The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 is a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane, designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including established aircraft manufacturers and firms new to aircraft construction.

BE2e, A2943, is in No 7 Squadron colours of WW1. The aircraft is recorded as being flown by Captain Horace Webb-Bowen RFC. It was used for bombing and reconnaissance including the Battle of the Somme before being eventually replaced in the same role by the RE8.

weight and performance calculations for the RAF B.E.2e two-seat armed reconnaissance and artillery observation biplane

Believed to be the first RAF aircraft to land in France in 1914 in support of the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) the BE2a was the subject of a number of experiments and was markedly different to the BE1 and BE2.

The first version built in reasonable numbers was the B.E.2b (which introduced ailerons) followed by the mass-produced B.E.2c which superseded earlier versions from April 1915. Power was provided by a 67kW RAF 1a engine and wing dihedral was introduced. It was also the first armed version, carrying a machine-gun in the forward cockpit.

The R.A.F. B.E.2e featured unequal single-bay wings with the large overhung top wings braced from king-posts. It had dual controls, an enlarged fin, and the 90hp RAF 1a V-8 engine. The observer has a Lewis gun in the forward-angle fire position; he could also move that gun to the rail between himself and the pilot.

2018年10月22日 · During 1915, the B.E.2 (B.E.2c) was made to service the night fighter role as a single-seat interceptor granted extra fuel stores, an angled Lewis machine gun, and hand-dropped ordnance to be used against German Zeppelins over England. In this way, the B.E.2 became one of the earliest airframes to fulfill the dedicated night fighting role.

The B.E.2e was an advanced version of the “c” model. A number of those operated from the British bases in the Aegean Sea during WW1. Later on, 3 examples (no. A1327, A1384, A1385), were handed over to the Naval Flying Corps.

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane in service with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from 1912 until the end of World War I. About 3,500 were built. Initially used as front-line reconnaissance aircraft and light bombers; variants of the type were also used as night fighters.

Designed as a replacement for the BE2, the RE8 would serve until the end of the war wherever the RFC/RAF could be found. No.52 was the first unit to use the RE8 in France, however after heavy losses they exchanged their surviving RE8s with No.34 Sqn for the latter's BE2e aircraft.