Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8

Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
A vintage R.E.8 performing over the Duxford Jubilee Airshow 2012
Role	Reconnaissance, Bomber Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Royal Aircraft Factory
Designer	John Kenworthy / Walter Barling
First flight	17 June 1916
Introduction	1916
Retired	1918
Status	Retired
Primary users	RFC/RAF Australian Flying Corps Aviation Militaire Belge
Produced	1916–1918
Number built	4,077[1]
Variants	Siddeley-Deasy R.T.1

The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 is a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War that was designed and produced at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was also built under contract by Austin Motors, Daimler, Standard Motors, Siddeley-Deasy and the Coventry Ordnance Works.

Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was widely regarded as more difficult to fly and gained a reputation in the Royal Flying Corps for being "unsafe" that was never entirely dispelled. Although eventually it gave reasonably satisfactory service, it was never an outstanding combat aircraft. Nonetheless, it remained the standard British reconnaissance and artillery observation aircraft from mid-1917 to the end of the war, serving alongside the rather more popular Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8.

More than 4,000 R.E.8s were eventually produced; these aircraft saw service in a range of different theatres, including Italy, Russia, Palestine and Mesopotamia, as well as the Western Front. The R.E.8 was rapidly withdrawn from service after the end of the war, by which time it was regarded as totally obsolete.