Fiat C.R.42DB

ImportantSimone5 · April 6, 2024, 5:58pm

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Fiat C.R.42DB.

History.

Lieutenant Colonel Ferruccio Vosilla, former commander in the Italian Air Force during the battle for the English Channel, puts forward the proposal to motorize the old but still in use Fiat C.R.42 with the DB.601, with the aim of combining the maneuverability of the biplane with the power and the smaller size of the in-line cylinder engine typical of English and German fighters.
FIAT sees the idea as a good cause to keep the production lines of the biplane and therefore modifies a C.R.42, serial number MM.469, on which it applies the engine mount of the Macchi 202. The plane is particularly fast and already in March 1941 the aircraft makes its first flight, piloted by commander Valentino Cus. Various flights are carried out at the Experimental Center near Rome and speeds of over 500 km/h are reached but by now the biplanes have marked their last hours, and the priority is to equip the modern airframes with the precious German engines MC.202 and Re.2001. A possible use was envisaged as a reconnaissance plane in a two-seater configuration and equipped with photographic equipment, but this development was also abandoned.

Armaments and propulsion.

The aircraft was armed with two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, each of which had 400 rounds, similar to the classic equipment of contemporary Italian fighters. There is speculation about the addition of two 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the wings, but these are almost just speculations.
As for its engine, the aircraft was equipped with a Daimler-Benz DB 601 12-cylinder 60° inverted V engine produced by the Germans. The engine could produce 1,175 hp of power which pushed the plane up to a maximum speed of 520 km/h. The fastest piston biplane in history.

Specifications.

Spoiler

Crew: 1
Wingspan: 9.70 m
Length: 8.80 m
Height: 3.35 m
Wing area: 22.40 m ²
Maximum weight: 2730 kg
Maximum speed: 520 km/h
Service ceiling: 10.600
Flight range: 710 km
Armaments: 2x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns (400 rounds each)

Pictures and drawnings.

Spoiler