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| Ca.3 | |
|---|---|
 Caproni Ca.36 at theNational Museum of the United States Air Force | |
| General information | |
| Type | Heavy bomber |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Caproni |
| Primary users | Regia Aeronautica |
| History | |
| First flight | 1916 |
TheCaproni Ca.3 is an Italianheavy bomber ofWorld War I and the postwar era. It was the most produced version of the series of aircraft that began with the 1914Caproni Ca.1 and continued until the more powerful 1917Caproni Ca.5 variant.
The development of the Ca.1 to theCa.2 suggested the benefits of increasing amounts of power to the very sound airframe. The Ca.3 was a development of Ca.2, by replacing the two engines mounted on the booms with the same Isotta-Fraschini engine that had been used as the central,pusher engine on that design. The prototype flew in late1916 and was soon put into production. Known by Caproni at the time as theCaproni 450 hp, the Italian Army designated it the Ca.3. In Caproni's postwar renaming, it became theCa.33. Between 250 and 300 of these aircraft were built, supplying the Italian Army and Navy (the latter using the type as atorpedo bomber), and the French Army. Late in the war,Robert Esnault-Pelterie licence-built an additional 83 (some sources say only 19) aircraft in France.
Note: there is some variation in published sources over early Caproni names. The confusion stems, in part, from three schemes used to label the aircraft – Caproni's in-house designations of the time, those used by the Italian Army and names created after the war by Caproni for past designs.[citation needed]
The Ca.3 was a three-enginedbiplane of wooden construction, with a fabric-covered frame. The crew of four were placed in an open central nacelle (front gunner, two pilots and rear gunner-mechanic). The rear gunner manned uppermachine guns, standing upon the central engine in a protective "cage" in front of a propeller. The fixedconventional undercarriage had double mainwheels under each engine and a tailskid under the extreme tail of each boom. A substantial double nosewheel prevented damaging and dangerous nose-overs.
Armament consisted of two to four Revelli 6.5 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns, one in a front ring mount and one, two or sometimes even three in an upper ring mount. Bombs were suspended under the hull.
The Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Army in the middle of 1915 and first saw action on 20 August, attacking the Austrian air base atAisovizza. Fifteen bomber squadrons (1°–15°Squadriglia) were eventually equipped with Ca.1, Ca.2 and Ca.3 bombers, mostly bombing targets inAustro-Hungary. The 12°Squadriglie operated inLibya. In 1918, the 3°, 14° and 15°Squadriglia operated in France.
Apart from the Italian Army, original and licence-built examples were used by France (original Capronis were used in French CAPescadres, licence-built examples in CEPescadres). They were also used by theAmerican Expeditionary Force. There has been some confusion regarding the use of the Ca3 by the BritishRoyal Naval Air Service. The RNAS received six of the larger triplane Ca4s and did not operate the Ca3.[1] The British Ca4s were not used operationally and were returned to Italy after the war. Some of the Ca.36Ms supplied after the war were still in service long enough to see action inBenito Mussolini's first assaults on North Africa.
All of the following names were applied after the war. At the time, all were known as the 300 hp by Caproni and the Ca.3 by the Army.
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
2 × 6.5 mmor 7.7 mmFIAT-Revelli machine guns
Related development
Related lists
