Caproni Ca.310, part three, domestic users

 

The Caproni Ca.310 'Libeccio' (South-Western wind in Italian) was a low-wing monoplane reconnaissance-bomber. Its design was basically a developed version of the previous Ca.309 with retractable landing gear and better engines. The fuselage was of welded steel tube construction, covered with light alloys fabrics and panels, with the empennage and tail unit being made out of wood with plywood skin on its fixed portions and fabric covering on control surfaces.

Above the fuselage, mounted in line with the trailing edges, was a manually operated dorsal turret equipped with a single 7,7mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun. 

Most of the Libeccios were meant to be exported but, as most orders were either cancelled and many of the delivered aircraft were returned to Italy, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) received most of the produced ones, 193 of a total of 312 exemplars (though, according to other sources, the total number of manufactured Libeccios was circa 250. Regia Aeronautica did not equip entire units with the Libeccio, but assigned one aircraft per squadron for auxiliary duties. In total, the Regia Aeronautica operated 193 Ca.310 and Ca.310bis. They were used as squadron hacks, training aircraft and light passenger and cargo airplanes, mainly in the North African Theatre.

The only unit that was almost fully equipped with the Libeccio was the 12º Gruppo/50º Stormo Assalto (12th Squadron/50th Assault Wing) which received the ex-Hungarian machines as an interim replacement for the Breda Ba.65 in 1940. In this squadron, together with other types, they served until 1941 when they were replaced by the ground attack variant of the Fiat Cr.42. 

There was also an Idro (Italian word for "Hydro") version, equipped with floaters. This was intended to be used for naval reconnaissance purposes and had reduced bow glazing and no weapons. In August 1940 when the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) was looking for a replacement for the IMAM Ro.43 observation biplane, Caproni presented the Ca.310 Idro. There was a single prototype of this variant, which was converted later into the Ca.316. It seems that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia showed interest on this variant, after a demonstration flight was made at hydroplane station in Divulje, as they ordered six Ca.310bis Idro machines to serve with the Royal Yugoslav Navy in February 1939. These aircraft were intended to perform reconnaissance and target towing duties and their delivery deadline was 30th June 1941. However, by April 1941, when Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis, only two Piaggio engines had been delivered. We drawn a hypothetical version of this aircraft serving with Yugoslavia. The Italian one should be regarded as speculative.

After the Italian Armistice in September 1943, some machines served with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force which, after the end of the war, were kept on active service with the Aeronautica Militare (Post-War Italian Air Force) until 1948. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.310

2. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235096763-caproni-ca310/

3. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/16154/Caproni-Ca-310-Libeccio

4. https://comandosupremo.com/caproni-ca-310/

Caproni Ca.309, Italian users

 

 The Caproni Ca.309 was an Italian aircraft used during the 1930s and the World War II. 

It was designed by Cesare Pallavicino (who would also design , after the war, the famous scooter Lambretta, along with the Piaggio Vespa) and was based on the previous Caproni Ca.308 Borea transport and passenger plane. The Ca.309 was initially intended to replace the obsolete IMAM Ro.1 biplane (itself being a license production of the Dutch Fokker C.V) with reconnaissance and ground attack capabilities.

The Ca.309 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by two 390 hp Alfa-Romeo 115-II in-line engines on each wing. 

The Ca.309 served with the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) in Libya, where, in June 1940, just when Italy declared war on France, many Ca.309 based on Western Libya, made some reconnaissance flights along the Libyan-Tunisian border. They took part in every battle in the North African Theatre during 1940, with good operational results, until 1943 when Axis forces were defeated in Africa. 

After that, the surviving planes were sent to Italy, where they served mainly as transports and reconnaissance trainers, in fact, in February 1943, the Scuola Osservazione Aerea (Aerial Observation School) in the town of Cerveteri, close to Rome, had a total of 6 Ca.309 in charge.

There were two main unofficial sub-variants, the Ca.309 armed with a 20 mm cannon and the Ca.309 Sanitario (Sanitary). The up-armed Ca.309 was made shortly after the Italian entrance to the war, under the request of the Comando Aviazione Libia (Libyan Aviation Command) by adding a Breda 20 mm machine gun placed under the nose. This modification was requested by Marshall Italo Balbo himself during the very first days of the hostilities in Septentrional Africa. He was looking for an effective way of attacking British reconnaissance vehicles, which constituted a serious threat for Italian  positions in the Cyrenaica region. As Balbo was killed by friendly fire on 28th June 1940, his tactics couldn't ve put into use. 

In September 1940, in Guidonia (the testing grounds for the Regia Aeronautica), the Sanitary version was tuned and tested. A revision of the internal load was in order to improve the take off characteristics and, therefore, total fuel load was reduced from 575 kg to 320 kg and the total amount of transportable patients was also reduced from three to two. By the first week of October 1940, the aircraft was ready and was sent to Libya, where any trace of its service was lost.

A total of 247 Ca.309 were manufactured at Cantieri Aeronautici Bergamaschi (Caproni's main factory) at Ponte San Pietro from 1936 until 1944, some of them being made after Italian Capitulation. There were also plans for a 'Super-Ghibli' (an improved version powered by two Isotta-Fraschini Beta engines, with a redesigned nose) which could transport either 8 paratroopers or 600 kg (1323 pounds) of bombs. Some studies were also made to convert the Ghibli in a meteorological observation plane, by completely redesigning the fuselage and engine arrangement (it would've been powered by just one engine placed at the nose) and the possibility of having the fuselage of a Ca.311, powered by the engines of the Ca.309 was also considered.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.309

2. http://www.flyinglions.eu/storia/aviazione/item/233-caproni-cab-ca-309-ghibli.html (translated)

3. https://www.valka.cz/Caproni-Ca-309-Ghibli-t16152

Caproni Ca.308 'Borea'

 

The Caproni Ca.308 'Borea' (Northern Wind) was a small Italian airliner built in the mid 1930s.

The Ca.308 was a streamlined, low-wing cantilevered  conventional monoplane with a fixed undercarriage and wheels fitted with spats. 

Its origins date back to 1934 when Ala Littoria (fascist Italy's national airline) issued a specification for a multipurpose aircraft that could operate on secondary colonial airlines. This specification aimed for a copy of what the French called "colonial" airplane, as Italy lacked it, as its colonial empire wasn't as extensive as France's one. The specification stipulated the following conditions: 

• Six seater passenger compartment.
• The ability to transport mail and small amounts of cargo.
• A cruising speed of at least 200 km/h.
• Simple design, low maintenance costs and easy to repair.

Two aircraft, Breda Ba.44 (heavily inspired by the De Havilland DH.90 Dragon Rapide) and Caproni Ca.306 won the competition, although the first one, being a copy of the Dragon Rapide, was decided not to push its production forward. Regarding the Ca.306, it was designed from scratch by a team lead by engineer Cesar Palavicino and was powered by two Czechoslovak Walter Major engines rated at 200 hp each and driving two-bladed propellers. 

The two-seat cockpit was equipped with double controls and, in the passenger cabin, seats were placed alongside the wide side windows in two rows of three seats each. It was also equipped with a luggage compartment placed at the bottom of the fuselage.

Production process began in July 1935 linking major Italian airports of the time with local lines. Shortly after its introduction in Ala Littoria, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) demanded the Ca.306 to be adapted for military use, for which, got the denomination Ca.308. For that goal it was necessary to adapt the fuselage to carry small bombs (up to 300 kg of payload) and two 7.7 mm movable machine guns in the front and the rear of the fuselage. It was also required to replace the Czechoslovak Walter engines with De Havilland Gipsy Six engines, rated at 185 hp, since the importing company could not cope with the demanded pace. Additionally, Caproni also proposed a sanitary variant capable of transporting 6 stretchers and powered by two Isotta Fraschini engines, as well as another variant powered by radial engines. Those two versions, however, never passed the project stage.

Civilian variants of the Ca.308 were delivered in December. Of a total of eight machines built, six of them served in Italian mainland and two of them in Libya and Italian East Africa, serving on the routes Tripoli-Sirte-Benghazi, Tripoli-Kassala-Asmara and Tripoli-Benghazi-Cairo-Khartoum. In Italian mainland they operated the line Rome-Ancona and in Albania, the routes between the capital, Tirana and the cities of Scutari, Wallona, Berat, Kukus and Cinnamon. In February 1938 they were gradually decommissioned when 5 of them were retired. A single machine, registered as I-LIBI was lost to an accident on 16th March 1940 and the last civilian Ca.308, coded I-NTRA was sent to the Comando Servizi Aerei Speciali (Special Air Services Command) where it served until September 1943 when Italy signed the armistice. That machine was subsequently passed on to Allied hands and, after the war kept flying with Italian airlines until 16th April 1959 when it was lost to an unfortunate accident. 

Regarding the Libyan Ca.308s one of them was lost in an accident before the war and the second was transferred to the 5º Gruppo Osservazione Aerea (5th Reconnaissance Squadron) where it was used as a liaison aircraft in the Balkans.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.308_Borea

2.http://www.airwar.ru/enc/cw1/ca308.html (translated)

3. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/it-regia-aeronautica-orbat.htm

Breda Ba.64

The Breda Ba.64 was an Italian single-engined ground attack aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica during the 1930s. It was designed by Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri and served in just two units from 1936 together with the Caproni A.P.1. It was written off from frontline duties in 1939 and replaced by the more powerful and advanced Breda Ba.65.
Developed from the previous Breda Ba.27 fighter, the Ba.64 was designed in 1933 to a requirement of the Regia Aeronautica for a multi-role aircraft capable of undertaking various roles like fighter, bomber and reconnaissance. It featured an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with a wire braced tail unit and fixed tail wheel. The open cockpit was placed well forward of the fuselage in line with the wing roots to provide an excellent field of view down as well as forward. The headrest behind the cockpit was extended as a streamlined fairing all the way down the fuselage upper decking to the tail.
Two prototypes were built, serialed MM 249 and MM 250. The first one, MM 249 was a two-seater with a fixed landing gear while the second one, MM 250 was a single-seater with a semi-retractable landing gear housed in a cowling under the wings. Contrary to what wikipedia in English claims, both prototypes were powered by a single Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35 radial engine which yielded 650hp of power. It was the engine that would also power the production variants. It was armed with two Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm (0,5in) machine guns placed in the wing roots plus two additional Breda-SAFAT 7,7mm (0,3in) placed also in the wings and another defensive Breda-SAFAT 7,7mm in the observer's position firing backwards. It could also carry up to 144kg (317.5 pounds) of bombs under the wings and 400kg in the small bomb compartment located between the pilot and the observer.
It flew for the first time in 1934 and it was barely produced for one year as it was manufactured from 1935 until April 1936. Only 44 exemplars were made, all of them by Breda at their factory in Sesto San Giovanni, close to Milan.
Production aircraft were sent to serve with 5º and 50º Stormos, but pilots considered the aircraft to be ill-equipped to perform missions both as a fighter or as a bomber. It also suffered various flaws because it was underpowered, was heavy to control and had a tendency to enter high-speed stalls that led to a number of crashes. After seeing some limited-use in frontline duties, the Ba.64s were relegated to second-line duties in 1939 in the Regia Aeronautica, with some of them serving until 1943 as trainers with a modified cockpit.
Apparently, two Ba.64s were exported to the USSR in 1938 for evaluation purposes and a single machine served with the Aviazione Legionaria, the Italian volunteer air force in the nationalist side of the Spanish Civil War.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.64
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.64 (translated)
3. https://www.valka.cz/Breda-Ba-64-t1310
4. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 7 - Breda Ba.65 (the Ba.64 is mentioned as the forerunner of the Ba.65)

IMAM Ro.44

The IMAM Ro.44 was a fighter seaplane that was designed and developed in Italy as a single-seat variant of the Ro.43 observation two-seater floatplane. It flew for the first time in October 1936, it was a biplane armed with two 12,7mm forward-firing Breda-SAFAT machine-guns and was powered with a single Piaggio P.X.R that yielded 700hp (520Kw). It's rear fuselage was redesigned to get rid of the observer position and some minor changes were made to the tail.
In performance terms, it was almost identical to the Ro.43 although it was more maneouvrable, and was fast enough to intercept another comparable seaplanes of its era like the Fairey Swordfish and the Fairey Seafox, however, as it happened with the Ro.43, its sea-handling was poor and, therefore, of the initial order of 51 aircraft, only 35 were produced from February 1937 onwards.
Operationally, they were used by the 161ª Squadriglia Autonoma Caccia Maritima (161st Autonomous Sea-Fighter Flight) based at Rhodes island, in the Aegean sea. Operating from that base the only war-action that flight took part on, was during the Battle of Crete in May 1941 offering some straffing support to German paratroopers. The 166º Squadriglia da Caccia Maritima, 88º Gruppo Autonomo da Caccia Maritima (166th Sea-Fighter flight, 88th Sea-Fighter Autonomous Squadron), based at the seaplane base of Vigna di Valle (nowadays the site of the museum of the Italian Air Force) also were equipped with them, however most probably they didn't see any action whatsoever.
After the campaign in Crete, they were deemed as not being the best floatplane fighters they had and were soon relegated from the frontlines and were sent to seaplane schools of the Regia Aeronautica.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAM_Ro.44
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAM_Ro.44 (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

IMAM Ro.43

The IMAM Ro.43 was designed to meet a requirement of 1933 made by the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) for a catapult-launched reconnaissance aircraft that could equip the Maritime Reconnaissance Squadrons that operated from their ships.
The Ro.43 won over the other contenders like the Piaggio P.18 and P.20, the CMASA MF.10, CANT Z.504 and Macchi C.76.
It was a derivation of the previous IMAM Ro.37 Lince (Lynx) aircraft and was in fact designed by the same designer, Giovanni Galasso. It flew for the first time in 1934 and was built out of steel tubes and wood covered by soft alloy and fabric.
It was a two-seat biplane with folding gull upper and inverse gull lower wings. It was armed with two Breda-SAFAT 7.7mm machine guns, one firing forward and another defensive one firing backwards from the obersver position. It was powered by a single Piaggio P.X.R 9-cylinder engine that yielded a power of 700hp (522 Kw) and was able of achieving a speed of 300km/h (185mph) with more than 1000km of range (620mi).
In spite of being the winner of the requirement, it had serious problems as its lightweight structure meant that it was too delicate for buoyancy at sea and its sea-handling capabilities left much to be desired. Therefore, many times it was launched from a ship and was recovered at land and was only reimbarked when the ships returned to port.
However, it enjoyed a quite good endurance and thank to its range it could be useful in the Mediterranean, so it was widely used by the Regia Marina during World War 2. That way, six Ro.43 launched from Light Cruisers were the responsible of spotting the British Fleet during the Battle of Calabria on 9th July 1940. One of them, dispatched from the Light Cruiser Eugenio di Savoia, served as spotter for the Regia Marina when flew over the British Battleship HMS Warspite during the exchange of fire between that Battleship and the Italian Battleship Giulio Cesare just before it had to depart as it was chased by a Gloster Sea Gladiator that was launched from the HMS Eagle Aircraft Carrier.
Later, on 27th November 1940 a single Ro.43 that was launched from the Heavy Cruiser Bolzano, spotted the British Fleet at the beginning of the Battle of Cape Spartivento while another one, launched from the Heavy Cruiser Gorizia located the British Convoy. On that same battle, British Blackburn Skuas from the HMS Ark Royal Aircraft Carrier claimed to have shot down one seaplane (most probably a Ro.43 from the Battleship Vittorio Veneto) after a failed bombing on the Italian Fleet. The performance of the Ro.43 was eulogized by the Italian Navy's supreme command.
On 28th March 1941 another Ro.43 launched from the Battleship Vittorio Veneto pinpointed the British Cruiser Squadron at the openings of the Battle of Cape Matapan, near Gavdos island.
Another Ro.43 operating from a cruiser signaled the presence of the British convoy by dropping flares during the Second Battle of Sirte, while another one that operated from the Battleship Littorio directed the fire from the Italian fleet.
The Ro.43 continued to operate in such actions during as late as June 1942 during the Italian Cruiser attack on the Harpoon Convoy which the Axis forces won and one Ro.43 was shot down by a Bristol Beaufighter that operated from Malta.
One hundred and five Ro.43 were in active service when Italy waged war on the Allies in June 1940, which were more than enough to equip Italian surface ships. However, shortly later a better design was requested, possibly a navalized fighter. That request leaded to some small series of fighters to be navalized, like the Reggiane Re.2000 "Catapultabile" or the floater version of the IMAM Ro.51 (which didn't go beyond the prototype stage) that could be fitted in capital ships but, however, it had no floats, so it had to return to a land base or ditch, in the same fashion the British Hawker Sea Hurricane operated in Royal Navy CAM ships.
The best feature of the Ro.43 was the foldable wings, but even so, the maximum number of carried planes per ship was of just two, which, together with the low chances of recovery and the lack of experience with naval aviation, even if the Regia Marina had a Seaplane Carrier, the Giuseppe Miraglia, limited the usage of aircraft in combat. Around 250 of them were built until 1941 and by the time of the Italian Armistice in September 1943 forty-eight of them were still active.
By that time, as Italy was divided in two, in the ensuing chaos that followed, six Ro.43 flew from Sardinia to Mallorca, in the Spanish Balearic Islands, to desert. The aircrafts were interned firts and, in August 1944, they were put into service by the Spanish authorities and operated from Polensa naval base, forming the 1st Squadron of the 53rd Hydro Regiment. They served until October 1949 in the SAR role when they were written-off as the fuselages were very affected by the sea corrosion and were replaced by German Heinkel He.114A which, even if they were outdated, they were in better condition.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAM_Ro.43
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAM_Ro.43 (translated)
3. http://fotosantiguasdemallorca.blogspot.com.es/2011/09/la-base-de-hidroaviones-de-pollensa-y_25.html (translated)

Piaggio P.16

The Piaggio P.16 was an Italian heavy bomber that was designed by a team leaded by engineer Corradino D'Ascanio who designed a three-engined shoulder-wing monoplane made mostly out of metal with inverted gull-wings.
The wing was semi-elliptical and was mounted high on the fuselage. Landing gear was retractable and had a spatted, non-retractable tailwheel. It had a payload of 1000Kg (2205lb) and an armament of two fixed 7,62mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the leading edge of the wing and two defensive ones. One of them was placed in a dorsal retractable turret and another one in the rear fuselage mounted beneath the tail.
It was powered by three Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40 9 cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine rated at 700hp (520Kw) each of them which drove each of them a two-bladed wooden variable-pitch propeller, the first Italian aircraft to feature that. The bomb-aimer manned a compartment set behind the nose engine on the underside of the fuselage.
It was officially ordered on 4th July 1933, however construction had already started before that date. The only prototype beared the serial number of MM 226 and flew for the first time in November 1934 at Villanova d'Albenga Airport with test pilot Mario Gama at the controls. In February 1935 the bomber was evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) and in October of that same year it was presented to the public at the first Salone Internazionale Aeronautica (International Aviation Display) in Milan, where it attracted a lot of attention and interest.
Twelve machines were ordered by the Regia Aeronautica but the order was cancelled shortly after in favour of the more promising and conventional Piaggio P.32 bomber, designed in 1935. Even with just one P.16 built, it helped Piaggio to learn the skills required to build large all-metal aircrafts which eventually ended in the Piaggio P.108.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.16
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.16 (translated)
3. https://oldmachinepress.com/2015/11/29/piaggio-p-16-bomber/
4. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108

Piaggio P.50, part two

The Piaggio P.50-II was a four-engined bomber of mixed wood and metal construction with a single tail and made of welded steel tube. It had a trycicle undercarriage with the main frontal wheels partially retracting into the engines' nacelles and the back smaller wheel was retractable as well. It was designed not by Giovanni Penna, the one who designed the original P.50-I, but by Giovanni Casiraghi, who started the design works on the P.50-II back in April 1936.
It was powered by four Piaggio P.XI radial engines yielding each of them 1000hp of power placed all of them in a conventional puller configuration, driving each of them a three-bladed propeller. Defensive armament consisted on five 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, one in the front, another one in a spinal retractable turret, two in each laterals and another one in a retractable spinal turret that was never installed. Payload was 2500kg (5512lb) of bombs.
On 24th February 1938 the second prototype flew for the first time, piloted by Angelo Tondi, the same pilot as the P.50-I. Initially, it flew without defensive armament, but since the first trials at Guidonia test centre, close to Rome, on 30th January 1939, it was decided that the best defensive weaponry configuration would be the five machine guns listed before. However, after further tests, it couldn't achieve the expected performance requested by the order of the Regia Aeronautica due to the excessive weight of the fuselage. It also proved to be underpowered and remained unused at Guidonia.
A third prototype was built, made entirely out of metal, known in internal documents as P.50 Metallico (Metallic), which flew for the first time on 23rd November 1938 in the city of Pontedera, province of Pisa, with test-pilot Niccolò Lana at the commands. The performance of this third prototype was delayed until 1941 and it wasn't better than the second prototype, but by that time, the development of the model was abandoned in favour of the more promising Piaggio P.108B.

Sources:
1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50 (translated)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50
3. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108

Piaggio P.50, part one

Now, it's time for something completely different. The project of a heavy bomber traces back to July 1935. Originating from the Piaggio P.23M, developed after the loss of the prototype of this last one. It was initially designed by Giovanni Pegna and was a shoulder-wing monoplane with a single tail and powered by four Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC.40 yielding each of them 700hp of power at sea level mounted in tandem in a pusher-puller configuration. That engine configuration which, even if seems odd nowadays, wasn't rare back during that years, as there were some other aircraft with the same configuration like the Savoia-Marchetti S.55, the French Latécoère 300, the Fokker F.32 or the Farman F.222, among others.
It was presented to the "Programma R" (Programme R) issued by the Regia Aeronautica for a four engined heavy bomber during the year 1937 and it was expected the adquisition of 12 pre-series after the first flight of the prototype, designated as P.50-I and armed with three Breda-SAFAT 12.7mm machine guns, at Milan-Malpensa airfield on 24th February 1938 piloted by test pilot Angelo Tondi.
However, shortly after, the prototype was damaged in a landing accident at Malpensa. Once repaired, it remained unusable, after the request of four Isotta-Fraschini L.121 RC.40 engines by Piaggio was denied so it remained grounded for two years, when it was dismantled.

Sources:
1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50 (translated)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50
3. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108 (translated)

Breda Ba.27

The Breda Ba.27 was an Italian fighter of the 1930s that was used by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force during the second Sino-Japanese War.
It was a low-wing braced monoplane with a fixed undercarriage. The original design had a steel tube fuselage construction that was skinned with light corrugated alloy metal with wooden wings and tailplane. Two prototypes were made and tested by the Regia Aeronautica in 1933 but it received strongly negative reviews which leaded to a redesign of the aircraft. The fuselage was shaped more rounded and the open cockpit was moved higher and forward in order to improve stability and the corrugated skin was replaced with smooth sheet metal.
One prototype of this revised version was also tested by the Regia Aeronautica, but the review was just a little more positive than the previous version.
In spite of the lack of interest of the Regia Aeronautica, the aircraft was sold to the Republic of China where it was used by the Chinese Nationalist Air Force against the Empire of Japan in the second Sino-Japanese war. Out of eighteen aircraft ordered, only eleven of them were actually delivered in 1935 where they served until 1938 in the 3rd Fighter Squadron.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.27
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.27 (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete book of Fighters

Macchi M.C.99

The Macchi M.C.99 was an Italian torpedo-bomber flying-boat prototype of the 1930s that was designed by Mario Castaldi and produced by Macchi.
It was a military flying boat that was heavily based on the previous civilian flying-boat airliner Macchi M.C.94 and, just like that one, it was a wooden twin engined shoulder wing-cantilever monoplane made almost entirely out of wood.
It had a crew of five, two pilots, and three gunners/observers. An enclosed cockpit and three defensive posts in the bow, amidships and the tail, with two 7,7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted inside a turret in the bow with the machine guns placed one above the other. It had another turret in the amidship with another 7,7mm Breda-SAFAT and another one in the tail under the vertical stabilizer. It was powered by two 1190hp Isotta-Fraschini engines mounted in struts above the wings.
There was only one airplane made in 1937 and it served with the 170º Squadriglia (170th flight) of the Aviazione Ausiliaria per la Marina (Navy's Auxiliary Aviation), under direct command of the Navy's Command for Sicily, until the airplane was dismantled in Augusta, Sicily.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.C.99
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.C.99 (translated)

Macchi M.C.72

When in 1926 Macchi won the Schneider trophy with the Macchi M.39, the following airplanes they designed couldn't achieve the victory again, until this airplane came out.
It was a single-seat two floater airplane with a single fuselage partly made out of metal up to the cockpit and a wood monocoque bolted to the front tubular portion by four bolts. There was a frontal oil tank in the nose with its outside wall exposed to the airstream. It had many water radiators, two in the wings, another two in the pontoons, other one in the nose and another in the floaters that ran from cockpit to tail.
It was completed in 1931 with the idea of having it ready for the Schneider trophy, that eventually it was the last one, but because of engine problems, it couldn't compete that year, so instead of halting the project, Macchi got Benito Mussolini's attention who directed state funds to the company to finish the project.
Its engine was trobulesome for two years and two test pilots, Monti and Bellini, died when trying to achieve the world speed record, so the firm decided to re-engine it with a supercharged FIAT A.S.6 V24 that could generate from 2500 to 3100hp of power and contra-rotating propellers.
After 35 trials, the engine was ready for the world record attempt and it achieved it on 10th April 1933 when achieved a speed of 682km/h (423.5mph) with the Warrant Officer Francesco Agello at the controls (who was the last of the test pilots).
However, Macchi wasn't satisfied because Macchi's aim was to break the 700km/h (434.7mph) barrier, and it was achieved shortly after when also with Agello at the controls, on 23rd October 1934 it achieved the average speed of 709.2km/h (440.7mph). This record remains unbeaten today for the fastest speed ever achieved by a piston-engined floatplane. After that success it was never flown again.
It hold the absolute world speed record until 1939 when the German prototype for the Heinkel He.100 broke by reaching the average speed of 746km/h (463mph) and by the very first prototype of the Messerschmitt Me.209 which achieved a record of 756km/h (469mph) in August 1939. Currently, the fastest land based piston airplane is a heavily modified Grumman F8F Bearcat that in 1989 reached the speed of 850.26km/h (528.33mph).
Apparently there were some projects to turn it into a floatplane fighter but they were discarded as there were better models available back in the early-mid 1930s for that role.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.C.72
2. http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-articles/macchi-castoldi-m-c-72-worlds-fastest-piston-powered-seaplane.html

Macchi C.200 - Prototypes and early series

We keep going with the Italian Macchi airplanes, this time with one of the most iconic fighters of the Italian Second World War.
Having learnt from the Italian invasion on Abyssinia, the Regia Aeronautica wanted to replace all their fighters with a new modern one, so on 10th February 1936 they issued an specification for a new airplane powered by a single radial engine with a speed of 500km/h, a climb rate at 5000 meters in 6 minutes, an autonomy of, at least two hours and armed with two 12,7 (0,5in) calibre machines guns.
As Mario Castaldi designed both Macchi M.39 and M.72 which won the prestigious Schneider trophy, he proposed an all-metal low wing cantilever monoplane with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. It had a monocoque fuselage with self-sealing fuel tanks under pilot's seat and in the mid part of the wings. The cockpit was elevated over the engine in order to provide a good field of view. The wings had a system where the hydraullicaly flaps were connected to the ailerons, in order to make the flaps drop when the aillerons were lowered. It was powered by the Fiat A.74 radial engine which was a copy of the American Pratt & Whitney R-1830 SC-4 Twin Wasp as it was the only Italian engine that could provide some reliable results over the allied airplanes.

The first prototype flew for the first time on 24th December 1937 in Lonate-Pozzolo at Varese, with a second prototype flying the next year. It achieved a speed of 805km/h (500mph) during a dive but it's real maneouvrable speed wasn't beyond of 500km/h (310mph), a speed better than it's most direct competitors of the "caccia I" program which were the Fiat G.50, the IMAM Ro.51, the Reggiane Re.2000 ,the A.U.T. 18 and the Caproni-Vizzola F.5. It began to be tested in June 1938 together with the Fiat G.50 which also chosen for limited production. It's mass production began in
June 1939.
The first airplanes were handed over to the Regia Aeronautica in August 1939, the the 10º Gruppo, 4º Stormo based in North Africa. However the pilots of that unit were reluctant of the new type, preferring their Fiat Cr.42 as they were highly more maneouvrables. They were reconducted to the 6º Gruppo, 1º Stormo, based in Sicily and 152º Gruppo of the 54º Stormo, based in Vergiate.
At the beginning of the war, the Saetta (arrow) -the nickname that the C.200 received- could only be outclimbed by the Supermarine Spitfire. It saw its baptism of fire on 23rd June 1940, shortly after Italy entered the war, when some C.200 that were escorting some Savoia-Marchetti Sparvieros were engaged by Gloster Gladiators.
However, it wasn't until 1st November 1940 when the Saettas could claim their first kill when a Short Sunderland that was performing reconnaissance missions was shot down off the shore of the town of Augusta, in Sicily. When the German X Fliegerkorps arrived in Sicily, the Saettas were assigned to escort duties for the Junkers Ju.87 bombing Malta as the Stukas hadn't fighter escort until the Bf.109 arrived in Sicily.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_C.200
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Macchi M.71

Back in 1930 Macchi decided to build a new better version of the M.41bis in order to be specifically prepared to be launched from catapults of Regia Marina's warships.
It was build following the very same pattern as the previous M.41bis, it had the very same dimensions and was overall identical to that one.
It was also armed with two forward-firing 7.7mm machine guns it had plywood and fabric skinning and it was also powered by a 420hp Fiat A.20 engine set in a pusher configuration placed on struts above the hull and below the upper wing. It had also a vertical radiator.
It differed from the M.41bis in having reinforced wing cellules and catapult pick-up points in order to speed up deploying and undeploying operations from the sea into ships. It had also an extra inclined steel tube between the hull, interplane struts and upper wings, instead of M.41bis's wires only.
It was accepted into service by the Regia Marina so Macchi built a small number of them (no more than 12) and served briefly on board of some Regia Marina's warships during the early-to-mid 1930s before being replaced by both IMAM Ro.43 and IMAM Ro.44.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.71
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Macchi M.41 & M.41bis

In 1927, the Regia Marina wanted to replace the M.7, that's why the M.41 was designed, based strongly on the previous M.26 of 1924. It was single-seat single-bay biplane made out of wood armed with two forward firing vickers 0.303 machine guns. It's skinning was made out of plywood and fabric and has equal span unstaggered wings.
It was powered by a 420hp Fiat A.20 engine set in a pusher configuration mounted on struts above the hull and below the main upper wing, just like the previous M.26.
It had an oblique radiator and it enjoyed of some very aerodynamically clean lines considering the type of airplane.
It competed against the SIAI S.58bis back in 1927 for the contest but Macchi didn't receive any production order, so they built only the very first prototype. Initially, the winner of the contest was the SIAI S.58bis and 97 production orders were placed, however in the last minute the Regia Marina broke the contract and decided to re-engine the aging M.7ter.
As the Regia Marina organized another contest in 1929 for another M.7ter replacement, Macchi redesigned the M.41 and named it M.41bis, which was basically a regular M.41 but with a vertical radiator. As it outperformed the SIAI S.58bis Macchi was finally granted with a production contract of 41 airplanes.
All the M.41bis entered into service in 1930 serving in the 88ª Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Maritima (88th Floatplane Fighter Autonomous Squadron) where they served until 1938 when they were replaced by the IMAM Ro.44.
Some of them were sent to Spain during the opening stages of the Spanish Civil War where they served from September 1936 until January 1937 at the base of Pollensa, in Palma de Mallorca, located in the Balearic Islands. They were assigned in the Escuadrilla Nº130 (Flight number 130) which was on charge of defending the port of Palma de Mallorca against possible Republican air raids. However, as the Republican didn't raid the port, they weren't used in combat.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.41
2. http://fotosantiguasdemallorca.blogspot.com.es/2011/07/la-base-de-hidroaviones-de-pollensa-y.html (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of FIghters