AEG J.I

The AEG J.I was a German biplane ground attack aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. It was a mission-specific derivative of the AEG C.IV reconnaissance aircraft. The J.I was developed as an interim ground attack aircraft, being redesigned from the C.IV to feature armour plating and the more powerful Benz Bz IV piston engine. For engaging ground targets, a pair of 7.92 mm downward-facing (.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine guns were equipped. The aircraft's design was kept as similar to the C.IV as possible to minimise development and production schedules; however, to offset that aircraft's increased weight, it was necessary to add lower wingtip ailerons as well as to reinforce the shock absorbers. A key visual difference between the C.IV and J.I was the latter's angular nose due to the armouring. An improved model, the J.II, was produced in 1918 during the closing months of the war; it featured aerodynamic improvements and an extended fuselage. Around 609 aircraft, both J.Is and J.IIs, had been produced by the enactment of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the conflict. The type saw limited use following the war. Multiple J.IIs served the first sustained daily passenger aeroplane service in the world, between the German cities of Berlin and Weimar, launched by Deutsche Luft-Reederei on 5 February 1919.

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