LVG D.V

The LVG D.V was a German single‑seat biplane fighter developed by Luftverkehrsgesellschaft (LVG) near the end of World War I. Designed in 1918 to replace earlier LVG models, the D.V combined a streamlined wooden fuselage with a compact rotary engine, typically the 180‑hp Oberursel Ur.II. Its wings featured a slight stagger and unequal span, giving improved maneuverability and a higher top speed of around 200 km/h (124 mph). The aircraft was equipped with twin synchronized LMG 08/15 Spandau machine guns mounted on the upper decking, allowing the pilot to fire through the propeller arc. Only a handful of prototypes were built before the Armistice halted production, and the type never saw combat. Nevertheless, the D.V illustrated LVG’s effort to transition from reconnaissance planes to front‑line fighters, influencing post‑war German designs such as early Fokker and Junkers prototypes. Though the war ended before it could be fielded, the D.V’s design concepts resurfaced in the early 1920s as civilian sport aircraft, demonstrating LVG’s influence beyond military applications. Its advanced aerodynamics and use of lightweight materials contributed to the evolution of biplane fighter concepts, marking a brief but notable step in the rapid technological progress of late‑war aviation.

LVG

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