Hansa-Brandenburg W.12

what is it?

The Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 was a biplane fighter floatplane built by the Hansa-Brandenburg Aircraft Company (Hansa Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke) for the Imperial German Navy's (Kaiserliche Marine) Naval Air Service (Marine-Fliegerabteilung) during World War I. Six prototypes were ordered in 1916 and deliveries began the following year. The W.12s served on the Western Front, based at the naval air bases in Occupied Belgium and along the German Bight. The aircraft was successful, and one shot down the British airship C.27.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · floatplane

base stats

• speed 160 km/htop speed
• range 520 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,454 kgmax take-off weight
• built 181made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 109 years ago, in 1917.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1917

number built

181

role

floatplane fighter

makers

Hansa-Brandenburg

engines

1× Mercedes D.III

crew

2

length

9.6 m

height

3.3 m

max take-off weight

1,454 kg

top speed

160 km/h

range

520 km

ceiling

5,000 m

wings

biplane

landing gear

floatplane

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.