The Dornier Do 215 was a light bomber, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and later a night fighter, produced by Dornier originally for export, but in the event all except two served in the Luftwaffe. Like its predecessor, the Dornier Do 17, it inherited the title "The Flying Pencil" because of its slim fuselage. The successor of the Do 215 was the Do 217.Role Light bomber/Night fighter
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Designer Claude Dornier
First flight 1938
Introduction 1939
Retired 1944
Primary user Luftwaffe
Produced 1939 - 1941
Number built 105[1]
Developed from Dornier Do 17
VariantsDo 215 V1Dornier Do 17 Z-0 used as first prototype of Do 215 and crashed during trials.
Do 215 V2Dornier Do 17 Z-0 (D-AIIB) equipped with Gnome-Rhône 14-cylinder radial engines and used as second prototype of Do 215.
Do 215 V3Third prototype of Do 215, equipped with Daimler-Benz DB 601Ba inline engines.
Do 215 A-1Designation of original 18 aircraft built for Swedish Air Force order.
Do 215 B-03 aircraft of A-1 version re-equipped for Luftwaffe with FuG 10 and operated for bomber/reconnaissance duties.
Do 215 B-1Renamed remaining 15 aircraft of A-1 version operated by Luftwaffe.
Do 215 B-2Rebuilt with sliding cover under bomb bay and equipped with three Rb 50/30 cameras in bomb bay used for reconnaissance missions.
Do 215 B-3Two aircraft similar to B-1 sold to Soviet Union.
Do 215 B-4Improved reconnaissance version developed from B-2 version and equipped with Rb 20/30 & Rb 50/30 cameras.
Do 215 B-5Night fighter version called Kauz III. 20 aircraft converted from B-1 and B-4 versions with Do 17 Z-10 "Kauz II" nose equipped with IR searchlight for the Spanner infrared detection system. Do 215 B-5s were armed with four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns grouped above the IR light and two 20 mm MG FF cannons in the lower nose. The Spanner system proved to be useless and the Lichtenstein 202 B/C radar was installed on some aircraft starting from the middle of 1942.
Of the versions of the Do 215 that existed, the A-1 bomber with DB 601 engines, and the B-0 and B-1 export machines both re-equipped with FuG 10 navigation device for the Luftwaffe. The Do 215 B-5 was the first night fighter to be equipped with the FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C navigation device. These aircraft saw action from January 1941 to May 1944 with I. and IV./NJG 1 and II./NJG 2.
OperatorsWartime operators
GermanyLuftwaffe
HungaryRoyal Hungarian Air Force operated at least 11 aircraft.
Soviet UnionSoviet Air Force bought 2 aircraft from Germany.
Planned operators
SwedenSwedish Air Force ordered 18 Do 215 A-1s but the aircraft were embargoed and transferred to the Luftwaffe.
Kingdom of YugoslaviaYugoslav Royal Air Force ordered Do 215s, but due to the start of World War II the order was never completed.
SpecificationsDornier Do 215 B-1
Data from German Aircraft of the Second World War [8]
General characteristics
Crew: 4 (pilot, bomb aimer/gunner, two gunners)
Length: 15.79 m (51 ft 9? in)
Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 0? in)
Height: 4.56 m (14 ft 11½ in)
Wing area: 55 m² (592 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,780 kg (12,743 lb)
Loaded weight: 8,800 kg (19,401 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 601 Ba V-12-cylinder inline engines, 1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW) each
PerformanceMaximum speed: 470 km/h (254 kn, 292 mph) at 4,000 m (13,123 ft)
Range: 2,450 km (1,323 nmi, 1,522 mi) normal
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,500 ft)
Wing loading: 105.1 kg/m² (32.78 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 184 W/kg (0.113 hp/lb)
Armament4 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns, later upgraded to 6
1,000 kg (2,205 lb) bombs
GALERY-01.jpg)
FINLAND 1941 /images/1-Dornier-Do-215B1-Aufkl.Gr-Ob.d.L-(T5+AC)-Utti-Finland-July-11-1941-01.jpg)
BOB 1940
DESERT 1941 
Hungary Dornier
Night fighter
END 
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Topic: Do-215 (Read 12967 times)
