The Fokker D.IV was a German fighter biplane 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 ...

, a development of the D.I.

Development

The Fokker D.IV had a more powerful Mercedes D.III engine, and the first Fokker front-line design to use

ailerons 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 ...

in place of

wing warping Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite direc ...

from the start for roll control.Wagner and Nowarra 1971, p. 63.

Operational history

The aircraft was purchased in small numbers (40) by the German Army and saw service on the Western Front. The Swedish Air Force also bought four examples of the type.Lamberton 1960, p. 218.

Operators

; * Luftstreitkrafte - 40 aircraft. ; * Swedish Air Force - Four aircraft.

Specifications

References

Notes Bibliography * Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. ''The Complete Book of Fighters''. London: Greenwich Editions, 1994. . * Lamberton, W. M. ''Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War''. Letchworth, Herts, UK: Harleyford Publications Limited, 1960. * Taylor, Michael J. H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989. . * Wagner, Ray and Heinz Nowarra. ''German Combat Planes: A Comprehensive Survey and History of the Development of German Military Aircraft from 1914 to 1945''. New York: Doubleday, 1971. * ''World Aircraft Information Files: File 894 Sheet 40–41''. London: Bright Star Publishing, 1989. {{World War I Aircraft of the Central Powers 1910s German fighter aircraft D 04 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1916