Thicko's Fiat CR.42DB
Single Seat Biplane Fighter equiped with a DB601 engine. One prototype built. The CR.42 was a design evolution of the earlier Fiat CR.32, which was in turn derived from the Fiat CR.30 series of 1932. The Regia Aeronautica had employed the CR.32 during the Spanish Civil War with great success, which led to Fiat proposing a more modern fighter based around the Fiat A.74R1C.38 radial air-cooled, geared and supercharged engine and a robust, clean biplane design. Although technically a sesquiplane with unequal span, smaller lower wings, the rigidly-braced wings covered with fabric were constructed from light duraluminum alloy and steel. Soon after its combat introduction, Fiat developed a number of variants, the CR.42bis and CR.42ter with increased firepower, the CR.42N night fighter and CR.42AS ground-attack and two-seat trainer. Experimental configurations included the I.CR.42 (Idrovolante= seaplane) and the CR.42DB, an attempt to improve the type's performance by installing a Daimler-Benz DB601A in-line engine of 1,010 hp. Although this variant reached a top speed of 323 mph (518 km/h), the project was cancelled as the biplane configuration did not offer any advantages over contemporary fighter designs
by peperez (2009-01-18 11:08:05)
(Upload from old Archive to Library)
Single Seat Biplane Fighter equiped with a DB601 engine. One prototype built. The CR.42 was a design evolution of the earlier Fiat CR.32, which was in turn derived from the Fiat CR.30 series of 1932. The Regia Aeronautica had employed the CR.32 during the Spanish Civil War with great success, which led to Fiat proposing a more modern fighter based around the Fiat A.74R1C.38 radial air-cooled, geared and supercharged engine and a robust, clean biplane design. Although technically a sesquiplane with unequal span, smaller lower wings, the rigidly-braced wings covered with fabric were constructed from light duraluminum alloy and steel. Soon after its combat introduction, Fiat developed a number of variants, the CR.42bis and CR.42ter with increased firepower, the CR.42N night fighter and CR.42AS ground-attack and two-seat trainer. Experimental configurations included the I.CR.42 (Idrovolante= seaplane) and the CR.42DB, an attempt to improve the type's performance by installing a Daimler-Benz DB601A in-line engine of 1,010 hp. Although this variant reached a top speed of 323 mph (518 km/h), the project was cancelled as the biplane configuration did not offer any advantages over contemporary fighter designs
by peperez (2009-01-18 11:08:05)
(Upload from old Archive to Library)
