DH.3

The Airco DH.3 was a British two‑seat reconnaissance biplane developed during the final years of World War I. Designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory’s design team and built by the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco) at Hendon, the DH.3 entered prototype testing in early 1918. It featured a wooden frame covered in fabric, a single 120‑hp Le Rhône rotary engine, and a distinctive equal‑span, two‑bay wing layout that provided both stability and modest lift. The cockpit accommodated a pilot and an observer, the latter equipped with a flexible Lewis gun for defensive fire and a camera for photographic intelligence. Although its performance—maximum speed of about 100 mph and service ceiling near 10,000 ft—was modest compared to later fighters, the DH.3 represented an evolutionary step toward dedicated army‑cooperation aircraft. Production was halted after the Armistice, and only a handful were built, but the type influenced Airco’s subsequent DH series, especially the highly successful DH.4 and DH.9 bombers. In aviation history the DH.3 is remembered as a transitional platform that helped refine multi‑role design concepts and underscored the importance of integrated reconnaissance capability in modern air warfare.