The AEG C.I was a two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft built by the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) during the First World War for the Imperial German Army's (Deutsches Heer) Imperial German Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte). It was a modified version of the B.II training aircraft with a machine gun added for the observer, a more powerful engine and different wings. First flown in 1915, it remained in front-line service until mid-1916, after which it became a trainer.
== Development == The C.I was based on the B.II although it was fitted with a water-cooled 150-horsepower (110 kW) Benz Bz.III straight-six piston engine and the two-bay wing planform had been changed. It did retain the B.II's wing-folding mechanism. The rear cockpit was modified to accommodate an observer armed with a single 7.92-millimetre (0.312 in) machine gun, usually a Parabellum MG 14 or, more rarely, a Bergmann MG 15nA. The Inspectorate of Flying Troops (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen) ordered a batch of six C.Is in early 1915 and the first aircraft was completed in March. Sixty-four more were ordered in four batches over the next several months. Front-line strength peaked at 34 aircraft on 28 February and 30 April 1916 and they were then transferred to training units as no C.Is are shown assigned to front-line units on 30 June.
== Specifications (AEG C.I) == Data from German Aircraft of the First World War; A.E.G. Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War AirplanesGeneral characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 7.95 m (26 ft 1 in) Upper wingspan: 13.07 m (42 ft 11 in) Lower wingspan: 11.83 m (38 ft 10 in) Wing area: 36 m2 (390 sq ft) Empty weight: 710 kg (1,565 lb) Gross weight: 1,125 kg (2,480 lb) Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.III water-cooled, straight-six piston engine, 110 kW (150 hp) Propellers: 2-bladed Performance
Maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn) Time to altitude: 11 minutes to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) 25 minutes to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) Armament
Guns: 1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG 14 or Bergmann MG 15nA on a flexible mount Bombs: small bombs
See also
Related development
AEG B.II
Related lists
List of military aircraft of Germany
References
== Bibliography == Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen (1987) [1970]. German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-809-7. Herris, Jack (2015). A.E.G. Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 16. n. p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-28-5.