AEG G.I

The AEG G.I, factory designation GZ1, was a prototype twin-engined German biplane built by AEG for the Imperial German Air Service. It was conceived as a battleplane or aerial cruiser to engage enemy aircraft with flexible machine guns and attack ground targets. No single engine of 150 kilowatts was available in Germany, so AEG used two 75 kilowatt Mercedes D.I inline piston engines. The first prototype, the K.I, flew in January 1915 and performed well enough to justify a second, more heavily armed prototype, the G.I, which went to a combat unit in April 1915.