Albatros C.X

{{Short description|German military reconnaissance aircraft}}  {{Infobox aircraft |name= Albatros C.X |image= Albatros C.X.jpg |caption= Scale model of an Albatros C.X |type= Reconnaissance aircraft |manufacturer= Albatros Flugzeugwerke |designer= |first_flight= |introduction= |retired= |status= |primary_user= ''Luftstreitkräfte'' |more_users= |produced= |number_built= >300 |variants= }}

The '''Albatros C.X''' was a military reconnaissance aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Albatros Flugzeugwerke.

The C.X was essentially an enlarged development of the Albatros C.VII designed to take advantage of the new Mercedes D.IVa engine that became available in 1917. Unlike the C.VII that preceded it in service, the C.X utilised the top wing spar-mounted radiator that had first been tried on the C.V/17. Other important modernisation features included provision for oxygen for the crew and radio equipment. The C.X entered service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' during 1917 and saw active combat during the latter portion of the First World War.

==Design and development== What would become the Albatros C.X was designed fairly promptly after the emergence of the earlier Albatros C.VII.<ref name="Grey and Thetford pp. 3134"/> This predecessor aircraft had been hastily developed as a stop-gap measure following the abrupt end of production of the Albatros C.V due to severe engine issues. For the C.X, the company's design team sought to design a more long term successor aircraft that would be capable of greater performance.<ref name="Grey and Thetford pp. 3134">Grey and Thetford 1962, pp. 31-34.</ref> Nonetheless, the design conformed with many of the established approaches and techniques in use by Albatros at that time; the single most distinctive feature of the C.X was its adoption of the Mercedes D.IVa engine, a relatively powerful engine for the time, being capable of generating up to 260 hp. The airframe also had considerably more generous proportions than the earlier models, despite its adherence to the same core design formula.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 34">Grey and Thetford 1962, p. 34.</ref>

The fuselage of the C.X, akin to Albatros' earlier C series aircraft, was composed of plywood with slab-sided construction; it differed by being wider, longer, and deeper than any of its predecessors.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 34"/> This additional volume permitted the installation of new facilities and equipment, such as oxygen breathing apparatus in the forward cockpit, which was occupied by the pilot, while the observer's rear cockpit was furnished with an extensive radio set. Neither the tail surfaces or the undercarriage, which were largely made up of plywood and steel tubing, had any substantial changes from those of the C.V.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 34"/>

The wings, which comprised two wooden box-spars and a two-bay cable-braced layout, were considerably revised, possessing a considerably larger span and area than earlier aircraft.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 34"/> Furthermore, the angular raked wingtips of its predecessors were dispensed with in favour of a more aerodynamic tip profile. Ailerons were installed near to all four wingtips that achieved relatively sensitive lateral control throughout the flight envelope; these on the wing's upper surfaces featured large rectangular inset balance positions.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 34"/> The root of the upper wing accommodated an aerofoil-type radiator to cool the engine; the shutter rate could be easily monitored and changed by the pilot according to the operating conditions. The new wing design was aimed at, in combination with the aircraft's relatively powerful engine, attaining the greatest possible altitude.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 34"/>

During 1917, the C.X entered service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', where it was primarily used in both the aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting roles.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 3435"/> By October 1917, roughly 300 aircraft were believed to have been operational. In addition to Albatros, four other manufacturers were sub-contracted to produce the C.X to meet the urgent wartime demands of the Central Powers.<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 35">Grey and Thetford 1962, p. 35.</ref>

==Operators== ;{{flag|German Empire}} * ''Luftstreitkräfte''

==Specifications (C.X)== {{Aircraft specs |ref= ''German Aircraft of the First World War''<ref name="Grey and Thetford p. 3435">Grey and Thetford 1962, pp. 34-35.</ref> |prime units? = met |crew= two (pilot and observer) |length m= 9.15 |length ft= 30 |length in= 0 |span m= 14.36 |span ft= 47 |span in= 1 |height m= 3.4 |height ft= 11 |height in= 2 |wing area sqm= 42.7 |wing area sqft= 459 |empty weight kg= 1,050 |empty weight lb= 2,320 |gross weight kg= 1,668 |gross weight lb= 3,677 |eng1 number= 1 |eng1 name= Mercedes D.IVa |eng1 kw=190 |eng1 hp=260 |max speed kmh= 175 |max speed mph= 110 |endurance= Three hours and 25 minutes |ceiling m= 5,000 |ceiling ft= 16,500 |climb rate ms= 3.3 |climb rate ftmin= 660 |armament = * 1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) Spandau LMG 08/15 machine gun * 1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun for observer }}

{{aircontent  |related= |similar aircraft= |lists= |see also= }}

==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}

===Bibliography=== * {{cite book |last1 = Grey |first1 = Peter |first2 = Owen |last2 = Thetford |title = German Aircraft of the First World War |publisher = Putnam |location = London, UK |year = 1970 |edition = Second |isbn = 0-370-00103-6}}

==Further reading== {{Commons category}} * {{cite book |last1 = Grosz |first1 = P. M. |title = Albatros C.X |date = 2005 |publisher = Albatros Productions |location = Berkhampstead, UK |isbn = ((978-1-902207-76-9)) |series = Windsock Datafile |volume = 114}} * {{cite journal |last1 = Klaauw |first1 = Bart van der |title = Unexpected Windfalls: Accidentally or Deliberately, More than 100 Aircraft 'arrived' in Dutch Territory During the Great War |journal = Air Enthusiast |date = March–April 1999 |issue = 80 |pages = 54–59 |issn = 0143-5450}} * {{cite book |last = Taylor |first = Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year = 1989 |publisher = Studio Editions |location = London, UK |pages = 53 }}  {{Albatros aircraft}} {{World War I Aircraft of the Central Powers}} {{Idflieg C-class designations}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Biplanes Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft Category:1910s German military reconnaissance aircraft C.10 Category:Aircraft first flown in 1917 Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear Category:Single-engined piston aircraft

Albatros C.X

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