IMAM Ro.43
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| Ro.43 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Reconnaissance |
| Manufacturer | IMAM |
| Maiden flight | 19 November 1934 |
| Introduced | 1935 |
| Primary user | Regia Aeronautica |
The IMAM Ro.43 was an Italian reconnaissance seaplane, serving in the Regia Aeronautica in the 1930s-1940s. although produced in quantity, it proved never to be really suitable for its intended role as a spotter plane for warships, and although 105 remained in service when Italy entered World War II, they were already quite obsolete and saw little use.
[edit] Design and development
The Ro.43 was designed to meet a 1933 requirement of the Regia Marina (or Italian Navy), for a catapult launched reconnaissance aircraft to equip the Maritime Reconnaissance Squadriglie operating from its ships. The specifiation called for a speed of 240 km/h (149 mph), with a range of 600 km (370 mi) or an endurance of 5.5 h. Other contenders were the Piaggio P.18 and P.20, CSAMA MF.10, CANT Z.504 and Macchi C.76.
Derived from the Ro.37 Lince reconnaissance aircraft[1], with the same designer, the Ro.43 first flew in 1934. It was a two-seat biplane of mixed construction, with folding gulled upper and inverse gull lower wings ,[2] lightly armed and capable of around 300 km/h (185 mph) and over 1000 km (620 mi) range. This performance more than met the requirements of the specification, and so the seaplane made by IMAM was declared the winner.
Despite this, the Ro.43 had serious problems. Its lightweight structure meant that it was too delicate for operations at sea, and it had poor sea-handling qualities. These problems meant that when it was launched it was quite normal not to recover it at sea, forcing the aircraft to return to land before alighting.
The aircraft's good endurance meant that the aircraft could still be useful in the constrained Mediterranean, but the aircraft was overall unsatisfactory and the Regia Marina used it poorly. 105 aircraft were in service at the start of World War II, more than enough to equip the major surface units of the Italian Navy, but soon a better aircraft was requested , possibly a navalized fighter. This resulted in a small series being built of a naval version of the Reggiane Re.2000 that could be catapulted but was not fitted with floats so had to either return to a land base or ditch, in a similar fashion to the Hawker Hurricanes operated by CAM ships. The best feature were the folding wings, but even so the maximum carried on board was usually two. This, together with the modest possibilities of recovery and the lack of experience with naval aviation (even though the Italian Navy possessed a seaplane carrier, the Giuseppe Miraglia) limited the use of the aircraft in combat.
Around 200-240 were produced until 1941, with 48 still in service in 1943 .
A Ro.43 is preserved in the Museum of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana at Vigna di Valle.
[edit] Operators
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[edit] Specifications (Ro.43)
Data from Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 9.71 m (31 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 11.57 m (37 ft 11 in)
- Height: 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 33.36 m² (358 ft²)
- Loaded weight: 2,400 kg (5,300 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Piaggio P.XR 9-cylinder radial engine, 522 kW (700 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 300 km/h (162 knots, 186 mph) at 2,500 m (8,200 ft)
- Range: 1,500 km (590 nm, 678 mi)
- Service ceiling 6,600 m (21,600 ft)
Armament
- 2 × 7.7 mm machine guns
[edit] References
- ^ Angelucci 1981, p.323
- ^ Mussolini's Maid of All Work: the IMAM Ro 37 and Its Derivatives. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
- ^ Jackson, Robert, The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, Parragon, 2002. ISBN 0-75258-130-9
- Angelucci, Enzo (ed.). World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. London:Jane's. 1981. ISBN 0 7106 0148 4.
- Lembo, Daniele Officine Meccaniche Meridionali, Aerei nella storia magazione, Delta editions, Parma, oct-nov 2003
[edit] External links
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