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The '''Rumpler 6B''' (formally known as the ED) was a German [[floatplane]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]] designed during [[World War I]] by [[Rumpler Flugzeugwerke]] for the [[Imperial German Navy]]'s ({{lang|de|Kaiserliche Marine}}) Naval Air Service ({{lang|de|Marine-Fliegerabteilung}}). It was a single-seat version of the [[Rumpler C.I]] [[Reconnaissance aircraft|reconnaissance]] [[biplane]]. Small numbers of aircraft were exported to [[Finland]], the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire|Austro-Hungarian]] and [[Ottoman Empire]]s as well as the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Kingdoms of Bulgaria]] and the [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania
==Design and development==
Born out of a requirement of the ''[[Kaiserliche Marine]]'' (Imperial Navy) for a [[seaplane]] fighter to defend its air bases issued in May 1916, the Rumpler 6B was, like its contemporaries the [[Albatros W.4]] and [[Hansa-Brandenburg KDW]], an adaptation of an existing landplane design. Unlike its competitors derived from single-seat fighters, Rumpler's new aircraft was based on the company's two-seat [[Rumpler C.I|C.I]] reconnaissance aircraft.<ref>Herris 2012, pp. 12, 36</ref> The 6B retained the C.I's robust wooden and fabric [[fuselage]] with a steel-tube framework reinforcing the forward fuselage, although the [[Air observer|observer's]] [[cockpit]] was [[Aircraft fairing|faired]] over. The installation of the water-cooled {{cvt|160|hp|adj=on}} [[Mercedes D.III]] engine remained the same with the [[Radiator (engine cooling)|radiator]] mounted to the underside of the upper wing and the "chimney" exhaust protruding above the level of the upper wing. The [[Biplane#Bays|two-bay wings]] were unaltered although their [[Stagger (aeronautics)|stagger]] was revised with the upper wing moved forward to compensate for the removal of the observer, his armament and the weight of the two [[Float (nautical)|floats]]. These were connected to the fuselage by steel-tube [[Bracing (aeronautics)|V-struts]]. A larger [[rudder]] was fitted to offset the increased side area caused by the addition of floats. In the production aircraft, the area of the [[horizontal stabilizer]]s was slightly reduced. The armament consisted of a fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) [[MG 08|LMG 08/15 "Spandau"]] [[machine gun]].<ref name=l4>Lamberton, p. 164</ref>
The initial version of the fighter was the '''6B1'''. A total of 39 of these were produced, with all but one of the number having been delivered by the end of May 1917. A new version of the basic design, the '''6B2''', was introduced in October 1917. These aircraft retained the Mercedes D.III engine, but otherwise they were based on the [[Rumpler C.IV|C.IV]], with larger dimensions and more rounded horizontal tail surfaces. In spite of the decrease in performance, 49 of this type were delivered between October 1917 and January 1918, during which time the remaining 6B1 also left the factory.<ref>Herris 2014, pp. 124, 128</ref>
==Operational history==
The three 6B1 prototypes were delivered in July-August 1916 for evaluation. The first batch of 10 production aircraft were delivered between November 1916 and February 1917. A second batch of 25 6B1s were received between February and May, although one last aircraft was delivered in January 1918. The prototype 6B2 was tested beginning in January 1917 with 50 production models delivered by the Naval Air Service between October 1917 and January 1918.<ref name=l4/>
The Rumpler 6Bs were mostly employed at German seaplane bases at [[Ostend]] and [[Zeebrugge]]. Two were also sent to the [[Kingdom of Bulgaria]]<ref>Nedialkov, p. 35</ref> and some to the [[Kingdom of Romania]] to fight the [[Russian Empire|Russians]].<ref>Herris 2014, p. 134</ref> Two 6B1s were deployed the German-Turkish Naval Flying Unit ({{lang|de|Wasserfliegerabteilung}}) in 1917. One pilot from this unit claimed to have shot down two aircraft that same year.<ref>Nicolle, pp. 42–43</ref>
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==Survivors==
The [[Hallinportti Aviation Museum]] has a partially restored Rumpler 6B2 on display.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rumpler 6B |url=https://www.ilmailumuseot.fi/tuotteet.html?id=20171/230693 |website=www.ilmailumuseot.fi |publisher=Aviation Museum Society, Finland |access-date=18 July 2024}}</ref>
==Operators==
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