Dornier Do 23

The Dornier Do 23 was a German medium bomber of the 1930s.

Design and development

The earlier Do 11 had exhibited several problems, so two initiatives were launched to address those shortcomings. The first resulted in the Do 13. The second effort was a more extensive rework which resulted in the Do 23. Several of the handling problems were thus corrected, but performance of the Do 23 was still considered mediocre, and it saw a limited service life, being phased out of front-line service by the late 1930s. It was replaced by aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, but it did go on to serve and see action in World War II in the Czech branch of the Luftwaffe.

Variants

Do 23F : Initial production version.
Do 23G : Improved version, fitted with two glycol-cooled BMW VIU piston engines.

Specifications (Do 23 G)

Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft

General characteristics

Crew: 4
Length: 18.80 m (61 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 25.60 m (84 ft)
Height: 5.40 m (17 ft 8½ in)
Wing area: 108.0 m² (1,163 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,600 kg (12,346 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 9,200 kg (20,282 lb)
Powerplant: 2x— BMW VIU liquid cooled V-12 engine, 559 kW (750 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 260 km/h (140 kn, 161 mph)
Range: 1,500 km (810 nmi, 932 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,200 m (13,779 ft)
Wing loading: 85.2 kg/m² (17.4 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.12 kW/kg (0.074 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns: 3 x— 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns (nose, dorsal and ventral positions)
Bombs: 1000 kg (2,205 lb) bombs carried internally.

Related development

Dornier Do 11
Dornier Do 13

Comparable aircraft

Junkers Ju 52
Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow

Bibliography

Donald, David (editor). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.

Dornier Do 23 Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia