The Voisin VIII was a French two-seat biplane pusher which was built in two versions, one fitted with a 37mm Hotchkiss cannon (the LBP or Ca.2), and the other as a conventional bomber (the LAP or Bn.2).[1] Problems with the Peugeot engine led to a short operational career with front line units before being superseded by the Voisin X, which aside from the installation of a new Renault engine, was nearly identical to the VIII.[1]
With the failure of the 1915 and 1916 bomber contests to produce any usable types to replace the Voisin V, Voisin was asked to produce an interim type pending the development of the next generation of bombers.[1] This was based partly on the preceding Voisin VII which was itself an enlarged V, but was to be powered by a larger engine as the VII was found to be underpowered,[2] and would dispense with the nose radiator, reverting to drag-inducing side radiators.
Two versions were to be built, a conventional bomber, and an aircraft armed with a large single shot 37mm Hotchkisscannon as was used on the Voisin IV.[1] Initially it was thought the cannon would be used for air-air attacks and was officially designated a cannon fighter (Ca.2) however this was found to be unworkable as both bomber and fighter types were vulnerable to fighters as they were too slow and unmaneuverable but at least one enemy aircraft was destroyed — with a single shot. As a result, a variety of other roles were attempted with it. Flying artillery, using indirect shots were impossible to aim accurately, balloon busting highlighted the type's vulnerability to anti-aircraft artillery fire, but some success was found with used in the ground attack firing directly at the target. Many had their cannons removed while in operational service but at least one was armed with additional machine guns. The LBP with the cannon had the pilot in the rear seat, while in the LAP, the pilot sat in the front seat, while the rear occupant could be equipped with a light machine gun such as a Lewis. On some aircraft, the observer's gun was mounted on a ring that was tilted to make movement forward easier against the wind. Unlike with the Voisin IV, installation of the cannon did not require that the top wing be staggered forward to maintain fore-aft balance.
Like the previous Voisins going back to the Voisin III, the Voisin VIII had a steel tube structure to provide adequate strength. Unusually for the period, and because it had no skid to drag it to a stop, it was equipped with drum brakes.[1] These were fitted to the rear wheels. Like the Voisin VII, the VIII was fitted with two large strut mounted teardrop fuel tanks that could be jettisoned in the event of a fire.[2] Due to problems with exhaust ventilation on the VII, the VIII and later types were fitted with tall individual exhaust stacks projecting above the top wing.[1]
Operational historyedit
French serviceedit
By the start of 1917, the Voisin VIII made up the bulk of the Aviation Militaire's night bombing force[1] having gradually replaced the preceding Voisin V's and fully equipped two Groupes de Bombardment (GB 1 & GB 3) before the unreliability of their engines resulted in them being gradually replaced by French-built Sopwith 1½ Strutters and the higher powered Voisin Xs, and withdrawn to secondary units, which continued to operate them until the end of the war.[3] The l'Aéronavale/Aviation Maritime operated 20 Voisin VIIIs.[4]
American serviceedit
Based on the experiences of some Americans serving with these aircraft, the United States' American Expeditionary Force planned to field a single night bomber unit equipped with the Voisin VIII, however only a training unit was formed before the war ended. [4]
British serviceedit
The Royal Naval Air Service purchased two examples for trials work, one fitted with the cannon, and one of the bomber types, however no further examples were purchased.[4]
Variantsedit
Voisin VIII
220 hp (160 kW) Peugeot 8Aa
Voisin LAP - factory designation for VIII night bomber
Voisin LBP - factory designation for VIII armed with 37 mm (1.457 in) cannon
Voisin IX
lightened one-off prototype with 160 hp (120 kW) Renault 8Gb for reconnaissance, with radiator in rounded nose
^"Voisin VIII Propeller, Fixed-Pitch, Two-Blade, Wood". airandspace.si.ed. Retrieved 23 Nov 2018.
Bibliographyedit
Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN978-1891268090.
Klaauw, Bart van der (March–April 1999). "Unexpected Windfalls: Accidentally or Deliberately, More than 100 Aircraft 'arrived' in Dutch Territory During the Great War". Air Enthusiast (80): 54–59. ISSN 0143-5450.
(in French) Hartmann, Gérard (6 January 2015). "Les héliciers français" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2019.
Further readingedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Voisin VIII.
Woodman, Harry (1989). Early Aircraft Armament: The Aeroplane and the Gun Up to 1918. London, UK: Arms & Armour Press. ISBN978-0853689904.
December 20, 2023
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The Voisin VIII was a French two seat biplane pusher which was built in two versions one fitted with a 37mm Hotchkiss cannon the LBP or Ca 2 and the other as a conventional bomber the LAP or Bn 2 1 Problems with the Peugeot engine led to a short operational career with front line units before being superseded by the Voisin X which aside from the installation of a new Renault engine was nearly identical to the VIII 1 Voisin VIII LAP LBPVoisin LAPRole Night BomberManufacturer VoisinDesigner Gabriel VoisinFirst flight 1916Introduction November 1916Retired 1918Primary user France Aeronautique MilitaireProduced 1916 1917Number built approx 1 100 LAP amp LBP built Developed from Voisin VIIDeveloped into Voisin X37 mm Cannon installed on Voisin LBP Contents 1 Development 2 Operational history 2 1 French service 2 2 American service 2 3 British service 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Survivors Aircraft on display 6 Specifications 7 See also 8 References 8 1 Citations 8 2 Bibliography 9 Further readingDevelopment editWith the failure of the 1915 and 1916 bomber contests to produce any usable types to replace the Voisin V Voisin was asked to produce an interim type pending the development of the next generation of bombers 1 This was based partly on the preceding Voisin VII which was itself an enlarged V but was to be powered by a larger engine as the VII was found to be underpowered 2 and would dispense with the nose radiator reverting to drag inducing side radiators Two versions were to be built a conventional bomber and an aircraft armed with a large single shot 37mm Hotchkiss cannon as was used on the Voisin IV 1 Initially it was thought the cannon would be used for air air attacks and was officially designated a cannon fighter Ca 2 however this was found to be unworkable as both bomber and fighter types were vulnerable to fighters as they were too slow and unmaneuverable but at least one enemy aircraft was destroyed with a single shot As a result a variety of other roles were attempted with it Flying artillery using indirect shots were impossible to aim accurately balloon busting highlighted the type s vulnerability to anti aircraft artillery fire but some success was found with used in the ground attack firing directly at the target Many had their cannons removed while in operational service but at least one was armed with additional machine guns The LBP with the cannon had the pilot in the rear seat while in the LAP the pilot sat in the front seat while the rear occupant could be equipped with a light machine gun such as a Lewis On some aircraft the observer s gun was mounted on a ring that was tilted to make movement forward easier against the wind Unlike with the Voisin IV installation of the cannon did not require that the top wing be staggered forward to maintain fore aft balance Like the previous Voisins going back to the Voisin III the Voisin VIII had a steel tube structure to provide adequate strength Unusually for the period and because it had no skid to drag it to a stop it was equipped with drum brakes 1 These were fitted to the rear wheels Like the Voisin VII the VIII was fitted with two large strut mounted teardrop fuel tanks that could be jettisoned in the event of a fire 2 Due to problems with exhaust ventilation on the VII the VIII and later types were fitted with tall individual exhaust stacks projecting above the top wing 1 Operational history editFrench service edit By the start of 1917 the Voisin VIII made up the bulk of the Aviation Militaire s night bombing force 1 having gradually replaced the preceding Voisin V s and fully equipped two Groupes de Bombardment GB 1 amp GB 3 before the unreliability of their engines resulted in them being gradually replaced by French built Sopwith 1 Strutters and the higher powered Voisin Xs and withdrawn to secondary units which continued to operate them until the end of the war 3 The l Aeronavale Aviation Maritime operated 20 Voisin VIIIs 4 American service edit Based on the experiences of some Americans serving with these aircraft the United States American Expeditionary Force planned to field a single night bomber unit equipped with the Voisin VIII however only a training unit was formed before the war ended 4 British service edit The Royal Naval Air Service purchased two examples for trials work one fitted with the cannon and one of the bomber types however no further examples were purchased 4 Variants editVoisin VIII220 hp 160 kW Peugeot 8Aa Voisin LAP factory designation for VIII night bomber Voisin LBP factory designation for VIII armed with 37 mm 1 457 in cannonVoisin IXlightened one off prototype with 160 hp 120 kW Renault 8Gb for reconnaissance with radiator in rounded nose Voisin LC factory designation for IXVoisin Xre engined VIII with 280 hp 210 kW Renault 12Fe Voisin LAR factory designation for X night bomber Voisin LBR factory designation for X armed with 37 mm 1 457 in cannonVoisin XIVariant of X with 350 hp 260 kW Panhard 12Bc and minor changes to proportions but only around 10 builtOperators edit nbsp FranceAeronautique Militaire Ecole Militaire d Avord 5 VB 101 6 V 481 551 operated alongside Letord 4 amp 5 7 G 482 operated alongside Caudron G 6 aircraft 8 VB 483 9 V 484 10 Let 485 operated alongside Letord 4 aircraft 11 V 486 12 V 487 operated alongside Letord 4 amp 5 aircraft 13 V 491 operated alongside Letord 4 aircraft 14 GB 1 VB 110 15 VB 114 16 first unit to receive type 1 GB 3 VB 107 17 VB 108 18 VB 109 19 VB 113 20 l Aeronavale Aviation Maritime CAM de Dunkerque 21 nbsp United KingdomRoyal Naval Air Service nbsp United StatesAmerican Expeditionary ForceSurvivors Aircraft on display editNational Air and Space Museum has a Voisin VIII LAP bomber on display Musee de l air et de l espace has a fuselage of a Voisin X LBR equipped with a cannon Specifications edit nbsp Voisin 8 10 3 view planData from French Aircraft of the First World War 22 General characteristicsCrew 2 Length 10 35 m 33 ft 11 in Wingspan 18 00 m 59 ft 1 in Height 3 95 m 13 ft 0 in Wing area 61 14 m2 658 1 sq ft Empty weight 1 310 kg 2 888 lb Max takeoff weight 1 860 kg 4 101 lb Powerplant 1 Peugeot 8Aa V 8 water cooled pusher piston engine 160 kW 220 hp Propellers 2 bladed Voisin 1 or Voisin 3 wood fixed pitch pusher propeller 3 50 m 11 ft 6 in diameter 23 24 Performance Maximum speed 118 km h 73 mph 64 kn 2 000 m 6 561 68 ft Range 350 km 220 mi 190 nmi Endurance 4 hours Service ceiling 4 300 m 14 100 ft Time to altitude 17 mins to 2 000 m 6 600 ft Armament LAP equipped with one machine gun and 180 kg 400 lb of bombs LBP equipped with a 37 mm 1 457 in Hotchkiss cannonSee also edit1916 in aviationAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Breguet Bre 12 Farman F 40 Royal Aircraft Factory FE 2 Savoia Pomilio SP 3Related lists List of bomber aircraft List of pusher aircraft by configuration List of military aircraft of France List of military aircraft of the Entente Powers in World War IReferences editCitations edit a b c d e f g h Davilla p 559 a b Davilla p 557 Davilla p 560 a b c Davilla p 561 Albin Denis Ecoles Avord albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 101 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 481 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 482 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 483 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 484 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 485 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 486 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 487 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 491 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 110 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 114 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 107 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 108 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 109 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Escadrille 113 albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Albin Denis Centre de Aviation Maritime de Dunkerque albindenis free fr Retrieved 20 Nov 2018 Davilla 1997 pages 557 561 Hartmann 2015 p 22 Voisin VIII Propeller Fixed Pitch Two Blade Wood airandspace si ed Retrieved 23 Nov 2018 Bibliography edit Davilla Dr James J Soltan Arthur 1997 French Aircraft of the First World War Mountain View CA Flying Machines Press ISBN 978 1891268090 Klaauw Bart van der March April 1999 Unexpected Windfalls Accidentally or Deliberately More than 100 Aircraft arrived in Dutch Territory During the Great War Air Enthusiast 80 54 59 ISSN 0143 5450 in French Hartmann Gerard 6 January 2015 Les heliciers francais PDF in French Retrieved 5 August 2019 Further reading edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Voisin VIII Woodman Harry 1989 Early Aircraft Armament The Aeroplane and the Gun Up to 1918 London UK Arms amp Armour Press ISBN 978 0853689904 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Voisin VIII amp oldid 1069272068, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
