FE-8

The RAF FE8 was a British WW1 biplane fighter. A prototype flight took place in 1915, and the machine entered the line the following year. About 300 aircraft of this type were built under production. The propulsion was provided by various engines, such as Le Rhone or Clerget with 110 HP. The length of the aircraft was 7.21 meters with a wingspan of 9.6 meters. The deck armament mostly consisted of a single 7.7 mm Lewis machine gun. The RAF FE8 aircraft was developed by John Kenworthy at the Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF for short) for the British Royal Flying Corps. The plane was constructed using a push propeller, not a pull propeller, in order to ensure freedom of fire from a machine gun. The machine was comparable in performance to the Airco DH.2 fighter and although it did not start serving on the Western Front until 1916, it had a quite successful combat debut. However, the rapid development of German fighter aviation in 1916 and 1917 meant that the RAF FE8 relatively quickly became a machine that did not meet the requirements of the battlefield. For this reason, in 1917 you would begin to be gradually withdrawn from the line.