Rumpler C.III
German WW I reconnaissance aircraft
title: "Rumpler C.III" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1910s-german-military-reconnaissance-aircraft", "rumpler-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "biplanes", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1916", "aircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear"] description: "German WW I reconnaissance aircraft" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpler_C.III" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary German WW I reconnaissance aircraft ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | C.III and C.V |
| image | File:Rumpler C.III (right side).jpg |
| aircraft_type | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| national_origin | Germany |
| manufacturer | Rumpler |
| first_flight | 1916 |
| :: |
| name = C.III and C.V | logo = | logo_size = | image = File:Rumpler C.III (right side).jpg | alt = | caption = | long_caption = | other_names = | aircraft_type = Reconnaissance aircraft | aim = | outcome = | related = | national_origin = Germany | manufacturer = Rumpler | design_group = | designer = | builder = | issuer = | status = | owners = | primary_user = | more_users = | service = | major_applications = | proposals = | prototypes = | number_built = | construction_number = | civil_registration = | military_serial = | radio_code = | requirement = | aircraft_carried = | flights = | total_hours = | total_distance = | construction_date = | introduction = | retired = | first_flight = 1916 | initiated = | in_service = | last_flight = | expected = | developed_from = | variants = | developed_into = | preservation = | fate = | predecessors = | successors = | concluded =
The Rumpler C.III (factory designation 6A 5) was a biplane military reconnaissance aircraft built in Germany during World War I.
Development
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Rumpler_C.III_(left_side).jpg" caption="Rumpler C.III"] ::
It was a development of the Rumpler C.I design incorporating many aerodynamic refinements, including wing planform, airfoil section, and horn-balanced ailerons, revised empennage, and new rear fuselage decking with compound curves. This latter feature was later removed and replaced with a simplified structure, at which point the factory designation was changed to 6A 6. Performance was improved over that of the C.I, and the C.III was selected for limited production, thought to be about 75 aircraft. The Frontbestand table of C-type aircraft at the front shows a maximum of 42 C.III aircraft at the front on 28 February 1917. With the introduction of the more powerful Rumpler C.IV based on a refined C.III airframe, the number of operational C.III aircraft at the front dropped rapidly and by the autumn of 1917 only one was at the front. The C.III was a qualified success, but its design served mainly as a stepping stone to the further refined C.IV.
Specifications (C.III)
|ref=Kroschel & Stützer 1994, p.127 |prime units? = met |crew=Two, pilot and observer |length m=8.20 |length ft=26 |length in=11 |span m=12.66 |span ft=41 |span in=6 |height m=3.25 |height ft=10 |height in=8 |wing area sqm=34.8 |wing area sqft=374 |empty weight kg=839 |empty weight lb=1,845 |gross weight kg=1,264 |gross weight lb=2,780 |eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Benz Bz.IV |eng1 kw=160 |eng1 hp=220 |max speed kmh=136 |max speed mph=85 |range km=480 |range miles=300 |ceiling m=4,000 |ceiling ft=13,100 |armament = *1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun
- 1 × trainable, rearward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun
- 100 kg (220 lb) of bombs |see also= |related= |similar aircraft= |lists=
Notes
References
References
- Taylor 1989, p.771
- ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'', p.2833
- Gray & Thetford 1962, p.522
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