Häfeli DH-4

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.

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

Operational history

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
  Switzerland

Specifications

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


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