Fiat C.R.40 bis.

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Fiat C.R.40 bis.

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History.

The year was 1935. The Regia Aeronautica was looking for a new generation of fighter planes in view of rearmament for a possible new great war, and the Air Force had several planes competing with each other as a possible new fighter. Fiat Aviazione, one of the largest aircraft suppliers of the time, proposed the Fiat C.R.33, an improved version of the previous Fiat C.R.32, and the Fiat C.R.40 together with its brother the C.R.40bis. The C.R.40 made its first flight in 1934 and despite the engine change it remained rather slow, but it had the advantage of a short nose which significantly increased the pilot’s visibility. Furthermore, it was a biplane, which was progressively replaced by monoplane aircraft that were faster although less manoeuvrable, and with lower performance than the previous Fiat C.R.32. The plane eventually had a fatal accident during a transfer trip and was destroyed, however the knowledge gained with these aircraft was used to create the famous Fiat C.R.42. Its brother, the C.R.40 bis, derived directly from the classic C.R.40 (just to continue the biplane-radial engine coupling). This example was tested until 1937, when it was then removed from service and probably scrapped in view of its replacement with the more advanced Fiat C.R.42.

Armament and propulsion.

Like most Italian fighters of the period, the C.R.40 bis was armed with two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns located in the nose of the aircraft synchronized with the propeller. The number of ammunition stowed was of 600.
The aircraft was powered by a single Fiat A.59 R radial engine (the Pratt & Whitney R-1690 engine built under license at Fiat Aviazione) with a maximum power of 700 hp. Despite the greater engine power and the lightness of the plane, it only reached a maximum speed of 350 km/h.

Specifications.

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Crew: 1
Length: 6.96 m
Wingspan: 9.3 m
Height: 2.6 m
Wing area: 20.9 m²
Maximum weight: 1.700 kg
Engine: 1x Fiat A.59 R (700 hp)
Maximum speed: 350 km/h
Autonomy: 2 hours
Tangency: 9.600 m
Armament: 2x Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm caliber machine guns

Pictures and drawnings.

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Sources.

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Fiat C.R.40 - Wikipedia
Fiat CR.32 - Wikipedia
Fiat Projects and Little Known Aircraft | Secret Projects Forum
"FIAT CR-32 & CR-42" - Velivoli Storici - Aerei Militari Forum
Search - Internet Culturale
FIAT CR32 (bis-quater)
Fiat Cr.32 Biplane Fighter Aircraft
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Why not! +1

1 Like

Low-and-mid-wing biplane, looks cool

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