what is it?
The Junkers J.I (manufacturer's name J 4) was a German "J-class" armored sesquiplane of World War I, developed for low-level ground attack, observation and army cooperation. It is especially noteworthy as being the first all-metal aircraft to enter mass production; the aircraft's metal construction and heavy armour was a shield against small arms fire over the battlefield.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 16 m wingspan
base stats
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.
- Wingspan of 16 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1917-01-28
- introduced
- 1917
- retired
- 1919
- status
- retired
- number built
- 227
- role
- observation and liaison aircraft
- makers
- Junkers Motorenbau und Junkers Flugzeugwerk
- engines
- 1× Benz Bz.IV / Bz.IV
- passengers
- 2
- length
- 9.1 m
- wingspan
- 16 m
- height
- 3.4 m
- max take-off weight
- 2,140 kg
- top speed
- 155 km/h
- range
- 310 km
- ceiling
- 4,000 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q10794520, Wikipedia: Junkers J.I (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.