| D.I | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | LFG, Pfalz |
| Designer | Dipl Ing Tantzen |
| First flight | July 1916 |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | ca. 20 |
The LFG Roland D.I was a fighter aircraft produced in Germany during World War I.[1] It was a single-seat aircraft based originally on the Roland C.II two-seat reconnaissance type. It shared its predecessor's unusual design feature of having a deep fuselage that completely filled the interplane gap, but in comparison, the fuselage was much sleeker. While the C.II's appearance had earned the Walfisch ("Whale"), the D.I became known as the Haifisch ("Shark").[2] The I-struts that had been used to brace the C.II's wing were replaced by more conventional struts. Other changes to the wing included the removal of stagger from the design and the introduction of slight sweepback.[2]
The prototype flew in July 1916 and was accepted by the Idflieg for military service. Production was interrupted, however, by a fire at the factory after only around twenty machines had been built. When production eventually resumed, it was of the improved Roland D.II.