 |
| R.XI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Heavy fighter |
| Manufacturer | Caudron |
| Designer | Paul Deville [1] |
| First flight | 1916 [2] |
| Introduction | 1918 [2] |
| Retired | July 1922 |
| Primary user | France |
| Produced | 1917-1918 |
| Number built | 370 |
| Developed from | Caudron R.4 |
The Caudron R.11 (or R.XI in contemporary usage), was a French three-seat twin-engine long range escort fighter biplane developed and produced by Caudron during the First World War. [2]
The R.XI was intended to fulfill a French Corps d'Armee requirement for a long range three-seat escort fighter. Its design was similar to the Caudron R.4, but without a nose-wheel, and with longer wings and fuselage, with two bracing bays outboard the engines rather than three, along with a much larger tail. Hispano-Suiza 8Ba liquid-cooled V-8 engines were housed in streamlined nacelles just above the lower wing, fitted with frontal radiators, which replaced the air-cooled Renault engines used in the R.4.
Production of the 1000 R.XIs ordered by the French Army began in 1917, with the first aircraft completed late in that year. [1]
The first escadrille, R 46, was equipped with the type in February 1918 and the last escadrille to form was R 246, [3] before the Armistice resulted in an abrupt end to production, at which point approximately 370 aircraft had been completed by Caudron, Régy Frères and Gremont. [1]
France 
United Kingdom 
United States 
Data from Davilla, 1997, p.168
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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