J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

Hanriot HD.6

  The failure of the HD.5 to meet the C2 category requirements spurred Hanriot to try a different design. The HD.6 was given a much more powerful engine - the 500-hp Salmson 18Z aircooled engine. This engine was created by coupling two Salmson 9Zs. The HD.5 was the only C2 design io use it. The bulky engine resulted in a rotund fuselage of circular cross-section. The two-bay wings were of equal span and unstaggered. The ailerons were horn-balanced and titled to both upper and lower wings. The rudder and elevators were also horn-balanced. As with the HD.5, the pilot was seated under a large cutout in the top wing. The pilot and gunner were again located closely together to facilitate communication - this being one of the strong points of the HD.3 and HD.5. Armament was two fixed and synchronized 7.7-mm Vickers machineguns for by the pilot, while the observer had two 7.7-mm Lewis guns on a ring mount and a third Lewis which tired through the floor of the fuselage. Three Lamblin radiators were located under the bottom wing.
  When the fuselage had been completed by November 1918, the new engine was still not available. It appears that the Salmson 18Z (only 25 of which were built) was not fitted until the spring of 1919. Performance figures from testing at Villacoublay showed that both the speed and ceiling were still below that required of an aircraft in the C2 class.
  While the HD.6 had an increased maximum speed, improved range, higher ceiling, and a heavier payload than the HD.3, these improvements were modest. It is probable that, with the end of the war, it was felt that the SPAD 20 and HD.3 could perform the C2 missions adequately and further development of the HD.6 was abandoned.


HD.6 Two-Seat Fighter with 500-hp Salmson 18Z
   Span 13.60 m; length 8.85 m; height 2.90 m; wing area 47.50 sq. m
   Empty weight 810 kg; loaded weight 1,250 kg; (another source gives an empty weight of 1,230 kg and a loaded weight of 1,950 kg)
   Maximum speed: 225 km/h; climb to 1,000 m in 2 minutes 47 seconds; climb to 3,000 m in 9 minutes 37 seconds; climb to 5,000 m in 19 minutes 20 seconds; ceiling 7,100 m; range 600 km: endurance 3 hours
   Armament: two fixed, synchronized 7.7-mm Vickers machine guns, two 7.7-mm Lewis guns on a ring mount, and a third Lewis gun which fired through the floor of the fuselage
   One built