Junkers CL1, Cosford 2010 ©Nigel Key
ROLE
Ground-attack aircraft.
FIRST FLIGHT
10 December 1917.
The Junkers CL.1 was developed during World War 1 under the designation J 8 as a ground attack aircraft.
The J 8 design took the J 7 fighter as its starting point, but had a longer fuselage to accommodate a tail gunner, and larger wings.
The aircraft featured a metal framework which was skinned with corrugated duralumin sheets and entered service designated as the J 10.
The aircraft was armed with 3 x 7.92mm machine guns, two forward firing and one situated in the rear cockpit for the gunner.
After the war a few CL.1's had the rear cockpit enclosed under a canopy for commercial use.
PRODUCTION
The Junkers CL.1 was produced from 1917, with 51 built.
ENGINE
Mercedes D.IIIa, producing 180 hp.
ARMAMENT
3 x 7.92mm machine guns.
Due to the all metal design and the inexperience of manufacturers in this concept, most aircraft at this time were wooden covered with fabric, the CL.1 had little impact by war’s end due to manufacturing problems.
| Crew - 2 in tandem |
| Length - 25ft 11in (7.9m) |
| Wingspan - 39ft 6in (12m) |
| Height - 8ft 8in (2.65m) |
| Empty Weight - 1,562lb (710kg) |
| Max. Weight - 2,310lb (1,050kg) |
| Max. Speed - 100 mph (161 km/h) |
| Range - 325 miles (525 km) |
