Fokker
Fokker D.XVI
The Fokker D.XVI was a Dutch single‑engine fighter developed in the early 1920s by the Fokker aircraft company. Conceived as a successor to the successful D.VII‑type designs that had served during World War I, the D.XVI first flew in 1920 and entered limited production in 1921. Its airframe combined a wooden wing structure with a steel‑tube fuselage covered in fabric, a typical Fokker construction method that provided a light yet robust platform. Powered by a 180‑horsepower Hispano‑Suiza V‑8 engine, the aircraft achieved a top speed of around 250 km/h (155 mph) and featured a fixed, two‑wheel undercarriage and an open cockpit protected by a modest windscreen.
Only a handful of D.XVI aircraft were built; most were sold to foreign customers, notably the Dutch East Indies, Norway and Switzerland, where they served as front‑line fighters for a few years before being supplanted by more advanced metal monoplanes. Although the type did not achieve the fame of later Fokker fighters such as the D.VII or the D.XXI, the D.XVI demonstrated the transition from wood‑and‑fabric biplanes to more powerful, higher‑performance designs and helped cement Fokker’s reputation for innovative fighter development during the interwar period.
Only a handful of D.XVI aircraft were built; most were sold to foreign customers, notably the Dutch East Indies, Norway and Switzerland, where they served as front‑line fighters for a few years before being supplanted by more advanced metal monoplanes. Although the type did not achieve the fame of later Fokker fighters such as the D.VII or the D.XXI, the D.XVI demonstrated the transition from wood‑and‑fabric biplanes to more powerful, higher‑performance designs and helped cement Fokker’s reputation for innovative fighter development during the interwar period.
