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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0897.PDF
APRIL 8TH, 1943 heir Characteristic CAPRONI Ca 313 PRONOUNCED TAPER LARGE BLUNT NOSE tAROE AND SQUARE THICK ROOTS SHORT TRANSPARENT NOSE LARGE \ LONG UNDERSLUNC NACELLES DIMENSIONS Span Length Height Wing area 53ft. 6m. 38ft. 9in. 14ft. 4in. 388 sq.ft. ONE is apt to forget, these days, that there is stilla Regia Aeronautica, but though it may not nowConstitute much more than an occasional slight nuisance to the air forces of the Allied Nations, it is not entirely inactive aerodynamically, and new types of Italian aircraft still appear from time to time. One of the more recent additions to Benito's air force is the Caproni Ca3i3, intended to fill the role of torpedo- or reconnaissance-bomber. This machine, a development of the Ca3ii light reconnaissance-bomber, extensively used in Africa (and Italy) during 1940 and 1941, made its bow about a year ago, but it is only lately that torpedo-bomber and coastal reconnaissance squadrons began to acquire it. It is, in fact, the third in a Caproni series of twin-engined bombers which approximate to our own Blenheims. Apart from its in-line Isotta Fraschini engines, in fact, it bears a distinct resemblance to fthe Blenheim I, with its short, transparent nose and straight back. The wings, however, have far more taper and smaller tips than those of the Blenheim, while the tailplane plan is completely different from the familiar Bristol pattern. The single fin and rudder, however, are somewhat similar in shape tothose of the Blenheim, except for the straight slope to the Caproni leading-edge. The Isotta Fraschini engines are inverted air-cooled 12-cylinder " V " type "Delta " units, and it is worth noting that although their swept volume is almost the same asthat of the Rolls-Royce Merlin (26.685 litres and 27 litres respectively) the Delta ie rated at only 700 h.p., as com-pared with the 1,260 h.p. of the Merlin XX and the even greater output of the latest Merlin LXI. The Ca3i3 has a top speed of 248 m.p.h. at 11,480ft.,and a service ceiling of 22,300ft. Its armament consists of two machine-guns in the leading-edge of the wing rootsand fired by the pilot, one manually operated machine-gun in the nose operated by the bomb-aimer, and twin guns ina retractable dorsal turret just aft of the cabin. A single torpedo may be carried under the fuselage or the equiva-lent weight of bombs in external racks. Said to have been intended mainly for attacks on Britishconvoys sailing to Malta, the Ca3i3 is reputed to have a range of about 1,250 miles.
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