Halberstadt CLS.I

Halberstadt · Germany · first flew 1918 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Halberstadt CLS.I was a prototype two-seat general-purpose biplane built by Halberstadt during the First World War.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — FuselageTwo-seat biplane with a more streamlined rear fuselage than the CL.IV
T — TailConventional

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A two-seat biplane powered by a 160 hp Mercedes D.III six-cylinder water-cooled engine. It was armed with a fixed synchronised Spandau machine gun and a flexibly mounted Parabellum in the rear cockpit.

Specifications

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

History

Halberstadt based the CLS.I on the earlier CL.IV, with a wing profile of lower curvature and a more streamlined rear fuselage to give a higher speed. The S in CLS stands for schnell, meaning fast, and the prototype flew on 2 October 1918.

Variants

Derivatives armed with a 3.5 cm revolver cannon, the CLS II and CLS X, never left the drawing board by the end of the war.

Where you'll see it

The aircraft did not enter production because of the Armistice, and only the one prototype was built.

Related aircraft

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