Do 10

The Dornier Do 10 was a single‑seat, low‑wing monoplane built in the late 1930s as a technology demonstrator for the German Luftwaffe. Development began in 1936 under the direction of Claude Dornier, who sought a compact, all‑metal aircraft that could test new wing profiles, retractable‑gear mechanisms and the emerging Argus As 10C air‑cooled V‑8 engine. Its first flight took place on 19 April 1938 at the Luftwaffe’s test centre at Rechlin. Although the Do 10 never entered mass production, it proved essential as a flying laboratory: it validated the use of stressed‑skin construction, refined aerodynamic features later adopted on the Do 17 “Flying Pencil,” and provided data on high‑speed handling that informed German dive‑bomber and light‑attack concepts.

Key features included an enclosed cockpit with a bubble canopy, fully retractable main wheels, and a simple armament layout of two 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns mounted in the wings. The aircraft’s streamlined fuselage and tapered wing halves gave it a top speed of roughly 340 km/h, impressive for a prototype of its era. The Do 10’s experimental role helped Dornier transition from wooden trainers to metal combat aircraft, making it a pivotal stepping stone in the evolution of Germany’s pre‑war bomber fleet and a noteworthy contribution to aviation engineering practice.

Dornier

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Production & History

Design & Classification