WesWorld

Some drips and drabs for 1941...

The Caproni Atlante airliner prototypes successfully completed their flight test programme. The only issue found with the design so far was some directional instability which will be corrected in production aircraft with a larger tailplane. Some issues were expected with the pressurised fuselage construction, but the extensive completed using the Piaggio P.111 research aircraft appears to have paid dividends with no problems being encountered. LATI has placed an initial order for 30 examples, with European flights expected to commence next year. Although possessing good performance compared to the preceding SM.75, the Atlante has insufficient range for longer routes. Piaggio are currently at work on a much longer ranged aircraft.

Following the merger of Caproni, Bergamasca, Vizzola, Reggiane, CANT and Breda into the Caproni some years ago, the company has become the largest aviation body in Italy, supplanting Fiat by a large margin. Plenty of work has been forthcoming, thanks in part to the larger design and development staff available, but also to the new government competition rules which are forcing the industry to become more efficient. Notable export successes have been Falco fighter aircraft to Thailand and Astore II bombers to Peru. This success has been replicated domestically, with an order of 400 Astore I & II aircraft by the Aeronautica D’Esercito to replace the aging SM.79. The effect of this on the industry has been considerable; the main result being the establishment of AerItalia (Societa Aeronautiche Italiana) by the merger of Macchi, Savoia-Marchetti and Piaggio. The new company has a range of experience from fighters to bombers to airliners. The result leaves Italy with three major aviation companies, Fiat being the other.

The last year has seen the completion of the first major dams along the Abbay in Ethiopia. Started with Italian capital and internal funding, currently three are planned as the Abbay snakes it’s way down from the Ethiopian highlands. The dams themselves are more for irrigation and resilience than power supply, although power will be available for limited applications. These are the largest projects in the development agenda, with a move away from subsistence farming planned towards agricultural exports. The other major infrastructure project approaching completion is that of the double railway track linking Addis and the plateau with the port of Massawa on the Red Sea. The link will go some way to aiding the transport situation in country. The lack of railway and roads in the harsh terrain has made transport challenging.

Nice to hear some news from Italy.

Will the new longer range airliner be based on the Atlante, or a whole new design?

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
The last year has seen the completion of the first major dams along the Abbay in Ethiopia. Started with Italian capital and internal funding, currently three are planned as the Abbay snakes it’s way down from the Ethiopian highlands. The dams themselves are more for irrigation and resilience than power supply, although power will be available for limited applications.

Just a point of information, what has been the impact of the dams on the total outflow of the Abbay/Blue Nile? Given the importance of the latter to the total volume of water passing into the Nile, any significant diminution of the water flow could have consequences downstream.

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
Nice to hear some news from Italy.

Will the new longer range airliner be based on the Atlante, or a whole new design?

I'd been mulling things over for quite a time but not got around to writing anything down for a while.

The longer range airliner will be a whole new design. The Atlante just isn't big enough. Fine for relatively short hops (well 1500km) carrying a lot of passengers, but not for longer journeys, and no room for sleeping berths or a lounge.

Quoted

Just a point of information, what has been the impact of the dams on the total outflow of the Abbay/Blue Nile?

They're fairly small dams so I wouldn't expect the flow to be that effected. It's worth noting that the Blue Nile was dammed in Sudan in the 1920s without much of an effect.

There are legal complications from this though.

A general discussion of the Nile Waters
I can't say for certain how much of this was agreed in WW but it puts Italy in a spot and Britain could start to kick up a fuss unless its kept in the picture and gives consent.

Yeah please! Italy versus Britain over Africa with some nice fighting in the Med! *pulls popcorn*

I vote for Britain to solve the dam problem with some dam busters...... ;o)

Quoted

Originally posted by HoOmAn
I vote for Britain to solve the dam problem with some dam busters...... ;o)

Heh heh, somebody else thought the same thing I did!

Funny, I watched the film last night too!

Quoted

Originally posted by Hood
Funny, I watched the film last night too!

Getting in the mood, eh?

Britain could kick up a fuss but I'm sure there would be an equal fuss from the independent East Africa regarding the vagaries of prior treaties, rampant colonialism, British interference in Egypt and the Sudan etc.

Britain could make the Egypt-Sudanese government kick up the fuss on its behalf.


In reality neither the EAS nor Egypt-Sudan are independent nations. Both rely on colonial masters for their power, money and ambitions.

Another new sight in Ethiopia has been the appearance of AB40 armoured cars in the colours of the new East African armoured regiment. The so called regiment is extremely small in size currently and formed from existing cavalry units. The greatest challenge facing the creation of the unit was the lack of skilled Ethiopian personnel for operation and maintenance. The building of a technical school by the Italian army has gone some way to solving the immediate problem, but the situation is indicative of the general lack of formal education in the country; a problem that will take considerable time to improve. The unit itself has been operating much more in a reconnaissance and policing role with a comprehensive effort to map the vast swathe of the Ogaden plateau and to keep in contact with the various bands of nomadic farmers. The unit is a real mix of peoples and vehicles, with Italian, Ethiopian, Somali and Eritrean personnel operating AB40, AB40/47 armoured cars and off-road lorries. The Dovunque 33 and 35 lorries have become the motorised transport of choice given their reliability and ability to cope with rough terrain.


AutoBlinda 40 and 40/47

The Italian naval air force has accepted the first of it’s new Caproni Ariete fighters into service. The preceding Falco II has given good service and given useful experience in operating a modern monoplane fighter at sea. However the type is considered to be obsolete. The situation was not helped by the discontinuation of the engine type in use. Development since that point has focused on using either the Fiat A.38 inline or Alfa-Romeo 135 series radial. In the end the AR135 won out due to concerns on the over-reliance on the A.38. Alfa-Romeo themselves have put the initial troubles of the engine behind them and have increased the power available to 2,000cv with increased output project in short order. The aircraft itself is heavily based on the preceding Falco II but larger to take into the radial engine and desire to carry greater payload.


Caproni Ariete I

Two Italian news items in three days? The world has ended!

I thought I recalled seeing some specs and a couple cool drawings for the Caproni Ariete, but I can't seem to find them now. Are they posted somewhere?

This thread has the drawings you're thinking of. In the end the picture is more based off the Reggiane 2002 as it already had a radial engine. Just had a bit of a move around of things, a larger tail and a contra-prop. I'll get around to posting specs soonish. It's more F8F/Fury size than F6F/F4U.

Ah, yes. That was the thread I was thinking of.

I don't like the look of the contraprop, frankly. Looks ugly. I liked your original drawings a lot better.

Testing of the Ca.301 research aircraft continues at Guidonia. The first two aircraft mount an Alfa-Romeo 128 motoreattore in a similar manner to original CC.1 research aircraft. These aircraft have been flying throughout 1940 and gradually expanding the operating envelope. The maximum speed so far achieved has been 660km/h, which is less than was hoped for, although still able to outrun the Fiat Centauro used as a chase plane. The greatest advances have been in the improved reliability brought about by better matching of the compressor and engine and improving the flow through the combustor. Although the speed is less than hoped for, dive testing at higher altitudes has lead to the aerodynamics and handling qualities to be tested at higher speeds.

The second group of aircraft, initially scheduled to be 6 but reduced to 4 examples, mount an Alfa-Romeo 135 motoreattore of considerably higher power from which it is hoped to attain greater speed. The first aircraft flew in early 1941 and displayed similar characteristics to the previous aircraft despite the increase in weight. The positioning of the motor around the centre of gravity has helped in this regard. The second group of aircraft are difficult to distinguish from the first, but feature increased diameter inlets and nozzles to augment the air flow rate. The increase in performance is evident in the large increase in climb rate, but the increase in speed has yet to be investigated fully as the test programme proceeds slowly. The hard lessons learnt from the Fiat Centauro prototypes has lead to much more detailed and careful flight tests at higher speeds.

Overall, the outlook for the programme does not look promising. Although it has been successful in proving the motoreattore technology and in research into high speed flight, the aim of rapidly converting the design into a fighter is looking to be unattainable. The problem is that the design is just too small to carry the requisite armament and equipment expected of a modern fighter. As a result, the Caproni design team is busy on a twin engine aircraft that is expected to be more flexible.

The Perla Class Submarine P4 has been taken into the yard at Napoli to undergo an extensive refit to become an experimental test bed. The vessel will be completely reconstructed, with most of the military equipment removed. Once completed, the vessel will sail with 2x1,000hp Isotta-Fraschini diesel engines in order to test Maj. Ferretti’s novel propulsion system. The system has had some success on a test bench, but it was felt that a seagoing unit was necessary to prove the concept. Two options were presented to Supermarina, that of a new build small submarine, or a rebuild of one of the Perla Class. The second option was chosen to reduce the risk in the project. This latest project marks the Marina Militaire’s latest attempt to produce a true submarine.

I'm curious who Maj. Ferretti is and what his "novel propulsion system" might be. I presume he's not related to the Italian 1960s yachtbuilder?

He's the historical chap and inventor of the modern snorkel. His AIP work is discussed in Warship a few years ago, and some Italian publications - and was used on three Italian submarines during WW2.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
He's the historical chap and inventor of the modern snorkel. His AIP work is discussed in Warship a few years ago, and some Italian publications - and was used on three Italian submarines during WW2.

Interesting. I wasn't able to find anything on him; can you provide some sources?