The LVG G.III was a large, twin engine

triplane A triplane is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three vertically stacked wing planes. Tailplanes and canard foreplanes are not normally included in this count, although they occasionally are. Design principles The triplane arrangement may ...

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

built in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

near the end of

World War I 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 ...

. Only one was completed.

Design and development

The LVG G.III is sometimes known as the Schütte-Lanz G.V or Schütte-Lanz Schül G.V as it was a Schütte-Lanz design but built by LVG. It was a triplane, the only one of its kind designated G or twin engined by the Idflieg. Only one example of this very large aircraft was built. It was a three bay triplane, the bays separated by parallel pairs of

interplane strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s. The fabric covered wings were unswept and had constant chord and blunt tips. The spans decreased a little from top to bottom plane, so the outer interplane struts leaned outwards; there was little stagger. There were externally connected

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

s on each plane. The

Maybach Mb.IV The Maybach Mb.IV, originally designated Maybach HS, (only related to the Mb IVa by layout and size), was a six cylinder in-line piston engine of output, originally developed for use in airships. It was also used for large aircraft such as the Ze ...

six cylinder inline engines were mounted in the inner bay on the central plane, neatly and fully cowled. The fuselage of the G.III was round in section and smoothly covered in

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

. There was an open gunner's position in the blunt extreme nose. It had a

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 ...

tail, with the lower tailplane attached to the underside of the fuselage and the upper one raised a little above it. Twin

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

s and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

s were positioned between the two tailplanes, near to their tips. it had a wide track, conventional, fixed undercarriage with double mainwheels and a tailskid mounted below the fuselage on a small extension. The G.III first appeared just before the war's end.

Specifications

References

Bibliography

* {{Idflieg G, GL, K, L and N-class designations Triplanes 1910s German bomber aircraft

LVG G.III The LVG G.III was a large, twin engine triplane bomber built in Germany near the end of World War I. Only one was completed. Design and development The LVG G.III is sometimes known as the Schütte-Lanz G.V or Schütte-Lanz Schül G.V as it was a ...

Aircraft first flown in 1918 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft