Dorand DO.1

Capitaine Émile Dorand / Aéronautique Militaire · France · first flew 1913 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Dorand DO.1 was a French armoured reconnaissance biplane designed by Capitaine Émile Dorand for the Aéronautique Militaire around 1913, notable for placing the observer and 90 kilograms of armour protection forward of the pilot — one of the earliest attempts to build an armoured military aircraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• Observer and armour placed forward of the pilot — highly unusual pre-WWI arrangement
• Unequal-span biplane with negative stagger
• 90 kg of armour protection — earliest armoured military aircraft attempt

The negatively staggered unequal-span wings and the unusual forward-observer placement give the DO.1 a distinctive silhouette; the slender square-section fuselage and absence of tractor propeller streamlining are also notable.

Specifications

• The Dorand DO.1 has a length of 10.07 m (33 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 15 m (49 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 108 km/h (67 mph).
• Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed in the immediate pre-war period to the concept of a purpose-built military observation aircraft with crew protection, the DO.1 foreshadowed the specialised military types that would proliferate during World War One. Dorand subsequently refined the concept into the Dorand AR series of army cooperation biplanes.

Variants

A single prototype; the concept evolved into the Dorand AR.1 and AR.2 production types of World War One.

Where you'll see it

Evaluated by the Aéronautique Militaire; the design led directly to the production Dorand AR series.

Related aircraft

• Albatros B.I
• Farman HF.20
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8
• Sopwith Tabloid

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