Caproni A.P.1

AP.1
Role	Attack aircraft
Manufacturer	Caproni
Designer	Cesare Pallavicino
First flight	April 1934
Introduction	1936
Primary user	Regia Aeronautica
Number built	54 + 3 prototypes

Caproni Bergamaschi AP.1 was an Italian monoplane attack aircraft designed by Cesare Pallavicino, coming from the Breda firm.

Design and development

Developed from the Ca.301, a single-seat fighter version of a similar design that was not put into production, the AP.1 was a two-seater version, fitted with a more powerful Alfa Romeo radial engine. Designed to serve both as a fighter and an attack aircraft, it was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed landing gear of mixed construction, having trouser-covered legs. Although it was a monoplane at a time when many of the air forces of the world were flying biplanes, the Caproni was still an anachronism with fixed landing gear (at that time, most aircraft also had fixed landing gear).

The AP.1 prototype first flew on 27 April 1934. An initial series of 12 aircraft was delivered within 1936. In the same year, the Regia Aeronautica ordered a second series with improvements including a more powerful Alfa Romeo engine and more aerodynamic landing gear. In service, the large landing gear trousers were often removed for ease of maintenance.

Operational history

The Caproni AP.1 equipped a total of eight squadriglie (Italian air unit equivalent to half an RAF squadron) of the assault wings of the Regia Aeronautica. It took part in the Spanish Civil War, but its unsatisfactory performance led to its quick replacement with the also disappointing Breda Ba.64, Ba.65 and Ba.88 types.

Four examples were acquired by El Salvador for use in the Escuadrilla de Caza (a fifth aircraft was shipped to replace an aircraft which crashed during a ferrying flight), and another seven were sold to Paraguay and used in the Chaco Postwar period (1939-1945). Another 10 aircraft ordered by Paraguay were diverted to the Regia Aeronautica.

Variants

File:Caproni Ca.301.jpg

Caproni Ca.301 fighter prototype.

• Ca.301 - Two single-seat fighter prototypes.
• Ca.305 - AP.1bis - Initial production version.
• Ca.307 - Second production version.
• Ca.308 - Seven aircraft sold to Paraguay.

Operators

• Kingdom of Italy : Regia Aeronautica
  • 7° Gruppo (5° Stormo Assalto)
    • 86° Squadriglia
    • 98° Squadriglia
  • 19° Gruppo (5° Stormo Assalto)
    • 100° Squadriglia
    • 102° Squadriglia
  • 12° Gruppo (50° Stormo Assalto)
    • 160° Squadriglia
    • 165° Squadriglia
  • 16° Gruppo (50° Stormo Assalto)
    • 168° Squadriglia
    • 169° Squadriglia
• Aviazione Legionaria
• Paraguay : Paraguayan Military Aviation
  • 2° Escuadrilla de Caza
• El Salvador : El Salvador Air Force
• Spain : Spanish Air Force

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: two
• Length: 9.34 m (30 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 13.01 m (42 ft 8 in)
• Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
• Empty weight: 1,940 kg (4,277 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34, 582 kW (780 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 347 km/h (216 mph)
• Range: 1,500 km (935 miles)
• Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,320 ft)

Armament

• 2 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns
• 1 × 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine gun
• 500 kg (1,102 lb) of bombs

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Breda Ba.64
• Henschel Hs 123
• Junkers Ju 87

Related lists

• List of Interwar military aircraft

References

• Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989.
• Sapienza Fracchia, Antonio Luis: "La Contribución Italiana en la Aviación Paraguaya". Author's edition. Asunción. 2007.

External links

• Caproni-Bergamasca Ca.301
• Caproni