The development of airspace is a relatively new round in the development of industry, which began at the end of the 19th century. The term "aviation" itself is translated as "bird". For the first time, the power and power of iron hawks was recognized by mankind with the advent of one of the most destructive and cruel events in history - the First World War. The aircraft of these times did not differ in good technical parameters, but gave rise to the appearance of high-quality and useful devices, both for air battles and for passenger flights.
The advent of the first military aircraft
Airplanes of World War I began to appear even during the beginnings of the conflict. Initially, these were bulky and clumsy "flying tanks" capable of transporting personnel. They were not equipped with assault machine guns or bombs for dropping bombs. The main firepower aircraft of the times of World War I were provided by weapons of personnel.
With the development of military craft, by 1915, fighters began to appear. They developed speeds of up to 150 km / h and could cause serious damage to infantry and tanks. They used weapons of different effectiveness, including machine guns, steel weights and grenades.
An example of the military superiority of German aircraft of the First World War were bombers. At that time it was the most destructive, dimensional and impenetrable machines. With the advent of these funds in many cities in Europe, sirens began to appear, notifying the local population of the approaching bombing attacks.
German Airplanes
The military forces of the Central Powers at the time of World War I were far ahead of many European states. Despite the obvious weakness of the allies, Germany was the second power in terms of the number of aircraft in the world. It had 240 Taube units and was in serious competition with the Entente. The First World War gave an impetus to the development of the aircraft industry and consolidated the notorious glory for German bombers, destroying everything in its path.
Thanks to the rapid development, the troops of the Central states were able to strengthen their dominant position in the air almost until the very end of World War I. German aircraft were the first to be used for bombing strategic enemy targets. The most famous aircraft were the Foker and Taub light triplanes. They were lightweight structures capable of conducting fast and effective battles.
German airships as part of the air force
In addition to the bombing of today's familiar planes, Germany also used airships in its bombing. Over the 4 years of the war, the Germans built more than 100 Zeppelins and Shutte-Lantsov units. Unlike civil airships, military vehicles were provided with powerful protection against all types of known weapons.
Such aviation was perfectly suited to ensure the protection of marine approaches to the borders of the occupied territories and the bombing of strategic objects located on the contact line.
German Allied Aircraft
As you know, one of the main reasons for the defeat of the troops of the German Empire was the low preparedness of the allied forces. Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were extremely low skilled in aviation. Excessive conservatism cost them defeat in the war.
If we talk about specific figures, then Austria-Hungary had only 30 aircraft in service, including the Albatross and the Foker. Only at the end of the war did the Allies begin mass production of fighters.
The Ottoman Empire did not have air forces at all. At the time of the beginning of World War I, airplanes were ordinary airplanes for passenger transportation. Germany helped to ensure the air superiority of the Ottoman Empire by supplying the most modern models such as the Palatinate, Rampler and Taub. These were the most popular and popular models of the beginning of the 20th century, which had low resistance to enemy attacks.
Russian Imperial Air Force
Despite the strong backlog of Russia from the whole world, in terms of military power, it had practically no equal, with the exception of French and German troops. The same goes for the air force. The names of the planes of World War I, which participated in the clashes on the part of the Russian Empire, have been over the years.
At the time of 1914, there were more than 260 aircraft in service with Russia, which exceeded all countries participating in the conflict. And this is despite the fact that the air fleet has not yet been finally formed. The main shock force of the empire was the first multi-engine vehicles "Ilya Muromets" - the most advanced and powerful bombers.
In addition to the latest developments, Russia also used older models, significantly inferior not only to new products, but also to the developments of German engineers. Today, such aircraft are called "Corn Workers." They were made from the most common wooden plywood, and therefore were extremely vulnerable to any type of weapon, be it machine guns or pistols. Basically, such funds were used during night flights and reconnaissance operations.
The Russian Empire became the first country in the world to use aircraft carriers in its arsenal. In total, there were 5 ships in service, capable of carrying aircraft.
Royal Flight Corps
The British Empire was one of the first countries involved in the development of aircraft for military purposes. Photos of planes from World War I that were on the British side can be seen in many well-known publications that appeared after 1918.
Despite the high level of training, British aircraft were slightly inferior to German and French aircraft. The first British fighter equipped with a high-precision machine gun was the Vickers aircraft. Its development has been carried out since 1912, and by the beginning of World War I 60 copies were produced. During the war, more than 3.3 thousand airplanes were also created, which made the British Air Force the most numerous troops of post-war Europe.
The scope of combat vehicles was very different, ranging from patrolling the vicinity of the contact line, ending with aerial bombardments and reconnaissance operations. With the help of Royal Aircraft aircraft, British reconnaissance aircraft were thrown behind enemy lines, which played an important role during the war.
French aviation
It is considered to be the most powerful strike force of the period 1914-1918. If we talk about which planes were in World War I in France, it is extremely difficult to underestimate them. It is on the basis of these developments that world aviation is still developing today.
The main difference from the developers of other countries is that not only the most advanced engineers, but the pilots themselves participated in creating the projects. Thanks to such cooperation, the "thunderstorm" was born - "Moran Sayulnir-M", which became the best fighter presented at the beginning of the war. During its development, pilot estimates were taken into account, the most vulnerable parts of the aircraft were strengthened, and the opportunity appeared to shoot a machine gun through a screw.
Special attention deserves reconnaissance aircraft. Blerio 11 also became the best reconnaissance aircraft. If you look at the archival photo of the aircraft of World War I, you can note the exceptional innovation of aircraft in France.
Italian Air Force
If we talk about the pace of aviation development, then Italy has become the fastest growing power in this area. Despite the variable success in terms of domination in the sky, Italians were able to move to a fundamentally new level. If by the beginning of the war Italy didn’t even have its own aircraft, then a year later the best heavy bombers Kaproni K-1 and Kaproni K-2 were produced. The prototypes were so successful that they were able to pass tests at unprepared training grounds for such actions. These were extremely strong and heavy vehicles, capable of flying up to several thousand kilometers, without requiring refueling and technical repairs.