Albatros D.X

Albatros D.X was a German single‑seat biplane fighter developed near the end of World War I by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke. Designed as a successor to the D.VII, it first flew in early 1918 and incorporated several aerodynamic and structural refinements. The aircraft retained the conventional Albatros fuselage of welded steel tube covered in fabric, but introduced a lower‑slung, balanced aileron system and a refined wing stagger that reduced drag. Power was supplied by a water‑cooled 180‑hp Mercedes D.IIIa engine, delivering a top speed of about 180 km/h (112 mph) and a service ceiling near 6,500 meters. Its armament consisted of the standard twin 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 Spandau machine guns, synchronized to fire through the propeller. Although only a limited batch reached the front, the D.X demonstrated the maturity of German fighter design, merging robust construction with improved handling at high altitude. Post‑war, the type influenced several interwar trainers and contributed to the evolution of biplane aerodynamics that would later inform early monoplane fighters. The Albatros D.X thus occupies a niche but important place in the transition from World War I biplanes to the faster, more agile aircraft of the 1920s.

Albatros

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