Junkers D.I

J 7 and J 9 (D.I)
J 7 and J 9 (D.I)
	Junkers D.I survivor at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
General information
Type	Fighter
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Junkers
Designer	Hugo Junkers
Status	retired
Primary user	Imperial German Navy
Number built	41
History
Manufactured	1918
Introduction date	1918
First flight	17 September 1917

Last updated November 20, 2025

The Junkers D.I (factory designation J 9) was a monoplane fighter aircraft produced in Germany late in World War I, significant for becoming the first all-metal fighter to enter service. The prototype, a private venture by Junkers named the J 7, first flew on 17 September 1917, going through nearly a half-dozen detail changes in its design during its tests.^[1] When it was demonstrated to the Idflieg early the following year it proved impressive enough to result in an order for three additional aircraft for trials. The changes made by Junkers were significant enough for the firm to rename the next example the J 9, which was supplied to the Idflieg instead of the three J 7s ordered.

Variants

J 7: company designation for early prototype variants, one built (three completed as J 9s).
J 9: company designation for late prototypes and production models
J 9/II: company designation for lengthened fuselage version
D.I: Idflieg designation

Surviving aircraft

One example survives and is on display in the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport, 11km north of Paris, France. Several copies have been built, including one on display at the Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow.

Specifications

Data from Holmes, 2005. p 32

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Length: 7.25 m (23 ft 9.4 in)
Wingspan: 9.00 m (29 ft 6.3 in)
Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in)
Empty weight: 654 kg (1,438 lb)
Gross weight: 834 kg (1,834 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW IIIa water-cooled 6-cylinder inline , 138 kW (185 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 176 km/h (109 mph, 95 kn) ^[2]
Endurance: 1.5 hours^[3]
Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,700 ft)
Rate of climb: 3.5 m/s (683 ft/min) ^[3]

Armament

2 × fixed, forward-firing Spandau machine guns

References

Citations

↑ Grosz and Terry 1984, p.67.
↑ Grosz, 1992, p.35
1 2 Kay, 2004, p.28

Bibliography

Grosz, Peter & Terry, Gerard (1984). "The Way to the World's First All-Metal Fighter". Air Enthusiast. Vol. 25, no. Aug-Nov 1984. pp. 60–76. ISSN 0143-5450.
Grosz, P.M. (1992). Junkers D.I. Windsock Datafile 33. Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications. ISBN 978-0948414-41-1.
Holmes, Tony (2005). Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 0007192924.
Kay, Anthony L. (2004). Junkers Aircraft and Engines 1913-1945. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-985-9.
Owers, Colin A. (2018). Junkers Aircraft of WWI: Volume 2: Junkers J.5–J.11: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 31. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-66-7.

External links

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[Grosz_metal_p67-1] Grosz and Terry 1984, p.67.

[Grosz-2] Grosz, 1992, p.35

[Kay-3] 1 2 Kay, 2004, p.28

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Junkers aircraft
Company designations	J 1 J 2 J 3 J 4 J 5 J 6 J 7 J 8 J 9 J 10 J 11 J 12 F 13 J 15 K 16 K 17 J 18 T 19 A 20 H 21 / J 21 / T 21 J 22 T 23 G 23 F 24 / G 24 A 25 T 26 T 27 J 28 T 29 K 30 G 31 A 32 W 33 W 34 A 35 S 36 K 37 G 38 K 39 K 47 A 48 J 49 A 50 K 51 K 53 K 85
Company EF designations (experimental aircraft)	EF 29 EF 31 EF 52 EF 61 EF 72 EF 73 EF 74 EF 77 EF 94 EF 126 EF 127 EF 128 EF 130 EF 131 EF 132 EF 140 EF 150
Idflieg designations	CL.I CLS.I D.I E.I E.I (2) J.I
RLM designations	Ju 46 Ju 49 Ju 52 Ju 60 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ju 160 Ju 187 Ju 188 Ju 248 Ju 252 Ju 268 Ju 287 Ju 288 Ju 290 Ju 322 Ju 352 Ju 388 Ju 390 Ju 452 Ju 488 Ju 635

v t e World War I aircraft of the Central Powers
Fighters	AEG D.I AEG Dr.I Albatros D.I Albatros D.II Albatros D.III Albatros D.V Aviatik D.I Aviatik C.VI Daimler L.6 Euler D.I Euler D.II Fokker D.I Fokker D.II Fokker D.III Fokker D.IV Fokker D.V Fokker D.VI Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VIII Fokker Dr.I Fokker E.I Fokker E.II Fokker E.III Fokker E.IV Fokker E.V Halberstadt D.II Hannover CL.II Hannover CL.III Hannover CL.IV Hannover CL.V Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 Junkers D.I Kondor D.6 Kondor E.III Naglo D.II Pfalz D.III Pfalz D.XII Pfalz Dr.I Pfalz E.I Pfalz E.II Phönix D.I LFG Roland D.II LFG Roland D.VI Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.II Siemens-Schuckert D.III Siemens-Schuckert D.IV Zeppelin-Lindau D.I
Bombers and ground attack	AEG DJ.I AEG G.I AEG G.II AEG G.III AEG G.IV AEG G.V AEG J.I AEG J.II AEG R.I Friedrichshafen G.II Friedrichshafen G.III Gotha G.I Gotha G.II Gotha G.III Gotha G.IV Gotha G.V Gotha GL.VII Gotha G.IX Hannover CL.II Junkers CL.I Junkers J.I Rumpler G.I Rumpler G.II Rumpler G.III Siemens-Schuckert L.I Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.II Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.III Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.IV Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
Reconnaissance	AEG B.I AEG B.II AEG B.III AEG C.I AEG C.II AEG C.III AEG C.IV AEG C.V AEG C.VI AEG C.VII AEG C.VIII AGO C.I AGO C.II AGO C.III AGO C.IV AGO C.VII AGO C.VIII Albatros B.I Albatros B.II Albatros C.I Albatros C.III Albatros C.V Albatros C.VII Albatros C.IX Albatros C.X Albatros C.XII Aviatik B.I Aviatik B.II Aviatik C.I Aviatik C.VI DFW C.V LFG Roland C.II LVG B.I LVG C.II Rumpler C.I Rumpler C.IV Rumpler Taube
Trainers	Euler D.I
Prototypes	Albatros C.II Fokker V.1 Fokker V.2 Junkers J 1 Junkers J 2 Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.I