L 77
Role	Reconnaissance aircraft Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Albatros Flugzeugwerke
First flight	1928
Number built	4

The Albatros L 77v was a German tandem two-seat reconnaissance fighter sesquiplane, four examples of which were built under license for Albatros Flugzeugwerke by Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1928. Based upon the L 76 Aeolus reconnaissance trainer, the aircraft was powered by a 450 kW (600 hp) BMW VI 5.5 water-cooled V12 engine.

Like the L 76, the L 77v had a fabric-covered welded-steel fuselage and wooden dual-spar wings with plywood skins supported by N-type struts. It was armed with twin 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns in fixed forward-firing positions and a third on a ring mounting in the rear cockpit.

Three of the aircraft saw service performing armament trials in Lipetsk in the Soviet Union; these included one aircraft testing a free-mounted 20 mm cannon. The fourth aircraft had been destroyed while undergoing tests in March 1929. Between December 1929 and their retirement in October 1931, the surviving L 77vs were based at the Staaken Erprobungsstelle (Test Centre).

Specifications (L 77v)

General characteristics

Crew: two, pilot and observer
Length: 8.45 m (27 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 12.76 m (41 ft 10 in)
Height: 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 27.8 m² (299 sq ft)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW VI , 450 kW (600 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)

Armament

2 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns
1 × flexible 7.92 (.312 in) mm machine gun for observer
2 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs

References

Green, W. & Swanborough, G. (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-85833-777-1
German Aircraft between 1919–1945

Albatros aircraft

Early aircraft

Military Idflieg
designations

B type unarmed reconnaissance biplanes	B.I B.II B.III
C type armed reconnaissance biplanes	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIIII N C.IX C.X C.XI C.XII C.XIII C.XIV C.XV
D type Doppeldecker fighters	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XV
Dr type Dreidecker triplane fighters	Dr.I Dr.II
G type Grossflugzeug bombers	G.I G.II G.III G.IV
J type close support	J.I J.II J.III

Company
designations

Landflugzeug (Landplanes)	LDD L.1 L.2 L.3 L.4 L.5 L.6 L.7 L.8 L.9 L.10 L.11 L.12 L.13 L.14 L.15 L.16 L.17 L.18 L.19 L.20 L.21 L.22 L.23 L.24 L.25 L.26 L.27 L.28 L.29 L.30 L.31 L.32 L.33 L.34 L.35 L.36 L.37 L.38 L.39 L.40 L.41 L.42 L.43 L.44 L.45 L.46 L.47 L.48 L.49 L.50 L.51 L.52 L.53 L.54 L.55 L.56 L.57 L.58 L.59 L.60 L.65 L.66 L.67 L.68 L.69 L.70 L.71 L.72 L.73 L.74 L.75 L.76 L.77 L.78 L.79 L.80 L.81 L.82 L.83 L.84 L.100 L.101 L.102 L.103
Wasserflugzeug (Seaplanes)	W.1 W.2 W.3 W.4 W.5 W.8 WMZ
Höhenflugzeug (High Altitude)	H.1

Specifications (L 77v)

See also

References