Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2

E66176

World War I military aircraft biplane military reconnaissance aircraft single‑engine aircraft

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine biplane widely used during the early years of World War I for reconnaissance, light bombing, and training.

Aliases (5)

B.E.2a ×1
B.E.2b ×1
B.E.2c ×1
B.E.2d ×1
B.E.2e ×1

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	World War I military aircraft → biplane → military reconnaissance aircraft → single‑engine aircraft →
aircraftCategory	observation aircraft →
aircraftConfiguration	two‑seat biplane →
armament	light defensive machine gun in later versions →
bombLoad	light bomb load under wings or fuselage →
countryOfOrigin	United Kingdom →
crew	2 →
criticizedFor	poor maneuverability → vulnerability to enemy fighters →
designer	Geoffrey de Havilland →
engineType	piston engine →
enteredServiceWith	Royal Flying Corps →
era	early 1910s aircraft →
firstFlight	1912 →
fuselageConstruction	wooden structure with fabric covering →
introduced	1912 →
landingGearType	fixed tailskid undercarriage →
manufacturer	Royal Aircraft Factory →
notableFor	extensive early‑war service on the Western Front → good stability as an observation platform →
notableVariant	B.E.2a → B.E.2b → B.E.2c → B.E.2d → B.E.2e →
operatedFrom	Middle Eastern theatre of World War I → Western Front →
powerplant	Renault V‑8 engine →
primaryRole	reconnaissance aircraft →
retired	1919 →
secondaryRole	light bomber → trainer aircraft →
status	retired from military service →
successor	Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 →
tailConfiguration	conventional tailplane and fin →
usedBy	Royal Air Force → Royal Flying Corps → Royal Naval Air Service →
usedFor	aerial reconnaissance → artillery spotting → light bombing → observer training → pilot training →
usedInConflict	World War I →
wingConfiguration	two‑bay biplane →

Referenced by (8)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 ("B.E.2a") → Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 ("B.E.2b") → Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 ("B.E.2c") → Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 ("B.E.2d") → Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 ("B.E.2e") →	notableVariant
James McCudden →	aircraftFlown
No. 2 Squadron RAF →	aircraftOperated
Royal Flying Corps →	usedAircraftType