111-SC-20309 - NARA - 55200322 (cropped)

The Caudron R.11 (or R.XI in contemporary usage), was a French three-seat twin-engine long range escort fighter

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

developed and produced by

Caudron The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Development

The R.XI was intended to fulfill a French Corps d'Armee requirement for a long range three-seat escort fighter. Its design was similar to the Caudron R.4, but without a nose-wheel, and with longer wings and fuselage, with two bracing bays outboard the engines rather than three, along with a much larger

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...

Hispano-Suiza 8Ba The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza 8A ...

liquid-cooled V-8

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

were housed in streamlined

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

s just above the lower wing, fitted with frontal radiators, which replaced the air-cooled Renault engines used in the R.4.

Operational history

Production of the 1000 R.XIs ordered by the French Army began in 1917, with the first aircraft completed late in that year.Davilla, 1997, p.167 The first escadrille, R 46, was equipped with the type in February 1918 and the last escadrille to form was R 246, before the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

resulted in an abrupt end to production, at which point approximately 370 aircraft had been completed by Caudron, Régy Frères and Gremont.

Variants

;Caudron R.XI C.3 : Heavy escort fighter with

Hispano-Suiza 8 The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...

Bda engines. ;Caudron R.XII C.3 :R.XI with the more powerful

Fb engines that were expected to boost performance. Sources differ, but it may have had a slightly increased wing area, to and an extra wing bay was added outboard of the engines. It first flew in November 1918 but was still undergoing testing in mid-1919 and no production followed despite plans to equip 12 escadrilles.Davilla, 1997, p.170 ;Caudron R.XIV Ca.3 :Similar to the R.XII, but armed with a Hotchkiss cannon in addition to the normal complement of 5 machine guns, and with further increased wing area, to , and a larger, unbalanced rudder. A single example was built following the conversion of an R.XI to carry the cannon in August 1918.

Operators

111-SC-21414 - NARA - 55202528 (cropped)

; *

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

** Escadrille R 46Davilla, 1997, p.169 ** Escadrille R 239 ** Escadrille R 240 ** Escadrille R 241 ** Escadrille R 242 ** Escadrille R 246 ; *

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

received two examples for evaluation as a bomber. ; *

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

received two examples for evaluation, and two others were detached to US units.

Specifications (Caudron R.XI C.3)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Authority control Military aircraft of World War I R011 Biplanes 1910s French fighter aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1916