Fokker V.27

The Fokker V.27 was an experimental single‑seat fighter built by the Dutch manufacturer Fokker in 1916 for the German Imperial Army Air Service. Developed in the V‑series of prototypes that Anthony Fokker used to explore new aerodynamic concepts, the V.27 combined a clean, plywood‑skinned monocoque fuselage with a cantilever wing free of external bracing wires. Powered by a 160 hp Mercedes D.IIIa straight‑six engine, the aircraft achieved a top speed of about 200 km/h and featured a pair of synchronized 7.92 mm Spandau machine guns mounted on the upper fuselage decking. Its most important innovation was the use of a fully stressed‑skin wing, which reduced drag and gave the prototype superior climb performance compared with contemporary biplanes. Although the V.27 never entered production, the lessons learned from its structure and handling directly informed the design of the later Fokker D.VII, one of World War I’s most successful fighters. The V.27 therefore occupies a key place in aviation history as a bridge between the fabric‑covered biplanes of the early war and the streamlined monoplane fighters that would dominate the interwar period. Its legacy is evident in later Dutch designs that emphasized aerodynamic efficiency.

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