Dorand AR.1

The name Dorand was the name of the French Army Aircraft Establishment's (FAEE) director Lt Col Dorand. The manufacturer was that organisation known as Section Technique de l'Aeronautique. They may not have been highly thought of but the French did take delivery of 142 including the later AR.2 and they were sold to the U.S.A. , Serbia and Greece. After WW I they were used extensively by individuals and some companies.

Power Plant 1 x 200 h.p. Renault 8Gdy water cooled V8
Span 43'8" Length 27'0" Wing area 542 sq ft Gross weight 2,930 lb Empty weight 1,960 lb
Max speed 92 mph at 6,600 ft Service ceiling 18,000 ft
Endurance 3 hours
Armament 1 x .303" Forward firing Vickers gun and one or two movable .303" Lewis gun in rear cockpit

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Rather undistinguished reconnaissance airplane designed by Captain Georges LePere. The French Air Service thought so little of this plane that they made it available to Serbia as well as to the U.S. Army Air Service. The latter acquired 22 of these, which they used operationally for the first half of 1918 until they could be replaced by the far-superior Salmson 2A2. LePere emigrated to America where he designed an excellent 2-seat fighter, the Packard-LePere LUSAC-11 ("LUSAC" was an acronym for LePere United States Army Combat"). Unfortunately WW-I ended before any LUSAC-11 aircraft could be deployed operationally, and only two were delivered to the Army Air Service in France before the Armistice, and production was quickly cancelled.

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