Caproni Ca.165
Caproni Ca.165 | |
---|---|
Caproni Ca.165 in its initial form, c. 1938 | |
Role | Fighter |
Manufacturer | Caproni |
Designer | Raffaele Conflenti |
First flight | 16 February 1938 |
Retired | 1939 |
Primary user | Regia Aeronautica (intended) |
Number built | 1 |
The Caproni Ca.165 was an Italian
Design
Although known for three-engine heavy bombers, Caproni had a long history with fighters, starting in 1914 with an interceptor monoplane with a single machine gun, and a monoplane. This was innovative for its time, but it had also no success, as had almost all the fighters proposed in the next decades.
Many types of machines were developed by Italian industries prior to World War II, and some were produced at least in limited numbers, but this would not be the case with the Ca.165, a biplane fighter proposed for a fighter contest. In February 1938, it flew for the first time as a prototype.
The Ca.165 had a mixed construction. The
The Ca.165 had a narrow fuselage featuring an enclosed cockpit. The undercarriage was fixed with spatted wheels. A unique feature of the Ca.165 was the retractable radiator, which the pilot could deploy for optimum performance, or retract depending on the flight conditions: completely open in climbs, or closed in level flight and dives. In this way, it was similar to the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406. When deployed, the radiator significantly increased the drag on the aircraft, but increased engine performance and reliability.
The engine was a V-12 671 kW (900 hp)
After several modifications, the Ca.165 had the tail surface augmented and the aft fuselage lowered to fit a canopy with 360° visibility.
Testing and evaluation
At
The Ca.165 was comparable in useful load (570 kg/1,257 lb vs. 575 kg/1,268 lb) and weapons (2 × 12.7 mm/0.5 in, 1 × 7.7 mm/0.303 in) to the CR.42, but it was 200 kg (441 lb) heavier with less wing surface, so it had wing loading of 113 kg/m compared to 99 for the CR.42; and that, coupled with the less effective controls, made the Ca.165 less agile. Despite these shortcomings, the Ca. 165's minimum speed was lower (114 km/h/71 mph vs 122 km/h/76 mph), allowing for shorter takeoff runs and slightly better low-speed performance.
The Ca.165 had a very slim and small fuselage, but was heavier than the CR.42, which was due, arguably, to the different engine and construction. The Caproni was not really a 'turning fighter', but given the limits of biplanes, was more of an 'energy fighter' with more pronounced capabilities in speed than turning (as was emphasized by the test pilots). An improved version was designed to address the maneuverability limitations, but the development was interrupted. It was built with non-strategic materials (steel and wood mainly), so it could have been at an advantage in the war in terms of strain on the materials industry, but given the type of engine, it is unclear if it was an economically practical aircraft.
Caproni tried other ways to improve this powerful biplane, first with the 746 kW (1,000 hp)
Cancellation
Perhaps the influence of Fiat contributed to the selection of the CR.42 Falco over the Ca.165, although Caproni was an influential company itself at the time. Apparently the bottom line was that the Ca.165's engine was much less reliable and only 44 kW (60 hp) more powerful, while the aircraft itself was 200 kg (440 lb) heavier.
The Ca.165, despite being considered the winner in the mock fights, lost the final evaluation. Apparently, test pilots flying the Ca.165 managed to outperform the Falco but disliked the aircraft itself. The faster speed was a more modern concept for a new generation fighter (especially in the interception of fast bombers such as the Bristol Blenheim, which often proved too fast for the Falco), and speed was an increasingly important design consideration in World War II-era aircraft. The engine's poor reliability was also apparent, and when considering which aircraft to produce, this could have been a disadvantage as well.
In any case, the Ca.165 was produced in only a single prototype and so vanished from history; instead the Fiat CR.42 became the most produced Italian fighter, despite its overall obsolescence, with almost 1,800 examples built until 1944.
Specifications (Ca.165)
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.1 m (26 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 21.4 m2 (230 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,855 kg (4,090 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,435 kg (5,368 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Isotta Fraschini L.121 R.C.40V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 671 kW (900 hp)
- Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn) at 4,999 m (16,400 ft)
- Cruise speed: 378 km/h (235 mph, 204 kn)
- Stall speed: 114 km/h (71 mph, 62 kn)
- Landing speed: 110 km/h (68 mph; 59 kn)
- Range: 672 km (418 mi, 363 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
- Wing loading: 113 kg/m2 (23 lb/sq ft)
Armament
- Guns: 2 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns
References
- ISBN 0-8168-6500-0.
Further reading
- Green, William. "Facts by Request." Flying Review International, Volume 24, no. 3, November 1968, p. 71.
- Lembo, Daniele I brutti anatroccoli della Regia(in Italian), Aerei nella Storia, Westward editions, n.14.
- Punka, George. Fiat CR 32/CR 42 in Action (Aircraft Number 172). Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal, 2000. ISBN 0-89747-411-2.