| G.VII | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Bomber |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Gotha |
| First flight | 1918 |
| Primary users | Luftstreitkräfte Ukrainian Air Force, Czechoslovakian Air Force |
| Number built | ca.20 |
The Gotha G.VII was a bomber aircraft produced in Germany during the final months of World War I. With the strategic bombing campaign effectively over, it was intended to be a high-speed tactical bomber with a secondary reconnaissance capability.
The G.VII was a conventional two-bay biplane design with tractor-mounted engines, and a conventional empennage with twin fins and rudders. The bombardier's position in the nose of the aircraft that had featured on earlier Gotha designs was removed, and the nose of the aircraft severely truncated and fitted with a streamlined nose-cone. This allowed the engines to be located further inboard than on previous designs, bringing them closer to the aircraft's centreline and therefore minimising the effects of asymmetric thrust in the event of an engine failure. The engine nacelles also featured careful streamlining.
The Idflieg ordered around 250 of these aircraft, 50 from Gotha and 50 from LVG, and 150 from Aviatik. At least some of the LVG and Aviatik machines had been completed before the Armistice, with some reaching operational service. One G.VII survived the war to see brief service with the Ukrainian Air Force before being impounded by Czechoslovakia and used by the Czechoslovakian air force for a short time.
Austria-Hungary 
Czechoslovakia 
Germany 
Ukraine Data from Gray & Thetford, “German Aircraft of the First World War”
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
The Gotha G.I was a bomber aircraft used by the Luftstreitkräfte during the First World War.
The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft. It saw action during the First World War with the Luftstreitkräfte.
The Aviatik C.I was an observation aircraft which came into service during World War I in April 1915. It was a development of the Aviatik B.I and B.II models, being one of first aircraft of the new German C class of armed biplanes. In the C.I the observer sat in front of the pilot, with a machine-gun clipped on a sliding mounting fitted on a rail at either side of the cockpit. It gave the crew the means to attack enemy aircraft. The positions of the pilot and observer were reversed in last series of 50, ordered in 1917 solely for trainer purpose. There was only one aircraft built of refined C.Ia version in May 1916, with armament still in a forward cab, serving as a prototype for C.III. Later models of the plane included the Aviatik C.II and the C.III, which had more powerful engines. The C.III was produced in large numbers.
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI was a four-engined German biplane strategic bomber of World War I, and the only Riesenflugzeug design built in any quantity.
The LVG C.VI was a German two-seat reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft used during World War I.
The Gotha G.II series was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.
The Gotha G.IV was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I. It was the first mass-produced relatively large airplane.
The DFW C.IV, DFW C.V, DFW C.VI, and DFW F37 were a family of German reconnaissance aircraft first used in 1916 in World War I. They were conventionally configured biplanes with unequal-span unstaggered wings and seating for the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. Like the DFW C.II before them, these aircraft seated the gunner to the rear and armed him with a machine gun on a ring mount. Compared to preceding B- and C-class designs by DFW, however, the aerodynamics of the fuselage were more refined, and when coupled with more powerful engines, resulted in a machine with excellent performance.
The Gotha G.VIII, GL.VIII, G.IX, and G.X were a family of bomber aircraft produced in Germany during the final months of World War I. Based on the Gotha G.VII, they were intended as high-speed tactical bombers featuring advanced streamlining for their day.
The Gotha WD.3 was a pusher reconnaissance floatplane built in prototype form in Germany in 1915.
The Gotha WD.7 was a twin-engine floatplane torpedo training aircraft developed during World War I by Gothaer Waggonfabrik for the Imperial German Navy's Naval Air Service. The WD.8 was a single-engine version of the WD.7 developed for comparative purposes. The single aircraft built was deemed "totally unsuitable" by the Naval Air Service and was later sold to the Ottoman Empire.
The Gotha WD.14, WD.20, and WD.22 were a family of biplane torpedo bomber floatplanes developed in Germany during World War I.
The Rumpler D.I was a fighter-reconnaissance aircraft produced in Germany at the end of World War I. It was a conventional single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span braced by I-struts. It featured an open cockpit and a fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The upper wing was fitted with aerodynamically balanced ailerons and fuselage had an oval cross-section.
The Rumpler G.I was a bomber aircraft produced in Germany during World War I, together with refined versions known as the G.II and G.III.
The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber aircraft designed and built in Germany during World War I.
The Otto C.I, also known as the Otto KD.15, was a German two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed and produced by Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik. The C.I was a rare example of an aircraft flown by the Central Powers which had a pusher configuration.
The LVG G.III was a large, twin engine triplane bomber built in Germany near the end of World War I. Only one was completed.
The LVG C.VIII was a prototype reconnaissance aircraft built in Germany during World War I.
