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List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps facts for kids

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This is a list of aircraft used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from 13 April 1912, when it was formed from the Air Battalion Royal Engineers, until 1 April 1918 when it was merged with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) to form the Royal Air Force (RAF). The RFC operated in parallel with the RNAS, whose aircraft are listed at List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service. For a list of Royal Air Force aircraft see List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force.

Sopwith Pup A7302
British Royal Flying Corps Sopwith Pup

Operational aeroplanes

Operational aeroplanes
Aircraft Role First flight Introduced to RFC service
Airco DH.1 Fighter / General purpose January 1915 1915
Airco DH.2 Fighter July 1915 1915
Airco DH.4 Light bomber / General purpose August 1916 January 1917
Airco DH.5 Fighter August 1916 May 1917
Airco DH.6 Trainer 1916 1917
Airco DH.9 Bomber July 1917 November 1917
Airco DH.9A Light bomber/General purpose March 1918 Introduced to the RAF in 1918
Armstrong Whitworth F.K.2 General purpose 1915 1915
Armstrong Whitworth F.K.3 General purpose / Trainer 1915 1916
Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 Bomber / Reconnaissance May 1916 June 1916
Avro Type E/Es/500 General purpose 3 March 1912 1912
Avro 504 Trainer / Fighter 18 September 1913 1913
Blériot XI Trainer / Reconnaissance 23 January 1909 1912
Blériot XII Sport 21 May 1909 Operated by the Balloon School, not the RFC
Blériot XXI Reconnaissance February 1911 1911
Blériot Parasol Monoplane Observation / Trainer / Light bomber 23 January 1909 1912
Breguet Type III Experimental 1910  ?
Bristol Boxkite Trainer 30 July 1910 1911 (for the Air Battalion)
Bristol-Coanda Monoplane Trainer 1912  ?
Bristol F.2A and F.2B Fighter Fighter / Reconnaissance 9 September 1916 Late 1916
Bristol Scout Reconnaissance / Fighter 23 February 1914 1914
Bristol M.1 Fighter 14 July 1916 1917
Caudron G.III Reconnaissance Late 1913  ?
Curtiss JN-3 Trainer  ? March 1915
Curtiss JN-4A Trainer 1915 1917
Curtiss JN-4 (Canadian) Trainer  ? 1917
Deperdussin TT General purpose 1912  ?
Farman HF.20 Reconnaissance 1913  ?
Farman HF.27 Reconnaissance  ?  ?
Farman MF.7 Longhorn Reconnaissance 1913  ?
Farman MF.11 Shorthorn Reconnaissance / Bomber 1913  ?
FBA Type B Reconnaissance (flying boat)  ?  ?
Grahame-White Type XV Trainer 1913  ?
Martinsyde S.1 Fighter 1914  ?
Martinsyde G.100 & 102 Fighter-bomber 1915 mid-1916
Morane-Saulnier G Reconnaissance 1912  ?
Morane-Saulnier H Reconnaissance 1913  ?
Morane-Saulnier BB Observation 1915  ?
Morane-Saulnier I Fighter March 1916  ?
Morane-Saulnier L Reconnaissance August 1913  ?
Morane-Saulnier LA Reconnaissance  ?  ?
Morane-Saulnier N Fighter 22 July 1914  ?
Morane-Saulnier V Fighter April 1916  ?
Morane-Saulnier P Reconnaissance 1914  ?
Nieuport II.N Sport 1910  ?
Nieuport IV.G Reconnaissance 1911 1911 (for the Air Battalion)
Nieuport 12 Reconnaissance / Fighter / Trainer 1915  ?
Nieuport 16 1916  ?
Nieuport 17 & 23 January 1916  ?
Nieuport 20 1915  ?
Nieuport 23bis  ?  ?
Nieuport 24 & 24bis 1917  ?
Nieuport 27 1917  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 4 December 1911  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 1 February 1912  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3 & 4 3 May 1912 1912
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.7  ?  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8 & 8a 1913 1914
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 28 July 1915 1 August 1916
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 February 1914 September 1915
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 September 1915 2 August 1916
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.1 Reconnaissance July 1913  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 Reconnaissance / artillery observation 1914 1914
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7 Light bomber and reconnaissance 1915 1915
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8  ?  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2  ?  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4a  ?  ?
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 & 5a  ?  ?
Short School Biplane (S.43 & 44)  ?  ?
Short S.62  ?  ?
Short Type 184  ?  ?
Short Type 827  ?  ?
Short Bomber  ?  ?
Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter  ?  ?
Sopwith 3-Seater  ?  ?
Sopwith 80 hp Biplane  ?  ?
Sopwith Camel December 1916 June 1917
Sopwith Dolphin May 1917 February 1918
Sopwith Pup February 1916 October 1916
Sopwith Salamander April 1918 November 1918
Sopwith Snipe October 1917 August 1918
Sopwith Tabloid  ?  ?
SPAD S.VII  ?  ?
SPAD S.XIII  ?  ?
Vickers Boxkite (Vickers-Farman)  ?  ?
Vickers E.S.1  ?  ?
Vickers F.B. 'Gun Carrier'/'Fighting Biplanes'  ?  ?
Vickers F.B.5 Fighter 17 July 1914 November 1914
Vickers F.B.9  ?  ?
Vickers F.B.12  ?  ?
Vickers F.B.14  ?  ?
Vickers F.B.19  ?  ?
Voisin III & V  ?  ?

Airships

The airship service was disbanded 1 January 1914 and all airships transferred to the RNAS. See List of British airships

  • British Army Airship No.3/Baby/Beta/Beta II
  • No.2A – 1910–
  • Delta – 1912–1914
  • Epsilon I and Epsilon II –
  • Eta 1913–1914
  • Clément-Bayard II Zeta 1910–1910
  • Lebaudy Morning Post 1910–1911

Prototypes

  • ASL Valkyrie
  • Airco DH.3
  • Armstrong Whitworth F.K.7
  • Armstrong Whitworth F.K.9
  • Armstrong Whitworth F.K.10
  • Avro 521
  • Beatty-Wright Biplanes
  • Bristol-Prier Monoplane
  • Bristol TB.8 & G.B.75
  • Bristol S.2A
  • Caproni Ca.1
  • Caudron Type C/45 hp
  • Caudron G.IV
  • Caudron R.XI
  • Cody V biplane
  • Curtiss C-1 Canada
  • Dunne D.8
  • Farman Type Militaire, 1910
  • Flanders F.4
  • Grahame-White Type VII & VIIc
  • Grahame-White Type VIII
  • Grahame-White Pusher Biplane
  • Grahame-White School Biplane
  • Handley Page Type O/400
  • Howard Wright biplane
  • Martin-Handasyde Monoplane
  • Martinsyde F.3
  • Morane-Saulnier AC
  • Paulhan biplane
  • Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.9
  • Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4
  • Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.9
  • Royal Aircraft Factory N.E.1
  • Short Tractor Biplane
  • Sopwith Sparrow
  • Sopwith Triplane
  • SPAD S.XII
  • Vickers F.B.7/7A
  • Vickers F.B.27 Vimy
  • Vickers F.B.26 Vampire
  • Wright Model H

Unmanned aerial vehicles

List of weapons of the Royal Flying Corps

Bombs

Rockets

  • Le Prieur rocket - Incendiary air-to-air rockets

Machine guns

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