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Häfeli DH-4

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Häfeli DH-4
Role fighter
Manufacturer K+W
Designer August Häfeli
First flight early 1918
Primary user Swiss Air Force
Number built 1

The Häfeli DH-4 was a Swiss fighter prototype in the late 1910s, build by the Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette. The DH-4 was a single-seat fighter based on the successful Häfeli DH-3 design. It was made of wood with fabric covering, and carried one machine gun.

Operational history

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The Swiss Air Force trialled it from May 1918 to August 1918, but the DH-4 was found to possess disappointing performance and poor handling. As such only one was ever produced and production ceased in late 1918.

List of operators

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 Switzerland

Specifications

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Data from The Complete Book of Fighters[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 6 m (19 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in)
  • Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
  • Wing area: 22 m2 (240 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 640 kg (1,411 lb)
  • Gross weight: 885 kg (1,951 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza HS-41 V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 112 kW (150 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 148 km/h (92 mph, 80 kn)
  • Range: 300 km (190 mi, 160 nmi)
  • Endurance: 4 hours 30 minutes
  • Rate of climb: 4.5 m/s (890 ft/min)
  • Time to altitude: 1,829 m (6,000 ft) in 14 minutes

Armament

  • Guns: 1 x synchronised machine gun

References

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  1. ^ Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander. p. 272. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.