AEG G.I

Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG)

Industry	Electrical equipment, aircraft manufacturing
Founded	1883 in Berlin, Germany
Headquarters	Berlin , Germany

Template:Infobox aircraft

The AEG G.I (factory code GZ1) was a German twin-engine biplane prototype constructed by Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) during the First World War to serve the Imperial German Army's (Deutsches Heer) air arm, the Luftstreitkräfte. Initially, the prototype carried the designation K.I. Following flight evaluations that confirmed its satisfactory performance, a second prototype with enhanced armament was developed and labeled the G.I to undergo operational testing.

Development

Designed as a battleplane (Kampfflugzeug) or aerial cruiser, the G.I was intended to engage hostile aircraft using flexible machine guns while also delivering attacks against terrestrial targets. In July 1914, the Imperial German Air Service's Inspectorate of Flying Troops (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen, commonly known as Idflieg) issued specifications calling for a three-man battleplane capable of six hours endurance, equipped with a flexible forward gun operated by an aerial observer, able to carry a payload of approximately 450 kilograms (990 lb), and powered by an engine delivering at least 200 horsepower (150 kW).

Since no single engine meeting this power requirement was available domestically, AEG opted to install two water-cooled 100-horsepower (75 kW) Mercedes D.I straight-six piston engines arranged in a tractor configuration. These engines were mounted on struts positioned between the aircraft’s two-bay wings. The K.I featured a fuselage constructed from steel tubing with its nose armored by thin plating to shield the gunner; the remainder of the fuselage was covered with doped fabric. The pilot’s cockpit was situated beneath the upper wing. The aircraft completed its maiden flight in January 1915. By the time the G.I was commissioned for combat trials, Idflieg had revised its designation system from K to G for multi-engine types. Delivered in March, this second prototype differed from the K.I by incorporating two gunners—one at the front and another behind the pilot’s seat. It is possible that components from the K.I were reused in constructing this model. The G.I was dispatched from the manufacturing facility to an operational squadron on 24 April.