AEG C.II

The AEG C.II was a German two‑seat reconnaissance biplane built by Allgemeine Elektricitäts‑Gesellschaft (AEG) during the First World War. First flown in early 1916, it entered service with the Luftstreitkräfte as a successor to the earlier C.I, incorporating a more powerful 150 hp Benz Bz.III engine that raised its top speed to about 150 km/h and gave it a service ceiling of 4 500 m. The aircraft featured a conventional wooden frame covered with fabric, staggered wings of equal span, and a fixed V‑strut undercarriage. Its tandem cockpit placed the pilot forward and the observer behind, the latter equipped with a flexible Parabellum MG14 machine gun for defensive fire while the pilot operated a forward‑firing LMG 08/15. The C.II’s improved payload allowed it to carry modest photographic equipment and light bombs, making it valuable for artillery spotting, tactical photography, and limited ground‑attack missions. Although only a few hundred were produced before being superseded by the more capable AEG C.III, the C.II demonstrated the rapid evolution of German two‑seat aircraft and contributed to the development of dedicated reconnaissance platforms that influenced post‑war military aviation design.

AEG

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Design & Classification