Albatros L 84

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The Albatros L 84 was a tandem two-seat, single-bay fighter biplane first flown in 1931. Four of the five examples produced were built by Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau, into which Albatros Flugzeugwerke was amalgamated in that year.

Powered by a water-cooled 660 hp BMW VIu 7.3Z V12, the L 84 had a fabric-covered fuselage constructed of welded steel tubes, and wooden wings skinned with plywood. Its armament comprised three 7.9 mm machine guns, two in fixed forward-firing positions and the third ring-mounted in the aft cockpit. Only the first prototype was completed before Albatros became part of Focke-Wulf, and this was destroyed during flight testing. A second example was flown in February 1933 by Focke-Wulf under the designation L 84C, using a modified cooling system.

The Reichswehr initially ordered twelve L 84s but cancelled the order after only three had been completed. Of these, one was designated L 84E and was tested with the Rolls-Royce Kestrel IIIS engine; another, L 84F, was fitted with a fuel-injected version of the BMW VIu. At least one L 84 was delivered to China.

[edit] References

• Green, W. & Swanborough, G. (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-85833-777-1