Fokker D.XVI

D.XVI
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Fokker
First flight	1929
Primary user	Royal Netherlands Army
Number built	22

The Fokker D.XVI was a fighter aircraft developed in the Netherlands in the late 1920s. It was a conventional, single-bay sesquiplane with staggered wings braced with V-struts. It featured an open cockpit and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The wings were of wood with plywood covering, and the fuselage was of steel tube construction with fabric covering.

The Royal Netherlands Army ordered 14 aircraft, which differed from the prototype in having divided main undercarriage units in place of the prototype's cross-axle, and Hungary purchased four aircraft with Gnome et Rhône-built Bristol Jupiter engines in place of the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engines used on the Dutch machines. Evaluation aircraft were also provided to China and Italy, and the Netherlands East Indies Army. This last machine was powered by a Curtiss V-1570, which crashed in March 1931 on Schiphol. Instead of the D.XVI, Fokker manufactured the Fokker D.XVII with the same type engine. The D.XVI also won a competition organised by the government of Romania to select a new fighter, but despite this, no orders were placed. One plane of the Dutch Army was given to Romania.

Operators

Netherlands

Romania

• Royal Romanian Air Force

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Length: 7.20 m (23 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 9.40 m (30 ft 10 in)
• Height: 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 18.5 m² (199 ft²)
• Empty weight: 990 kg (2,180 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,400 kg (3,090 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar, 340 kW (460 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 330 km/h (205 mph)
• Range: 640 km (400 miles)

Armament

2 × fixed, forward-firing 7.9 mm (.31 in) machine guns in forward fuselage

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 405. 
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 894 Sheet 35. 
• "British Aero Engine's Success". 24 October 1930. pp. 1168. http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1930/Untitled0%20-%201232.html. Retrieved 2008-03-26.