World War One was a major turning point in world history. It saw large scale combat the likes of which the world had never seen spanning across Europe it raged on from 1914 to 1918. It saw advancements into technologies that would change the way wars are fought, most notably the introduction of the fighter plane and aerial combat. This suggestion is focussed on the aircraft used by the Corpo Aeronautico Militare of the Kingdom of Italy.
There are a few ways WW1 aircraft could be added to the Italian air tech tree, the 3 most promising options I believe are:
Option 1 - Replacing Reserve Tier
The first option would be to push everything in the tech tree up in rank and battle rating so that WW1 aircraft can fit with proper spacing for balancing. Whilst this could work it would have a few issues such as forcing new players to have to play through these aircraft whilst not being interested. It could also have problems with actually moving the existing tech tree around to accommodate the addition.
Option 2 - Rank 0
Similar to option 1, this would have the addition of Rank 0 below the current start of the tech tree. It would be placed below reserve aircraft and be optional for players to research and play. It would have battle ratings from 0.0-0.7. I think this would be the most promising personally as again it would be completely optional as some players may not be interested in this era of aircraft. However a problem this would have is the battle ratings would be quite compressed as these aircraft would be limited to a 0.0-0.7 BR range as they are simply leagues behind even the worse reserve aircraft in-game.
Option 3 - Separate Tech Tree
This option is similar to how naval vehicles are split between Bluewater and Coastal. Whilst both share the same match maker they are in separate tech trees and thus require you to play the same type of vehicle to progress in that tree. With the slight change of a separate matchmakers this may be preferable for some as it could allow for less compression but with the caveat of making it harder to progress as the RP and SL cost would be far higher unless it would be changed to reflect the aircraft themselves.
Now as for the aircraft themselves, there are plenty of aircraft that were used by Italy during the war. To show these aircraft I have compiled a custom tech tree in the form of Option 2 for ease of view:
The BR’s of the aircraft would be subject to change if they are ever implemented, I chose these based off of 3 main factors - speed, armament, and date of introduction.
Line 1
SIA.7
The SIA 7 was a reconnaissance-fighter/bomber built in 1917. It was intended as a “Jack of all trades” aircraft with the ability to do everything from fighter combat to bombing missions to reconnaissance missions. It was powered by the Fiat A. 12bis 6-cylinder engine producing 300hp which gave it a top speed of 180kph. It was armed with a single 6.5mm Fiat-Revelli Modello 1914 machine gun in the rear cockpit and could carry 60kg of bombs.
SIA 5
The SIA 5 was a license built Farman MF.11 reconnaissance/light bomber built by the Società Italiana Aviazione. It was powered by the Fiat A.10 engine producing 100hp giving it a top speed of around 116kph and was armed with a single 7.62mm machine gun.
Pomilio PE
The Pomilio PE was a twin-seat reconnaissance plane built by the Pomilio brothers in 1917. It was powered by the Fiat A. 12bis 6-cylinder engine producing 300hp which gave it a top speed of 195kph. It was armed with a forward firing 6.5mm Fiat-Revelli machine gun above the upper wing and either a single 6.5mm Fiat-Revelli machine gun or 1 - 2 7.7mm Lewis Guns in the rear cockpit.
Macchi M.5
The Macchi M.5 was a single-seat fighter flying boat introduced in the summer of 1917. They were used as convoy escorts and for maritime patrol missions. It was powered by the Isotta Fraschini V.4B engine producing 160hp which gave it a top speed of 189kph and was armed with 2 forward firing 7.7mm Vickers machine guns.
Ansaldo A.1
The Ansaldo A.1 was a single-seat fighter that entered service in July of 1918. It was powered by the SPA 6A engine producing 220hp which gave it a top speed of 220kph and was armed with 2 7.7mm Vickers machine guns.
Ansaldo SVA.5
The Ansaldo SVA.5 was a single-seat fighter/ground attacker that entered service in early 1918. It was powered by the SPA 6A 6-cylinder engine producing 200hp giving it a top speed of 230kph and armed with 2 7.7mm Vickers machine guns and up to 90kg of bombs.
Line 2
Nieuport-Macchi 10
The Nieuport-Macchi 10 was a French single-seat that entered the war in 1915 and bought/built under license by Italy during the war. It was powered by the Le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder engine producing 80hp which gave it a top speed of 140kph. It was armed with either a 7.7mm Lewis gun or Hotchkiss gun mounted on the top wing.
Nieuport-Macchi 11
The Nieuport-Macchi 11 was a single-seat fighter developed by France and bought by Italy. It was also built under license by the Macchi company. It was powered by the Le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder engine producing 80hp which gave it a top speed of 162kph. It was armed with either a 7.7mm Lewis gun or Hotchkiss gun.
Nieuport-Macchi 17
The Nieuport-Macchi 17 was a Nieuport 17 developed by France but bought/built under license by Italy. It was powered by the Le Rhône 9Ja 9-cylinder engine with 110hp which gave it a top speed of 170kph. It was armed with a single 7.7mm Vickers machine gun and could also be armed with a 7.7mm Lewis gun mounted on the top wing.
Nieuport 27
The Nieuport 27 was a French single-seat fighter that was bought and used by Italy during the war. It was powered by the Le Rhône 9Jb engine with 130hp giving it a top speed of 172kph. It was armed with a synchronised 7.7mm Vickers machine gun and an optional 7.7mm Lewis gun mounted on top of the wing.
Line 3
SPAD S.XI
The SPAD S.XI was a French built fighter/reconnaissance aircraft thought was bought and used by Italy. It was powered by the Hispano-Suiza 8Bc V-8 engine with 220hp which gave it a top speed of 180kph. It was armed with 1 forward firing 7.7mm Vickers machine gun and 1 7.7mm Lewis gun in the observers seat.
SPAD S.VII
The SPAD S.VII was a French built fighter plane bought and used by Italy in 1916. It was powered by the Hispano-Suiza 8Aa V-8 engine with 150hp which gave it a top speed of 193kph. It was armed with a single 7.7mm Vickers machine gun.
SPAD S.XIII
The SPAD S.XIII built by France in 1917 and bought and used by Italy was powered by the Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engine with 200hp which gave it a top speed of 211kph. It was armed with a pair of 7.7mm Vickers machine guns and could carry 4 x 11kg Cooper bombs.
Line 4
Savoia-Marchetti Farman F.40
The Farman F.40 was a French designed reconnaissance plane built with the pusher propeller design. It was built under license by Savoia-Marchetti for service for Italy throughout the war and after the war for use by their police force until 1922. It was powered by the Ranault 130hp V-12 engine which gave it a top speed of 135kph. It was armed with 2 x 7.7mm Vickers machine guns and could carry up to 240kg of bombs.
Caproni Ca.20
The Caproni Ca.20 was a prototype monoplane built in 1914 but was rejected by Italy as they favoured bombers during that point in the war. The Ca.20 was powered by the Le Rhône 9-cylinder engine producing 110hp which gave it a top speed of 165kph. It was armed with a single 7.7mm Lewis Gun.
Macchi-Hanriot HD.1
The Macchi-Hanriot HD.1 was a license built Hanriot HD.1 developed by France which became Italt’s primary fighter aircraft by the end of the war. It was powered by the Le Rhône 9J 9-cylinder engine producing 109hp which gave it a top speed of 184kph. It was armed with either 1 or 2 x 7.7mm Vickers machine guns.
Line 5
Caproni Ca.2
The Caproni Ca.2 was a heavy bomber that entered service in August 1915 in limited numbers due to further developments surpassing the Ca.2. It was powered by 2 Fiat A.10 6-cylinder engines producing 101hp each and a central Isotta-Frachini V.4B 6-cylinder engine producing 150hp which gave it a top speed of 133kph. It was armed with up to 4 x 6.5mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns or 7.7mm machine guns and could carry an unspecified amount of bombs underneath the main fuselage.
Caudron G.4
The Caudron G.4 was a twin-engine bomber bought from France in 1915 where it was successful being used in missions across the Alpine regions. It was powered by a pair of Le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder engines producing 80hp each which gave it a top speed of 124kph. It was armed with a single 7.7mm machine gun and up to 115kg of various bombs.
FBA Type H
The FBA Type H was a reconnaissance/bomber flying boat developed by France but built extensively under license for Italian service. It was powered by the Isotta-Fraschini V.4B 150hp engine giving it a top speed of around 150kph. It was armed with a single 7.7mm Lewis gun and could carry up to 200kg of bombs.
Savoia-Pomilio SP.2
The Savoia-Pomilio SP.2 was a reconnaissance/bomber aircraft based off of the design of the Farman MF.11. It was powered by the FIAT A.12 engine producing 250hp giving it a top speed of 120kph. It was armed with a 6.6mm Fiat-Revelli machine gun in the nose and a twin-barreled Villa Perosa machine gun in the rear cockpit and could carry an unspecified amount of bombs.
Savoia-Pomilio SP.2bis
The Savoia-Pomilio SP.2bis was a handful of SP.2’s that had the front mounted machine gun swapped out with a 25mm Fiat cannon and was designed as a night-fighter to protect Italian cities.
Savoia-Pomilio SP.3
The Savoia-Pomilio SP.3 was a development of the SP.2. It was powered by the same Fiat A.12 engine but due to it’s smaller size and lighter weight it could reach a top speed of 145kph. It was armed with a single 6.6mm FIAT-Revelli machine gun in a flexible mount on the front and was tested with the 25mm FIAT cannon but this never became standard. It could carry an unspecified amount of bombs.
Caproni Ca.44
The Caproni Ca.44 was a heavy bomber used by Italy from 1917. It was powered by 3 FIAT A.12 6-cylinder engines producing 200hp each which gave it a top speed of 160kph. It was armed with either 2 6.5mm or 7.7mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns and could carry 533kh of bombs.
Caproni Ca.41
The Caproni Ca.41 was a triplane heavy bomber built by Italy during the later stages of the war. It was powered by 4 x 6.5mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns with 2 in a forward mount and 2 in separate rear mounts and could carry 1,450kg of bombs. It was powered by 3 FIAT A.12 engines producing 280hp each which gave it a top speed of around 140kph.
Caproni Ca.36
The Caproni Ca.36 was a heavy bomber that entered service alongside the Ca.2 in mid 1915. It was powered by 3 Isotta-Fraschini V.4B 6-cylinder engines producing 150hp each which gave it a top speed of 137kph. It was armed with a pair of 6.5mm or 7.7mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns and could carry 800kg of bombs.
Premiums
Silvio Scaroni's Hanriot HD.1
Silvio Scaroni was the second highest scoring Italian ace during the war with 26 confirmed victories. He would join the Corpo Aeronautica Militare in March 1915 after transferring from the Italian Army. He would first be assigned to fly reconnaissance mission in Caudron bombers but would then be reassigned as a fighter pilot. He would score 20 of his 26 victories whilst flying the Macchi built Hanriot HD.1. He would end his service after being injured during a fight on the 13th of July but would go on to survive the war.
Francesco Baracca's SPAD S.XIII
Francesco Baracca was Italy’s top flying ace of the war with a total of 34 aerial victories. He would first fly early Nieuport’s but then transfer to the SPAD S.VII before also flying the SPAD S.XIII from October 1917. On the 19th of June 1918 he would fly a mission to strafe targets on the Montello hill area but would fail to return. His body would be found on the 24th of June after the Italian forces advanced further in the region pushing back the Austro-Hungarian forces.
These are some of the more notable aircraft that I feel would work well if added to War Thunder in a larger WW1 update. If anyone has any other Italian WW1 aircraft that they would like to see feel free to add them below and I’ll add them here.
Overall WW1 is a very important part of aviation history and it’s a shame that it is currently missing in War Thunder. Whilst it wouldn’t be the most exciting to many players I still believe it still has a place.
- Yes
- No
- Option 1 - Replace reserve tier
- Option 2 - Rank 0
- Option 3 - Separate Tech Tree
- Your own idea/One I missed
- I said no
Sources
Wings of Linen - SIA.7
Wikipedia - Pomilio PE
Wikipedia - Macchi M.5
The Aerodrome - Ansaldo A.1
Their Flying Machines - Ansaldo SVA.5
Wings of Linen - Nieuport 10
Their Flying Machines Nieuport 11/16 Bebe
Profile Publications - The Nieuport 17
Military Factory - Nieuport 27
Wikipedia - SPAD S.xI
Their Flying Machines - SPAD S.VII
Their Flying Machines - SPAD S.XIII
Wikipedia - Farman F.40
Wikipedia - Farman MF.11
Wikipedia - Caproni Ca.20
World at War - Hanriot HD.1 in Italian Service
Their Flying Machines - Caproni Ca.2
National Air and Space Museum - Caudron G.4
Wikipedia - FBA Type H
Wings of Linen - Savoia-Pomilio SP.2/bis
Wings of Linen - Savoia-Pomilio SP.3
[Their Flying Machines - Caproni Ca.44](Caproni Ca.5 (Ca.44 - Ca.47)
Wikipedia - Caproni Ca.4
Wikipedia - Caproni Ca.3
The Aerodrome - Silvio Scaroni
Wikipedia - Francesco Baracca