[WWI] Halberstadt CL.II

[Phaelen Bleux]

To complete the set:

Halberstadt CL.II
Developed to escort the slower C-category reconnaissance aircraft, the CL.II soon found use in the ground attack and interceptor roles. The plane was of orthodox design, with a plywood fuselage and cloth-covered wings. The pilot was located just behind the trailing edge of the wing, affording reasonable visibility. The rear gunner had a rail mounted LMG for defense (which could even fire forward over the upper wing), as well as trays on the side of the fuselage for grenades and light bombs. The crew compartment was divided by a simple wooden panel.
The CL.II burns 6 gallons of aviation fuel per hour of routine usage. The plane had a historical endurance of 3 hours. A full load of fuel, bombs and ammo costs $242.

Halberstadt CL.II
Subassemblies: Recon Fighter chassis +2; Recon Fighter wings with Biplane option +2; 2 fixed wheels +0.
Powertrain: 119-kW HP gasoline engine with 119-kW old prop and 34-gallon fuel tank [Body].
Occ.: 2 XCS Body
Cargo: 4 Body

Armor
Body: 2/2W
Wings: 2/2C
Wheels: 2/3

Weaponry:
2x Aircraft LMG/7.92 mm Spandau LMG 08/15 [Body:F] (500 rounds each).*
Aircraft LMG/7.92 mm Parabellum LMG 14 [Body:B] (500 rounds).
5x 22-lb. bombs [Body:R,L].
*Linked.

Statistics:
Size: 24'x35'x9' Payload: 0.40 tons Lwt.: 1.25 tons
Volume: 96 Maint.: 106 hours Cost: $3,552

HT: 7. HPs: 30 Body, 50 each Wing, 3 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 103 aAccel: 2 aDecel: 29 aMR: 7 aSR: 1
Stall Speed: 40 mph. Take-Off Run: 200 yards. Landing Run: 160 yards.
gSpeed: 156 gAccel: 8 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.5 gSR: 2
Ground Pressure: Very High. 1/8 Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes:
Historical wing area was 296 sf. MG load outs are a guess based on historical payload. Design payload was 806 lbs; the historical value has been substituted. The weight, cost, and HPs of the chassis were doubled to increase design weight; it was increased another 1% to the historical. Design aSpeed was 101 mph. Performance calculations were based on historical values for wing area and loaded weight. The pilot's MGs are synchronized to fire through the propeller arc, lowering RoF by 10% (see p. W:MP8).

Variants:
The CL.IIa (1917) featured a 138-kW engine.
The CL.IV (1918) was essentially the same as the CL.II with a few minor changes to the tailplane and a shorter fuselage.