CANT Z.511

CANT Z.511
CANT Z.511 front view
Role	Seaplane Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico
Designer	Filippo Zappata
First flight	October 1940
Number built	2

The CANT Z.511 was a four-engine long-range

Design and development

The design for the construction of a large four-engine, twin-float seaplane began at the end of September 1937, when the technical department of CRDA accepted the specifications of the LATI (Compagnia Ala Littoria) company, created in 1939^{[clarification needed]}, who required a long-range seaplane for carrying mail, cargo and passengers to Latin America.

These plans were cancelled on the outbreak of World War II, but a version of the aircraft was adapted for long-range maritime patrol, armed with 10 single-mount 12.7 mm (0.500 in) machine guns in both side gun positions, in two upper turrets, and belly positions. Plans were made to install 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon in a front turret or in a glazed nose position, and more machine guns in a tail position.

For bombing, it was adapted to carry up to 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) of bombs in an internal bomb bay and on outer wing positions: up to four launch racks, for 454 mm (17.9 in)

Italian Armistice

was signed.

After the division of the Italian forces, one aircraft was appropriated by the Fascist

Axis forces

and scrapped.

Specifications (Z.511)

Data from Italian Civil & Mil[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 6
• Capacity: 16 passengers (airliner)
• Length: 28.5 m (93 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 39.86 m (130 ft 9 in)
• Height: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 195 m² (2,100 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 20,692 kg (45,618 lb)
• Gross weight: 34,200 kg (75,398 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 ×
  Piaggio P.XII RC.35
  air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,100 kW (1,500 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 424 km/h (263 mph, 229 kn)
• Cruise speed: 330 km/h (210 mph, 180 kn)
• Range: 4,352 km (2,704 mi, 2,350 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 7,550 m (24,770 ft)
• Rate of climb: 4.16 m/s (819 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns:
  10 × 12.7 mm (0.500 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns
  or
  10x 20 mm (0.787 in) Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) cannon in beam positions, two upper turrets, and belly positions.
• Missiles: 4× 450 mm (17.7 in)
  Maiale
  " manned torpedoes.
• Bombs: Up to 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) bomb-load in an internal bomb bay and mounted on outer-wing hard-points

See also

Related lists

• List of Regia Aeronautica aircraft used in World War II
• List of flying boats and floatplanes

Notes

1. ISBN 0-8168-6500-0
   .

References

• Garello, Giancarlo (June 1998). ""Objectif: New York! Quand d'Italie révait de bombarder les Etats-Unis" [Objective New York: When Italy Dreamed of Bombing the United States]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (63): 6–13.
  ISSN 1243-8650
  .
• John & Elke Weale, Combat Aircraft of World War Two (pp. 193–205), Arms and Armour Press, London, 1978.
• World War Two Magazine, Article : "Germany, Italy and Japan each had plans to strike the U.S. mainland, but the plans were delayed...too long" by Frank Joseph (pp. 10–20) Published by Empire Press Inc., March 1993.
• Spanish Military Review "Serga", (Historia Militar del Siglo XX), Article "CANT, la oficina aeronautica de la Cantieri Navale Triestino", by Carlo D'Agostino (translated into Spanish by D. Garcia) (pp. 42–48), Almena Ediciones, N 10, March–April 2001.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to CANT Z.511.

• Cantieri Z-511 IdroGigante images