View source for Siemens-Schuckert R.V

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{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
 | name=R.V
 | image=
 | caption=
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
 | type=[[Bomber]]
 | national origin=Germany
 | manufacturer=[[Siemens-Schuckert]]
 | designer=[[Bruno and Franz Steffen]]<ref name="gt572">Grey & Thetford 1962, p.572</ref>
 | first flight=c. June 1916<ref name="hg189">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.189</ref>
 | introduced=
 | retired=
 | status=
 | primary user=
 | number built=1<ref name="hg1889">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.188–89</ref>
 | developed from= [[Siemens-Schuckert R.I]]
| developed fronote=<ref name="hg180">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.180</ref>| variants with their own articles=
}}
|}

The '''Siemens-Schuckert R.V''' was a bomber aircraft built in Germany during World War I.<ref name="jea">Taylor 1989, p.808</ref><ref name="iea">''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'', p.2920</ref> It was one of six aircraft based on the [[Siemens-Schuckert R.I]] that were originally intended to be identical, but which each developed in a different direction and were designated as different aircraft types by the German Inspectorate of Flying Troops (the [[Idflieg]]).<ref name="hg184">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.184</ref> Development of the R.V benefited from the experience that Siemens-Schuckert and the ''Idflieg'' had gained with the [[Siemens-Schuckert R.II|R.II]], [[Siemens-Schuckert R.III|R.III]], and [[Siemens-Schuckert R.IV|R.IV]], particularly in its choice of powerplants, where the R.V was spared from the troublesome [[Maybach HS]] engine.<ref name="hg188">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.188</ref> Between September 1916 and February 1917, the aircraft saw service on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] before it was damaged in an accident and dismantled for spare parts.<ref name="hg1889"/>

==Design and development==
As designed, the R.V was a large three-bay biplane with unstaggered wings of unequal span and a fully enclosed cabin.<ref name="hg188"/> Three 180-kW (240-hp) Maybach HS engines were mounted internally in the fuselage, and transmitted their power via driveshafts to two propellers mounted tractor-fashion on the interplane struts nearest the fuselage.<ref name="hg174">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.174</ref> The main undercarriage consisted of divided units, each of which carried dual wheels, and the tail was supported by a pair of tailwheels.<ref name="hg188"/> The fuselage was forked into an upper and lower section, which allowed a clear field of fire to the rear of the aircraft.<ref name="gt572"/> The Maybach engines had been a never-ending source of trouble on the R.II, R.III, and R.IV, and by June 1916, Siemens-Schuckert had obtained permission from the ''Idflieg'' to substitute Benz Bz.IV engines on the R.III<ref>Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.186–87</ref> The firm made the same change on the R.V, which was almost complete by then.<ref name="hg1889"/> The substitution required an almost complete rebuild of the aircraft, and included adding an extra bay to the wings, increasing their span.<ref name="hg189"/> The ''Idflieg'' accepted the R.V in this form, after agreeing to a reduction in the aircraft's original specifications.<ref name="hg189"/>

The Siemens-Schuckert R.II to R.VII were ordered in the G (''Grossflugzeug'' - large aircraft) series and given serial numbers G.32/15 to G.37/15 respectively. These serials were changed on 13 July 1915 to G.33/15 - G.38/15, for unknown reasons and again on 6 November 1915 to R.2/15 - R.7/15 in the R (''Riesenflugzeug'' - giant aircraft) series, adopting the R.II to R.VII designations.<ref name="hg184">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.184</ref>

==Operational history==
Siemens-Schuckert delivered the R.V to the ''[[Riesenflugzeugersatzabteilung]]'' (Rea — "giant aircraft support unit") at [[Dallgow-Döberitz|Döberitz]] on 13 August 1916.<ref name="hg189"/> From there, it was assigned to ''[[Riesenflugzeugabteilung 501]]'' (Rfa 501), and joined the squadron at [[Vilna]] on 3 September.<ref name="hg189"/> It was used operationally until the week of 14 February 1917, when the aircraft was severely damaged during a hard landing at night that fractured its fuselage.<ref name="hg189"/> The R.V was then dismantled and sent back to Döberitz where it could be used for spare parts for other Siemens-Schuckert bombers.<ref name="hg189"/>

Specific details of several operational missions while with Rfa 501 have survived:<ref name="hg56">Haddow & Grosz 1963, p.56</ref> 
* 14–15 October 1916 — railway station at [[Wileyka]]
* 26 November 1916 — troop camp at [[Iža|Iza]]
* 7 January 1917 — railway station at [[Poloczany]]

Additionally, the R.V carried out the following raids together with the [[Siemens-Schuckert R.VI|R.VI]]:<ref name="hg56"/>
* 19 January 1917 — troop camp at Iza
* 30 January 1917 — railway station at Wileyka
* 8 February 1917 — railway station at [[Molodeczne]]
* 12 February 1917 — railway station at [[Zalesie, Silesian Voivodeship|Zalesie]]

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==Specifications==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=<!-- reference -->Kroschel & Stützer 1994, p.141
|prime units? = met
|crew=4
|length m=17.7
|length ft=58
|length in=1
|span m=34.33
|span ft=112
|span in=8
|height m=4.6
|height ft=15
|height in=8
|wing area sqm=177
|wing area sqft=1,910
|empty weight kg=5,300
|empty weight lb=11,600
|gross weight kg=6,766
|gross weight lb=14,885
|eng1 number=3
|eng1 name=[[Benz Bz.IV]]
|eng1 kw=<!-- prop engines -->150
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->200
|max speed kmh=132
|max speed mph=83
|range km=480
|range miles=300
|ceiling m=3,000
|ceiling ft=9,800
|armament = *3 × 7.9-mm machine guns
*500&nbsp;kg of bombs
}}

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|see also=
|related=<!-- related developments -->
|similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft -->
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book| last=Gray |first=Peter |author2=Owen Thetford  |title=German Aircraft of the First World War |publisher=Putnam |location=London |year=1962}}
* {{cite book| last=Haddow |first=G.W. |author2=Peter M. Grosz  |title=The German Giants: The Story of the R-planes 1914–1919 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |year=1962}}
* {{cite book |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft |publisher=Aerospace Publishing|location=London }}
* {{cite book| last=Kroschel |first=Günter |author2=Helmut Stützer  |title=Die Deutschen Militärflugzeuge 1910–1918 |publisher=Mittler |location=Herford |year=1994}}
* {{cite book| last=Taylor |first=Michael J.H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |year=1989}}
<!-- ==External links== -->

{{Siemens-Schuckert aircraft}}
{{Idflieg R-class designations}}

[[Category:1910s German bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:Siemens-Schuckert aircraft|R.V]]
[[Category:Three-engined twin-prop tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Biplanes]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1916]]