Caproni Ca.355 "Tuffo", the diver

ImportantSimone5 · July 20, 2023, 3:29am

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Caproni 355 “Tuffo”.

History.

In 1939, the Italian Ministry dedicated to the aeronautical specialty asked companies involved in the aeronautical sector for a vehicle to be used as a dive bomber, similar to the Stuka, to be assigned to the so-called “divers” departments of the Regia Aeronautica. Exploiting an old project gone wrong by his company, Mr. Pallavicino Cesare created and proposed his Caproni Ca.335 Tuffo, a simplified version of the Caproni Ca.355 Maestrale, so to speak, and it was registered with the registration number MM.470. On March 23, 1941, shortly after its first flight, the project was abandoned and the only example of the vehicle was abandoned and probably dismantled to get back what was possible.

Armament and propulsion.

The Caproni 335 could count on an armament consisting of two Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm offensive machine guns and one Breda-SAFAT 7.7 mm dorsal defensive machine gun. Furthermore, the vehicle being a dive bomber could mount a bomb load of 400 kg.
Speaking of engine, the plane mounted an Isotta Fraschini Delta engine in the fuselage, an air-cooled 12-cylinder inverted V engine, still under development at the time. Despite this, the engine was used on various vehicles among which the Reggiane 2001 and the SAI Ambrosini 403 stand out. The engine in question was capable of delivering a power equal to 850 horsepower, which allowed the vehicle to reach the horizontal speed of 490 km/h at an altitude of 7,400.

Specifications.

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Crew: 2
Length: 9.93 m
Wingspan: 12.96 m
Empty weight: 1,980 kg
Gross weight: 3,050 kg
Powerplant: 1 × Isotta Fraschini Delta IV R.C.35 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 850 hp take-off power
Propellers: 3-bladed bladed constant speed
Maximum speed: 490 km/h
Cruise speed: 380 km/h
Range: 1,025 km
Armament: 2× 7.7 mm or 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the wings (planned) and 1× 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun in the dorsal pannier (planned)
Bombs: 400 kg under wings and fuselage

Pictures and drawnings.

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