Caproni Ca.1

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The Caproni Ca.1 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I era.

1 Development
2 Service history
3 Description
4 References
5 Specifications (Ca.32)
6 Operators
7 Related content

[edit] Development

Italy and Russia were among the first countries to start developing a heavy bomber air force before the World War I. Heavy bombers could carry more payload than standard single-engine aircraft of the period. The first heavy bomber, designed by Gianni Caproni in his Caproni works, was a twin-boom biplane, featuring a layout that included three 67 kW (90 hp) Gnôme rotary engines housed one behind the other in a central nacelle, the rearmost driving a pusher propeller, and the other two driving tractor propellers mounted on the fronts of the two booms. Referred to internally by Caproni as the Caproni 260 hp (and retrospectively, after the war, as the Ca.30), this design flew in a slightly modified form (later dubbed the Ca.31) in October 1914.

Test flights revealed power to be insufficient and the engine layout unworkable, and Caproni soon adopted a more conventional approach. The pusher engine was retained in its original location, but the other two engines were moved to the front of the booms where they would turn their propellers directly. With more powerful inline engines, the air arm of the Italian Army became interested in purchasing the Caproni 300 hp (later known as the Ca.32), which they designated the Ca.1. A total of 166 aircraft were delivered between August 1915 and December 1916.

Some Ca.1s survived the war to be rebuilt as airliners, able to carry up to six passengers. This conversion became known as the Ca.56 in Caproni's post-war naming scheme.

Note: there is some variation in published sources over early Caproni designations. The confusion stems, in part, from three separate schemes used to designate these aircraft - Caproni's in-house designations of the time, those used by the Italian Army, and designations created after the war by Caproni to refer to past designs.

[edit] Service history

The Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Army in Summer of 1915 and first saw action on August 20 1915, attacking the Austrian air base at Aisovizza. Fifteen bomber squadrons (1-15 Squadriglia) were eventually equipped with Ca.1, Ca.2, and Ca.3 bombers, mostly bombing targets in Austro-Hungary. The 12th squadron operated in Libya. In 1918 three squadrons (3, 14 and 15) operated in France.

[edit] Description

Three-engine biplane of a wooden construction, covered with fabric. Crew: 4 in an open central nacelle (front gunner, two pilots and rear gunner-mechanic). The rear gunner manned upper machine guns, standing upon the central engine in a protective "cage", just before a propeller. Tricycle landing gear.

Armament: 2 to 4 Revelli 6.5mm or 7.7mm machine guns: 1 in front ring mounting and 1, 2 or sometimes even 3 in an upper ring mounting. Bombs suspended under the hull.