Voisin III LA
Model Airplane News Cover Art for January, 1965
by Jo Kotula
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The Voisin III (or Voisin 3) was one of the first two-seat bomber and ground attack aircraft of World War I. It was a pusher biplane, developed by Aeroplanes Voisin of Gabriel Voisin in 1914 as a more powerful version of the 1912 Voisin I (Voisin 1) design. It also incorporated a light steel frame which made it survivable in the temporary airfields of wartime military aviation. It performed a variety of missions, including reconnaissance, artillery spotting, training, day and night bombing, and ground attack.

Photos of the Voisin III LA
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The Voisin III became the standard Allied bomber in the early years of the war. The main users were the French Air Force and the Imperial Russian Air Force. Russia ordered over 800 in France and built a further 400 under license at DUX in Moscow. Around 100 were built in Italy, and 50 in the United Kingdom, while smaller numbers were purchased by Belgium and Romania. The first Voisin III had a range of 150 mi., top speed of 70 m/h and ceiling of 20,000ft (sources vary). First armaments often included a machine gun on the fuselage operated by a standing observer, later models had 1.5" or 1.9" guns for ground attack. It could carry up to 330 lb. of bombs.

Here is a video of the Voisin III LA in action:

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