AEG C.VIII

The AEG C.VIII was a German two‑seat reconnaissance and light‑bomber aircraft built by the Allgemeine Elektricitäts‑Gesellschaft (AEG) toward the end of the First World War. Designed as a development of the earlier C.VII, the C.VIII first flew in the spring of 1918 and entered limited production before the armistice halted further orders. The type retained the familiar biplane configuration but featured a shortened, more aerodynamically refined fuselage and a strengthened, staggered wing arrangement that reduced drag and improved climb rate. Power was supplied by a 260 hp Mercedes D.IVa six‑cylinder inline engine, giving a top speed of about 185 km/h and a service ceiling of 5,500 m. Armament consisted of a synchronized 7.92 mm Spandaus machine gun for the pilot and a flexible gun for the observer, together with provision for up to 150 kg of small bombs. Although only a handful were completed, the C.VIII demonstrated AEG’s continuing effort to modernise its C‑type series and influenced post‑war German designs, particularly in the use of streamlined structures and more powerful engines. Its brief operational record illustrates the rapid technological advance in aerial reconnaissance during the final months of the conflict.