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The Caproni Ca.5 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I and post-war era. It was the final version of the series of aircraft that began with the Caproni Ca.1 in 1914.
Development
By late in World War I, developments in aircraft technology made older bomber designs unable to penetrate targets defended by modern fighters. Caproni's response to this problem was to significantly uprate the power on the existing Ca.3 design, with some versions of the Ca.5 eventually carrying engines with nearly five times the total power that the first Ca.1 had.
Apart from greater power, various refinements were made to the design, including modifications to the main nacelle and undercarriage, and completely new wings. The first prototype flew in late 1917 and the type remained in production until 1921. Some 659 of all versions were built by Caproni, and another three were licence-built in the US (two Ca.44s by Standard, and one Ca.46 by Fisher). Plans for licence production in France did not eventuate.
During the war, Caproni designated these aircraft according to the total power of their engines. Afterwards, the company redesignated these designs.
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.
Variants
- Ca.44 - main production version, originally powered by three Fiat A.12 engines of 149 kW (200 hp) each, hence the name Caproni 600 hp. Later, the A-12bis was used, and aircraft so equipped were known as Caproni 600/900 hps
- Ca.45 - variant selected for French service, powered by three Isotta-Fraschini V.6s of 186 kW (250 hp) each. (Caproni 600/750 hp, or simply Caproni 750 hp)
- Ca.46 - late-war variant with three 269 kW (360 hp) Liberty engines.
- Ca.47 - (or I.Ca) seaplane version of Ca.44 (ten built)
- Ca.50 - Ca.44s modified as air ambulances
- Ca.57 - (or Breda M-1) - airliner conversion of war-surplus Ca.44s.
Operators
 Italy : Corpo Aeronautico Militare
Specifications (Ca.44)
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
- Crew: Four (pilot, co-pilot, front gunner, and rear gunner/mechanic)
- Length: 12.60 m (41 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 23.40 m (76 ft 9 in)
- Height: ()
- Wing area: 150 m² (1,614 ft²)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,600 kg (10,120 lb)
- Powerplant: 3× Fiat A.12 6 cylinder inline engines, 149 kW (200 hp) each
Performance
Armament
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
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