Hanriot HD.5

Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype

France | 1918

"The Hanriot HD.5 was just one flyable prototype form tested during 1918 - development was ended with the end of World War 1."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/28/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

During the World War 1 (1914-1918) period, Hanriot of France was able to deliver several capable fighting biplanes by way of several successful designs beginning with the HD.1 (detailed elsewhere on this site). The follow-up HD.2 became its floatplane derivative and the line was bettered through the addition of the HD.3 in the weeks leading up to the end of the war (November 1918). To push the line even further, in early 1918 the company was already engaged in a new biplane fighter to entice prospective buyers towards the end of the war - this becoming the "HD.5".

The HD.5 continued the form and function established by the HD.3 including its two-seat, tandem crew arrangement with the pilot seated at front and the gunner at the rear. The biplane configuration was traditional for the period though now left unstaggered as opposed to the staggered pair seen on the HD.3. The members used parallel strut supports and a wider span, the latter necessitating two bays to support the length. The members were positioned well-ahead of midships and, rather uniquely, both the leading and trailing edges of the upper wing were cut-out to clear spaces for both the pilot and gunner - this also allowed the upper wing to be seated closer to the fuselage while improving views for both crewmembers. Another change from the earlier HD.3 came in the form of the Hispano-Suiza 8Fb 8-cylinder, water-cooled inline engine of 300 horsepower to drive a wooden propeller blade at the nose. The tail unit was conventional mounting a single, rounded large-area rudder and low-set horizontal planes. For ground-running, a typical twin-wheeled/tailskid undercarriage was used.

Like other Hanriot fighters, the HD.5 would be well-armed: 2 x 7.7mm Vickers Machine Guns in fixed, forward mountings over the nose and managed by the pilot with 1 or 2 x 7.7mm Lewis Machine Guns set atop a trainable mounting in the rear cockpit for the gunner/observer. The forward-facing guns were synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

The HD.5 prototype was tested as soon as Spring of 1918 with the war's end still in doubt. However, the sole test vehicle was all that was had on the project but its design was used to influence the development of the HD.7, a navalized fighter version appearing in the post-war period.

The HD.6 was developed in parallel with the HD.5 and emerged as an altogether different biplane fighter development detailed elsewhere on this site.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Hanriot HD.5 Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype.

1 x Hispano-Suiza 8Fb 8-cylinder, liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 300 horsepower and driving a two-bladed wooden propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

134 mph
215 kph | 116 kts
Max Speed

20,341 ft
6,200 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

311 miles
500 km | 270 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Hanriot HD.5 Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

26.1 ft
7.97 m
O/A Length

34.1 ft
(10.40 m)
O/A Width

9.0 ft
(2.75 m)
O/A Height

1,764 lb
(800 kg)
Empty Weight

2,756 lb
(1,250 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Hanriot HD.5 Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype .

PROPOSED:
2 x 7.7mm Vickers Machine Guns in fixed, forward-firing mountings over the nose and synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
1 OR 2 x 7.7mm Lewis Machine Guns on trainable mounting in rear cockpit.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Hanriot HD.5 family line.

HD.5 - Base Series Designation; single flyable prototype completed.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hanriot HD.5. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Hanriot - France

[ France (cancelled) ]

1 / 1

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Going Further...
The Hanriot HD.5 Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:

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