The slightly less well known

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Breda Ba.19

The Breda Ba.19 was a single-seat aerobatic biplane aircraft, later developed as an air force trainer in 1928.

The Ba19 was a single-bay, unequal-span, unstaggered biplane which seated its pilot in an open cockpit. A few Ba.19s were produced as two-seaters with a second open cockpit in tandem.
The aircraft entered service in 1931 and were used throughout the 1930s for display flights by the Squadriglia di Alta Acrobazia Aerea, performing formation aerobatics.
It was powered by a  200hp Alfa Romeo licence-built Armstrong Siddeley Lynx radial engine, which permitted a top speed of 130mph, and a cruise of around 105mph.

Of the 42 built, just one survives,perched in an inverted position in a museum in Trento, NW Italy.

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Breda Ba.27 / Metallico

The Breda Ba.27 was a fighter produced in the early 1930s.

The Ba.27 was a low-wing braced monoplane, of steel tube construction, skinned with light corrugated alloy metal, it had wooden wings and tailplane. Evaluation of the two prototypes by the Regia Aeronautica in 1933 was very negative, which resulted in an extensive redesign. The fuselage shape was made more rounded and the pilot's open cockpit was moved forward and slightly higher to improve visibility. The corrugated alloy skinning was also replaced with smooth sheet metal.

A prototype of this revised version, known as the Metallico, first flew in June 1934, but it`s appraisal was still disappointing, but despite the lack of domestic interest, the type was ordered by the Republic of China for use against Japan. Out of eighteen machines ordered, only eleven were actually delivered.
Production aircraft were powered by a 540hp Alfa Romeo Mercurius radial engine, which gave the aircraft a top speed of around 235 mph. Armament was 2 fixed, forward-firing 12.7 mm (.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns.

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Breda Ba.32

The Breda Ba.32 was an airliner prototype from 1931.

The Ba.32 prototype first flew in 1931, It was a low-wing trimotor monoplane with fixed, spatted main landing gear. It was powered by three 320hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. It had a crew of two, and its cabin could accommodate up to 10 passengers.

Despite displaying good flight characteristics, no production orders ensued and no further examples were built.

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Breda Ba.44

The Breda Ba.44 was a biplane airliner developed in the mid-1930s.

The Ba.44 was developed from the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, which Breda had purchased a manufacturing licence for. Breda believed some changes would better suit the aircraft to the company's manufacturing techniques, the biggest differences in the prototype Ba.44 was the design of the cockpit and empennage, and the change to locally produced Colombo S.63 engines.
In production, however, these were changed back to the same 185 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engines as the Dragon Rapide.

Four examples were purchased by Ala Littoria, which used it on its Albanian routes, while the prototype was sold to the Regia Aeronautica, which operated it as a VIP transport and air ambulance in Libya. The excellent performance of the aircraft in this role led to the air force impressing the civil Ba.44s in 1936.

The government of Paraguay purchased one Ba.44 for its Military Aviation in 1933 and it was used as an air ambulance/transport in the Chaco War. In 1945, this Ba.44 was transferred to the first Paraguayan Airline, L.A.T.N. (Líneas Aéreas de Transporte Nacional) and was withdrawn from service in 1947.

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Breda Ba.64

The Breda Ba.64 was a single-engine ground-attack aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica during the 1930s.

The Ba.64 was designed in 1933 to requirements set out by the Regia Aeronautica.They wanted an aircraft able to undertake multiple roles: fighter, bomber and reconnaissance.
It was an all-metal, low-wing monoplane with a wire braced tail unit and fixed tail wheel. The open cockpit was placed forward on the fuselage in line with the wing roots to provide an excellent field of vision down as well as forward.

Two prototypes powered by a 700 hp Bristol Pegasus were developed, the first as a two-seater bomber with an armament of four 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns in the wings and up to 400 kg (882 lb) of bombs in racks under the wings.The second was a single-seater fighter configuration fitted with a semi-retractable main landing gear that when in its rearward retracted position, provided less drag as well as protection in case of a wheels-up landing.

The first prototype flew in 1934 but testing revealed a disappointing performance despite the use of a variable-pitch, three-blade propeller. A limited production order was placed for a composite variant that combined the two-place configuration of the bomber with the semi-retractable fighter landing gear. The production variant was powered by a 650 hp Alfa Romeo 125C and although single-seat variants were built, all the Ba.64s were converted to two-place bomber/attack aircraft with a single 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine gun mounted in the rear cockpit. Production of the 42 Ba.64s was complete by 1936.

They saw limited use in front-line service, the Ba.64s were relegated to second-line duties although a small number survived until March 1943.

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Breda Ba.79S

The Breda Ba.79S was a four-seater private aircraft from the late 1930s.

It was a single-engined high-wing monoplane with a well equipped cabin for four. The wings were joined to the upper fuselage and braced with streamlined struts.The wings had almost straight leading edges with taper on the trailing edges and rounded tips. The tailplane was mounted at mid-fuselage height and was braced to the rounded fin, which carried a wide chord and unbalanced rudder. The tail surfaces were fabric over wooden frames.

The aircraft was powered by a 200 hp Alfa-Romeo 115 six-cylinder inverted inline engine,which gave the Breda 79 a long-nose look. It had a two-bladed propeller, max speed was an impressive 155mph.
The fuselage was a fabric-covered welded steel structure,behind the engine and under the wings was the cabin with four seats in two rows of two.Glazing was extensive, including a roof window, and the cabin was both thermally and acoustically insulated with controllable ventilation.
The divided undercarriage had widely splayed legs attached at the bottom of the wing bracing struts, carrying semi-spatted wheels.

The first Breda 79, c/n 78001 was registered as I-ABFU on 20 April 1936 together with a second example, I-ABFT c/n 78002 but it is not known when they first flew. Records are sketchy, but three seem to have been flown and used by the Ministero Aeronautica.

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Breda Ba.88

The Breda Ba.88 Lince ( Lynx ) was a ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II.

The aircraft was designed to fulfill a 1936 requirement by the Regia Aeronautica for a heavy fighter bomber capable of a maximum speed of 325+ mph, armament of 20 mm cannons and range of 1,240 mi.The Ba.88 was an all-metal, twin-engine, two-crew monoplane,and it first flew in October 1936. The project was derived from the aborted Ba.75.

It was powered by two 1000hp Piaggio P.XI air-cooled radial engines, and drove two three-blade, continuous-speed 10.4 ft diameter Breda propellers. The engine nacelles also carried the two main undercarriage units. The aircraft had a twin tail to provide the dorsal 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine gun with a better field of fire.
The aircraft had three nose-mounted 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Breda machine guns and another Breda (7.7 mm/0.303 in caliber, with 250-500 rounds) with a high arc of fire, was fitted in the rear cockpit and controlled by a complex motorised electrical system. A modern "San Giorgio" reflector gunsight was fitted, and there was also provision to mount a 20 mm cannon instead of the central Breda-SAFAT machine gun in the nose.

Production numbers of the first series (started in 1939) were 81 machines made by Breda, and 24 by IMAM . The first series included eight trainers, with an elevated second pilot's seat. This was one of the few combat aircraft to have a dedicated trainer version, but it was not enough to prevent the overall failure of the programme.

The second series totalled 19 Breda and 24 IMAM machines fitted with small engine cowling rings. There was a limited evolution in this series, with the second series mainly being sent straight to the scrapyard.

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Breda-Zappata BZ.308

The B.Z.308 was a four-engined civil transport developed in the late 1940s for operation over both European and transatlantic routes.
It was a large low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, powered by four Bristol Centaurus radial engines driving five-bladed propellers. It featured a large tailplane with endplate fins and rudders, and had fully retractable landing gear. The fuselage had an oval cross-section, and accommodated a flight crew of five and 55 passengers in two cabins; a version was planned with seats for up to 80.

Construction began during 1946, under aircraft designer Filippo Zappata at Breda's Sesto San Giovanni works, however the Allied Commission halted the work, which did not restart until January 1947. Problems in the delivery of Bristol Centaurus engines delayed the first flight, which was on 27 August 1948, although flight testing went well, the project was abandoned as a result of financial problems, anticipated competition from American airliners in the postwar market, and pressure (under the Marshall plan) to close down Breda's aeronautical section. Breda subsequently stopped producing aircraft entirely.

The prototype B.Z.308 was acquired by the Italian Air Force in 1949 as a transport aircraft (MM61802). Despite orders in 1950 from India, Argentina and Persia, only the prototype was built, allegedly also due to pressure from the allies for Italy to refrain from competing in civilian aircraft manufacture after the war.

The prototype, which passed to the Italian Air Force in 1950, was used to fly between Rome and Mogadishu until 21 February 1954, when it was damaged beyond repair by a collision with a cement truck, and was abandoned in a field in Somalia before being broken up.

The aircraft made a brief appearance in the 1953 movie Roman Holiday, as all you Audrey Hepburn fans will know.

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Breda-Pittoni BP.471

The Breda-Pittoni B.P.471 was an Italian twin-engine airliner/military transport produced by Breda, as part of its efforts to get back into aircraft manufacturing following WWII.

The prototype first flew in 1950.The aircraft was an all-metal twin-engine monoplane of stressed-skin construction. It had a retractable tricycle undercarriage and wings were of an inverted-gull configuration, this allowed the main landing gear to be short and light.
It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, of 1,200 hp each, and had a cruising speed of around 255 mph.
The cabin had room for 18-passengers or cargo/freight. Breda proposed many uses for the aircraft including a civil airliner and freighter, military navigation trainer or utility freighter. With no interest from buyers the prototype was operated by the Italian Air Ministry as a staff transport, until it`s retirement in late 1954.

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CANT 6

The CANT 6 was a flying boat designed for Italian military service in 1925. The first flight of the type was also in this year.
It was a large biplane of conventional design with three × Lorraine-Dietrich 12Db, 400 hp each engines mounted in nacelles within the interplane gap. Only a single example was produced in its original military configuration,and two further aircraft redesigned as 11-seat passenger aircraft. One of these was retained by CANT, but the other entered airline service with Società Italiana Servizi Aerei.

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CANT 10

The CANT 10 was a flying boat airliner produced in Italy in 1925.
It was a conventional biplane design with single-bay, unstaggered wings of equal span, having seating for four passengers within the hull, while the pilot sat in an open cockpit. The engine was mounted in pusher configuration just below the centre of the wing.It was powered by a Fiat A.12bis, of 300 hp, which permitted a cruise speed of 90 mph.

CANT 10 flying boats were used by Società Italiana Servizi Aerei for over a decade, linking destinations in the Adriatic Sea.
Two aircraft were used by a company called TAXI AEREI in Buenos Aires, operating flights from the River Plate. One of them was lost in an accident and the other one was bought by the Paraguayan government for the Naval Aviation in 1929; it was used as a transport during the Chaco War and was withdrawn from use in 1933.

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CANT 22 and CANT 22R1

The CANT 22 was a flying boat airliner built in Italy in the 1920s and operated by Società Italiana Servizi Aerei (SISA) on their Adriatic routes.
It was a conventional biplane design with unstaggered wings braced by Warren trusses. The three engines were mounted in nacelles carried in the interplane gap. Accommodation for passengers was provided within the hull, the pilots sat in an open cockpit.
Although it was originally designed to carry eight passengers, an engine upgrade on later examples allowed the addition of two more seats.
The first aircraft flew in 1927, and 10 machines were completed in total.

The Cant 22 was powered by three 200 hp Isotta-Fraschini piston engines.
The Cant 22R.1 was powered by two 250 hp Isotta-Fraschini piston engines,and one 510 hp Isotta-Fraschini piston engine.

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CANT 26

The CANT 26 was an Italian two-seat biplane trainer from 1928.
It was an unusual product from CANT as it was a landplane. It was a two-seat biplane with tailwheel landing gear and powered by an Isotta Fraschini Asso 80 hp engine.
Just seven examples were built, one of which competed in the Challenge 1929 trials, and another of which was temporarily converted into a seaplane. One aircraft was registered in Argentina as R-183,it was later sold to an Italian citizen resident in Paraguay.He later sold it to the Paraguayan Military Air Arm, where it received the serial T-6 and it was used as a liaison aircraft.

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CANT Z.501

The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) was a high-wing central-hull flying boat, with two outboard floats. It was powered by a single engine installed in the middle of the main-plane, and had a crew of 4 or 5.
It served with the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II, as a reconnaissance aircraft.

The prototype Z.501 first flew in 1934, the aircraft had a very slim fuselage, a high parasol wing and a single wing-mounted engine nacelle.The prototype had a 750 hp inline Isotta Fraschini Asso-750.RC engine, with a circular radiator that made the installation resemble a radial engine, although it was actually a liquid-cooled inline.
Production versions had an 880hp  Isotta Fraschini Asso XI R.2C.15 ,driving a three bladed prop, which gave a cruise speed of around 150 mph and a max speed of 170 mph.
The engine nacelle design was extended to carry a rear-facing machine gun, while other guns were mounted in the centre fuselage and nose. All were 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns. A bomb load of up to 640 kg could be carried under the wings.

The aircraft served with the air arms of Italy, Romania and Spain, all were retired by 1950.

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CANT Z.509

The CANT Z.509 was a three-engine Italian floatplane developed from the Z.506A, it was designed to be used as a long range postal aircraft.

It was a larger and heavier development of the Z.506A, three aircraft were built in 1937 for Ala Littoria. The aircraft were for use on the airline's transatlantic postal service to South America.
The aircraft was a twin-float seaplane powered by three 1000 hp Fiat A.80 R.C.41 radial engines.Cruising speed was around 215 mph, and a max speed of 265 mph.
With the outbreak of World War II, development of the type was abandoned with just three aircraft built.

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CANT Z.511

The CANT Z.511 was a four-engine long-range seaplane,originally designed for the Central and South Atlantic passenger routes, it was later adapted as a military transport and special bombing raider.

The design called for a large four-engine, twin-float seaplane began at the end of September 1937, when the technical department of CRDA who required a long-range seaplane for carrying mail, cargo and passengers to Latin America.
These plans were cancelled on the outbreak of World War II, but a version of the aircraft was adapted for long-range maritime patrol, armed with 10 single-mount 12.7 mm (0.500 in) machine guns in both side gun positions, in two upper turrets, and belly positions. Plans were made to install 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon in a front turret or in a glazed nose position, and more machine guns in a tail position.

It could carry up to 4,000 kg of bombs in an internal bay and on outer wing positions: up to four launch racks, for 454 mm (17.9 in) air-launched torpedoes for surface attack, or "Maiale" manned torpedoes or midget submarines for special operations.
The aircraft was powered by 4 × Piaggio P.XII RC.35 air-cooled radial piston engines of 1,500 hp each.

The Z.511 had its first test flights between October 1940 and March 1942. The prototype was then transported to Grado, Venezia for further evaluation.
After the division of the Italian forces, one aircraft was appropriated by the Fascist Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. It had been damaged only weeks before by British fighters, which had strafed it on Lake Trasimeno where it was undergoing final trials.
It was transferred to the seaplane base at Vigna di Valle, where it was sabotaged by base personnel to prevent it falling into the hands of either the Allies or the Germans.
The other aircraft, still under construction at the CRDA factory, was retained by Axis forces and scrapped.

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CANT Z.515

The CANT Z.515 was a twin engine monoplane floatplane designed and built for maritime reconnaissance in Italy.
The aircraft was the result of a requirement for a reconnaissance seaplane with light bombing capability. It was smaller and lighter than the 3 engine CANT Z.506 reconnaissance bomber.

The Z.515 was a cantilever low wing monoplane with straight tapered wings ,dihedral and rounded tips. There were flaps inboard of the ailerons,it was powered by a pair of 750 hp V-12 Isotta-Fraschini Delta engines, mounted well forward of the leading edge.The rear engine mounting also supported the forward attachment points for the rearward sloping, N-form struts to the two long, single stepped floats. The floats were braced by inverted-V struts to the bottom of the fuselage. The Z.515's tailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage with greater dihedral than the wing and carrying endplate fins.

The lower nose of the Z.515 was completely glazed, with the long cockpit largely forward of the wing leading edge. There was a low dorsal machine gun turret and three further lower calibre machine guns. Up to 600 kg  of bombs could be carried.

The CANT Z.515 first flew in 1939 but was not developed further. Some suggest a first flight date of 8 or 9 July 1940. The Regia Aeronautica approved the production of the Z.515 in 1941 with 64 aircraft ordered from CANT, and 50 from Aeronautica Sicula, a company in Palermo. Only ten were completed.

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CANT Z.1010

The CANT Z.1010 was a single engine, five seat Italian passenger aircraft flown in the mid-1930s. Just one example was completed, as no orders were forthcoming.

The Z.1010 was a wooden monoplane with a high wing of elliptical plan .On each side,a pair of V lift struts ran from the lower fuselage to the two wing spars, assisted by struts. The tail surfaces were conventional and curved in profile, with a rudder that ran down to the base of the fuselage between split elevators.
The control surfaces were unbalanced and the fin and tailplane externally braced together. The aircraft was powered by a licence built Alfa Romeo version of the de Havilland Gipsy Major 4-cylinder inverted inline engine, which produced 120 hp and drove a two blade propeller.This gave a cruise speed of 108 mph and a max speed of around 130 mph.

Behind the pilot's side windows, two further rectangular windows on each side lit the passenger cabin, the forward one on the port side incorporated into a cabin access door. The Z.1010 had a fixed, conventional undercarriage with enclosed, faired mainwheels on faired half axles mounted on the lower fuselage.
The Z.1010 had been built for the Littorio Air Rally, starting on 24 August 1935, which it attended shortly after its first flight on 14 August 1935.
The aircraft attracted no orders despite attending several rallies; it was badly damaged in 1936 in practice for the Saharan Circuit competition and was not rebuilt.

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CANT Z.1011

The twin-engined CANT Z.1011 was one of two bombers of similar size and powered by the same engines, from the mid-1930s.
The other was the better known three-engined CANT Z.1007, which in the end was the type ordered by the Regia Aeronautica of which over 650 were built between 1938 and 1943.

The CANT Z.1011 was a low wing cantilever monoplane with a wooden structure. The wings had three wooden spars, spruce and plywood ribs and plywood covering. The entire trailing edge was occupied by ailerons and inboard flaps. The fuselage was flat sided with plywood covering. The tailplane, placed on top of the fuselage, was braced to it with pairs of parallel struts and carried twin fins and rudders.
The engines were conventionally wing mounted and the main legs and wheels of the tailwheel undercarriage retracted rearwards into cowling extensions behind them.
The cocpit area was over the leading edge of the wing, with a bomb-aimer's position in the nose. There were dorsal and ventral gunner's positions respectively over and aft of the wing, each equipped with twin machine guns.

Power was provided by two 820hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI.RC 60° V-12, water-cooled supercharged piston engines,which gave a max speed of around 230mph, or a cruise of around 210mph.
The Z.1011 made its first flight on 2 March 1936 powered by 950 hp Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major RC radial engines, but these were soon replaced.Just five Z.1011 prototypes were built before the Regia Aeronautica chose to order the three-engined Z.1007. After that decision the Z.1011 was used as a transport.

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CANT Z.1012

The CANT Z.1012 was a small three-engined monoplane built in Italy in the late 1930s.
In 1937 CANT (Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico) won a contract to build an aircraft for the Italian diplomatic corps in their embassies,the result was the CANT Z.1012

It was a low wing cantilever monoplane with an aerodynamically clean wooden structure and plywood skin.The cabin, over the wing, was fully glazed and had a starboard side seat for one passenger beside the pilot,and a bench seat behind for two more. A third row could be included if a lower fuel load was carried. The rear of the bench seat folded to access a baggage compartment.

The Z.1012 was powered by three inverted air-cooled inline engines, one mounted in the nose and the other two in wing fairings. There were two engine options,120 hp) Alfa-Romeo 110, a four-cylinder unit, or its six-cylinder relative, the 185 hp Alfa-Romeo 115. The more powerful engines raised the top speed by 30 mph . The main undercarriage units retracted into the engine fairings but the tail wheel was fixed.
The aircraft first flew on 13 November 1937 with the four-cylinder engines, appearing at the Belgrade air show that summer.This aircraft was used by the Italian Air Attaché in Washington.

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Caproni Ca.1 (1910)

The Caproni Ca.1 was an experimental biplane built in Italy in 1910. It was the first aircraft to be designed and built by aviation pioneer Gianni Caproni.

It was a light single-engine biplane featuring an uncovered rectangular truss as a fuselage, two mainplanes of equal span, a biplane tailplane and a twin-propeller pulling configuration.
The wings were fitted with ailerons and had a conventional structure, with tubular plywood spars and wooden ribs supporting a fabric covering.

The tail assembly consisted of two vertical surfaces which acted as rudders and as stabilizers, and of two horizontal surfaces whose fixed portion had a lifting and a stabilizing function, while a movable section acted as an elevator. This was controlled by the pilot, using a yoke. The wings were fitted with a patented device that allowed its angle of incidence to vary, in order to experiment with different aerodynamic conditions; the tailplanes were fitted with a similar device in order to compensate for the attitude changes caused by the adjustment of the wings.
The four-cylinder 25hp Miller fan engine drove two wooden two-blade counter-rotating propellers by means of two roller chains. A safety device would block both propellers in case of the failure of one of the chains.

The Ca.1 flew for the first time on 27 May 1910; although the flight was mainly successful, the aircraft crashed while landing and was badly damaged; it was repaired, but never flew again. The Ca.1 is now on display at the Volandia aviation museum, Malpensa Airport, Milan.

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Caproni Ca.1 Bomber (1914)

The Caproni Ca.1 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I era.

The Ca.1 was a three-engine biplane of fabric-covering and wooden construction. It had four crew members in an open central pod: two pilots, a front gunner, and rear gunner-mechanic, who manned upper machine guns, standing upon the central engine in a protective cage, just in front of the rear propeller. The Ca.1 had a tricycle landing gear.
After replacing early models with more powerful inline engines, the air arm of the Italian Army became interested in purchasing the Caproni 300 hp (later known as the Ca.32), which they designated the Ca.1. A total of 166 aircraft were delivered between August 1915 and December 1916.

The Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Army in mid 1915 and first saw action on August 20, 1915, attacking the Austrian air base at Aisovizza. Fifteen bomber squadrons were eventually equipped with Ca.1, Ca.2, and Ca.3 bombers, bombing mostly targets in Austria-Hungary. The 12th squadron operated in Libya. In 1918 three squadrons operated in France.

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Caproni Ca.4

The Caproni Ca.4 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I era.

The huge Ca.4 was a three-engine, twin-fuselage, triplane of wooden construction with a fabric-covered frame.It shared the unusual layout of the Caproni Ca.3, being a twin-boom aircraft with one pusher engine at the rear of a central nacelle, and two tractor engines in front of twin booms, providing a push-pull configuration. The twin booms carried a single elevator and three fins.The main landing gear was fixed and consisted of two sets of four wheels each.

It featured an open central nacelle attached to the underside of the center wing. It contained a single pusher engine, pilot, and forward gunner. The remaining engines were tractor mounted at the front of each fuselage.The aircraft was usually powered Liberty L-12 V-12 water-cooled piston engines, of 400 hp each,but other types were fitted.
At least one variation of the central nacelle seated the crew in a two-seat tandem format with the forward position for a gunner/pilot and the rear position for the pilot. Others used a forward gunner with side-by-side pilot positions to the rear of the gunner. Two rear gunners were positioned, one in each boom behind the center wing. An engineer or second pilot could also be accommodated in that location.

The new bomber was accepted by the Italian Army under the military designation Ca.4, but it was produced in several variants, differing in factory designations.
Ca.4s were tested by the Italian Air Force in 1917 and began operations in 1918. They were used for attacking targets in Austria-Hungary. In April 1918, six Ca.42s were issued to the British RNAS but were never used operationally and they were returned to Italy after the war. At least three CA.42s were sent to the USA for evaluation.
Figures vary for the number of aircraft completed, but it is thought to be 45 to 55.

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Caproni Ca.18

The Caproni Ca.18 was a military reconnaissance aircraft built in Italy shortly prior to World War I.

The Ca.18 was a monoplane of conventional configuration and fixed tailskid undercarriage. The wings were mounted to the fuselage with a bayonet fitting, to facilitate the rapid assembly and dismantling of the aircraft.It became the first Italian-designed and -built aircraft to see service with the Italian armed forces.

It made it`s first flight in 1913, but did not enter service until 1915 due to to the initial lack of interest in the aircraft.
The aircraft was originally designed for a government competition in early 1913, but no orders for the aircraft were forthcoming until the nationalisation of the Caproni company later in the year, when a small batch was built for the 15th Squadron.It was powered by a Gnome rotary engine of 80 hp, which gave it a max speed of 75 mph and a cruise of around 62 mph.

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Caproni Ca.20

The Caproni Ca.20 was an early monoplane fighter. Developed by Giovanni Battista Caproni in 1914.

The Ca.20 was derived from the Ca.18, an observation monoplane. It used a more powerful engine, the Rhône. It used an unusual rounded nose cover for the wooden propeller which was cowled smoothly to match the fuselage and pierced to allow engine cooling. The improved aerodynamics helped speed and manoeuvrability and as it was designed as a fighter, a Lewis machine gun was installed above the pilot, placed above the propeller disc, with an eye level sight.

Only a single Caproni Ca.20 was built, because the Italian government rejected the design in favour of bomber aircraft.It made it`s first flight in 1914, then later stored in a barn on Giovanni Battista Caproni's property for 85 years, before being sold to the Museum of Flight in Seattle in 1999.

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