Caproni Ca.309
| Ca.309 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Reconnaissance |
| Manufacturer | Caproni |
| First flight | 1937 |
| Retired | 1948 |
| Primary users | Regia Aeronautica Hungarian Air Force Yugoslavia Paraguayan Air Arm |
The Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli was an Italian aircraft used in World War II. Its nickname Ghibli means Desert Wind and served as the inspiration for animation Studio Ghibli's name.[1][2]
Development
The Caproni Ca.309 was designed by Cesare Pallavicino, based on the Ca.308 Borea transport. It was intended to replace the obsolete biplane IMAM Ro.1. It was intended to serve as a reconnaissance and ground-attack aircraft.
The Ca.309 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a piston engine fitted to each wing.
The aircraft was also produced in Bulgaria. That variant, 24 of which were built, was known as the Kaproni-Bulgarski KB 6/KB 309 Papagal.
Operations
The Ca. 309 served in Libya during the first part of World War II, with good operational results.[3]
After the loss of the African colonies the surviving planes were returned to Italy, where they were used as transports. Two Ghiblis were bought by the Paraguayan government for its Military Air Arm. They were used as transport planes from 1939 to 1945 and in that year they were transferred to Líneas Aéreas de Transporte Nacional (LATN), the Paraguayan first airline which was run by the Military Aviation. They were in active service until the early 1950s and later sold to a private Argentine owner.
Operators
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- Regia Aeronautica, operated 243 Caproni Ca.309[4]
- Paraguayan Air Arm (two Ca.309)
- Líneas Aéreas de Transporte Nacional (LATN) used two ex-Paraguayan Air Arm Ca.309s
Specifications (Ca.309)
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 12.85 m (42.16 ft)
- Wingspan: 16.20 m (53.15 ft)
- Height: 3.04 m (9.98 ft)
- Wing area: 38.70 m² (416.6 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,960 kg (4,190 lb)
- Loaded weight: 2,930 kg (6,460 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Alfa Romeo 115-II 6-cylinder inline engine, 390 hp (291 kw) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
- Range: 1,050 km (652 mi)
- Service ceiling: 4,250 m (14,000 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 3 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns
- Bombs: up to 330 kg
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
- List of aircraft of World War II
- List of bomber aircraft
- List of Regia Aeronautica aircraft used in World War II
Notes
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
- ↑
- ↑ Section Storia: History of the "Ghibli" in Libya during WWII (in Italian)
- ↑ "Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli", Ali e uomini [Wings and men] (in Italian).
- ↑ aeroflight
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caproni Ca.309. |