AEG PE

Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG)

Industry	Electrical equipment, aviation
Founded	1883
Headquarters	Germany

The AEG PE—with its factory code standing for Panzer Einsitzer or "armored single-seater"—was a prototype triplane fighter developed by Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) during the First World War for the Imperial German Army's (Deutsches Heer) air arm, the Luftstreitkräfte. Its primary mission was to engage hostile ground-attack aircraft at low altitudes within the range of anti-aircraft artillery. Flight testing commenced in late 1917; however, the aircraft was ultimately dismissed due to unsatisfactory flight performance.

Development

Although detailed records about the PE are sparse, aviation scholar Jack Herris suggests that its concept was influenced by Lieutenant-Colonel (Oberstleutnant) Wilhelm Siegert, head of the Inspectorate of Flying Troops (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen or Idflieg), who advocated for "specialized aircraft tailored to distinct operational roles". The design focused on an armored fighter capable of surviving damage from anti-aircraft gun fire while targeting enemy aircraft flying at low levels. To achieve this, the fuselage incorporated built-in armor shielding the pilot, engine, and fuel tank. The rear fuselage was fabricated from aluminium, while the wings featured a two-bay configuration constructed using AEG’s characteristic steel-tube spars. Propulsion was provided by a water-cooled 195-horsepower (145 kW) Benz Bz.IIIb V8 engine. Armament included two synchronized forward-firing 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine guns and capacity for four small bombs.

A record dated 21 October 1917 confirms AEG’s development of an armored fighter designated PE. Another report anticipated completion of flight tests by December of that year. By March 1918, the aircraft achieved an altitude of 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in 48 minutes; test pilots described it as manageable to fly but lacking in speed. Subsequently, in May 1918, Idflieg mandated termination of the PE project citing "poor flight characteristics". Notably, AEG later reused the same fuselage framework in its biplane model, the AEG DJ.I.

Bibliography

• Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen. German Aircraft of the First World War. Putnam, London, 2nd edition, 1987.
• Herris, Jack. A.E.G. Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Aeronaut Books, 2015.