The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a light, fighter aircraft used by the Royal Italian Air Force during WW2. However, it was used only in the ground-attack role because by the time it had been introduced (in 1939) it was already obsolete to be employed as a fighter. As a biplane, however, it was very maneuverable and it could carry up to two 200-kg bombs on two hardpoints. It was also in service with the Belgian, Swedish, and Spanish Air Force, from which it was phased out in 1948. It was designed and manufactured by Fiat, with more than 1,800 aircraft built, and it saw combat action in North Africa and in the Mediterranean Theater of Operation.
Technical characteristics
The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a biplane aircraft, which had fixed landing gear and an open cockpit. It was fitted with two straight wings joined together by sturdy V-shaped struts. Its fuselage was made of aluminum and the struts were steel tubes. It was very similar to the CR.32, from which it had been developed. As power plant, the CR.42 was equipped with a 14-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine, which delivered 840 hp.
Specifications
Wing span: 9.7 m
Length: 8.26 m
Height: 3.58 m
Wing area: 22.40 sq m
Maximum speed: 438 km/h
Armament: two 12.7-mm Breda machine guns; two conventional bombs.
Below, two Fiat CR.42 Falco aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea.
