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| Often compared in concept and design
with the Gloster Gladiator, against
which it frequently fought in 1940-1, the
Fiat CR.42 Falco (falcon) biplane did
not first fly until 1939, however, and
such an anachronism is difficult to
understand. Employing the same Warren
truss system of interplane struts as
the 1933 CR.32, from which it was developed,
Celestino Rosatelli's CR.42
was powered by a 626kW Fiat A74 R1C 38 radial and had a top
speed of 441km/h. By
September 1939 the Falco equipped
three stormi and, while the RAF was
hurriedly reducing its Gladiator
strength, the Regia Aeronautica was
increasing its CR.42 inventory, so that
when Italy entered the war in June
1940 there were 330 in service with
four stormi in the Mediterranean plus
two squadriglie in Italian East Africa.
The Falco first saw combat in the brief
French campaign, and later 50 aircraft
accompanied the Corpo Aero Italiano
to bases in Belgium for attacks on
southern England at the end of the Battle
of Britain, suffering heavily to the
guns of RAF Hurricanes. In the Middle
East the Falco fared better, however,
being more of a match for the widelyused
Gladiator; during the Greek campaign
one gruppo of three CR.42
squadriglie was committed and, except
on a few occasions, acquitted itself
well; but when Hawker Hurricanes
eventually arrived the Italian biplane
losses mounted steadily. In East Africa
51 crated CR.42s were received to
supplement the 36 aircraft delivered to
the 412a and 413a Squadriglie, but in
due course they were destroyed in the
air or on the ground, although they took
a heavy toll of the antiquated aircraft of
the RAF and SAAF. In the Western
Desert CR.42 fighters were joined by
the CR.42AS fighter-bomber version
adapted to carry two 100kg
bombs, and these continued in service
with the 5°, 15° and 50° Stormi Assalti
until November 1942. A total of 1,781
CR.42s was built (some serving in
Sweden and Hungary), but at the time
of the Italian armistice in September
1943 only 64 remained serviceable.
| MODEL | CR.42 |
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x FIAT A.74 R1C 38, 626kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 2295 kg | 5060 lb |
| Loaded weight | 1782 kg | 3929 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 9.7 m | 32 ft 10 in |
| Length | 8.27 m | 27 ft 2 in |
| Height | 3.59 m | 12 ft 9 in |
| Wing area | 22.4 m2 | 241.11 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 430 km/h | 267 mph |
| Ceiling | 10200 m | 33450 ft |
| Range | 775 km | 482 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 2 x 12.7mm machine-guns |
 | A three-view drawing (662 x 1062) |
| Anonymous, 29.06.2022 01:29 "Often compared in concept and design with the Gloster Gladiator, against which it frequently fought in 1940-1..." An awful lot of ink has been expended comparing the CR.42 with the Gladiator. The only trouble is that the Gladiator came out in 1934 and the RAF already considered it to be obsolete by 1939, when the CR.42 first flew. The only reason the RAF was still flying the Gladiator during 1939-40 was because they were still available, and they did not have enough fighters in their inventory at the time not to use them. However, Fiat already had an all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter with retractible landing gear and enclosed cockpit before the C.R.42 ever even flew, namely the Fiat G.50. Under the circumstances, one cannot help wondering what the Italian Air Force was thinking to have preferred the CR.42. reply | | Graham Clayton, e-mail, 26.12.2021 13:14 The CR.42 fought alongside the Luftwaffe, fought as a part of the Luftwaffe, and fought against the Luftwaffe. reply | | Barry, 02.12.2010 17:57 Belgium received 34, Hungary at least 40 amd Sweden 72.
The one off CR42B had a 1010 hp DB601A inverted vee engine which gave it a top speed of 323 mph reportedly making it the fastest ever bi-plane fighter! reply | | ZR, 06.12.2008 19:47 Of course yes, it had a full throttle height of 3800m, where the Military Power output was about 618kW @ 2400rpm.
The same engine was installed on the Macchi C200 and the Fiat G50 reply | |
| | rafair, e-mail, 20.02.2008 13:11 Was the A74 engine supercharged ? reply |
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