hansa-Brandenburg KDW |
TheHansa-Brandenburg W.25 was aprototypefloatplane fighter built by theHansa-Brandenburg Aircraft Company (Hansa Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke) for theImperial German Navy's (Kaiserliche Marine) Naval Air Service (Marine-Fliegerabteilung) duringWorld War I. It was a modified version of the company's single-seatKDW fighter, but it was not accepted for service.
The W.25 was an improved version of the single-seatbiplane KDW with a modifiedsingle-bay wing with conventionalinter-plane struts. It used a water-cooled 150-metric-horsepower (110 kW)Maybach Mb.IIIstraight-six engine rather than theBenz Bz.III engine of the KDW. One prototype was built withailerons only on the upper wing, but maneuverability was unsatisfactory. It was then modified with a second pair of ailerons on the lower wing connected to the upper ailerons by a strut. The armament consisted of two fixed, forward-firing 7.92-millimeter (0.312 in)LMG 08/15 machine guns.[1]
The sole prototype of the W.25 was delivered to the Seaplane Experimental Command (Seeflugzeug-Versuchs-Kommando) in February 1918. It did not enter production because the Naval Air Service had lost interest in single-seat floatplane fighters by this time. The aircraft was then used as atraining aircraft.[1] It was located atRügen-Bug when theAllies inspected the German seaplane bases in December 1918. Its ultimate fate is unknown, but it was likelyscrapped.[2]
Data from German Aircraft of the First World War;[3] Hansa-Brandenburg Aircraft of WWI: Volume 2–Biplane Seaplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series[4]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related lists
