Fokker V.6

The Fokker V.6 was a prototype triplane fighter designed by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke during the First World War for the Imperial German Army's Air Service, developed in parallel with the V.5 from which the famous Dr.I triplane came in 1917. It proved impossible to make up for the extra weight of the water-cooled engine, which significantly reduced its performance compared with the V.5, and only one aircraft was built. Following Fokker's usual policy of building both rotary-engined and water-cooled versions of the same design, the Inspectorate of Flying Troops ordered on 7 July 1917 a version of the V.4 with a 120 kW Mercedes D.III engine, expecting its extra power over the 82 kW Oberursel to compensate for the weight. The wing area had to be increased to keep the wing loading the same, adding yet more weight. After the first flight tests the fuselage struts were removed and the lower wing faired into the fuselage in a futile attempt to reduce drag, and development was abandoned later that year.