Fiat CR.32

infobox Aircraft
name = CR.32
type = Fighter
manufacturer = Fiat

---

caption =
designer =Celestino Rosatelli
first flight =
introduced =
retired = 1953 (Spanish Air Force)
produced =
number built =
status =
unit cost =
primary user = "Regia Aeronautica"
more users = Hungarian Air Force Spanish Air Force
developed from =
variants with their own articles = Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.32 was an Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Although considered one of the finest biplane fighters of its era, the CR.32 was overtaken by more advanced monoplane designs and was obsolete by 1939.

Design and development

The Fiat CR.32 was designed by Celestino Rosatelli. Derived from earlier CR.20 and CR.30 designs, the CR.32 was a more streamlined biplane fighter with a conventional metallic frame utilizing an engine section in aluminum with fabric covering on the fuselage, wings and tail. A notable feature was that the lower wing was shorter than the upper wing making it sesquiplane. The Fiat A.30 engine produced 600 hp driving a dual-blade propeller. Armament included two 12.7 mm Safat machine guns located on top of the engine cover.

Operational history

After a period of testing, the prototypes were followed by a first order from the Regia Aeronautica, and by May 1939 there were already 1052 fighters in “bis”, “tris” and “quarter” versions in service. The CR.32 was well liked by its crews, being very maneuverable and having a strong fuselage structure. It was used extensively in the Spanish Civil War and in World War II, although by 1942 it was relegated to night missions as newer fighters were put into service. Sixteen of the type were ordered by China in 1933 and used with some initial success against the invading Japanese, but all were lost by late 1937 when the Chinese capital at Nanjing fell.

Variants

;CR.30:Armed with twin Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns and powered by single 600 hp (447 kW) Fiat A.30 V-12 water-cooled engine.

;CR.32:Armed with twin 12.7 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns and powered by 600 hp (447 kW) Fiat A.30 RAbis engine. Delivered to Italian air force between March 1934 and February 1936.

;CR.32bis:Close-support fighter version armed with twin 7.7 mm and twin 12.7 mm machine guns. Bomb racks with ability to carry 100 kg bombload possible: 1 x 100 kg or 2 x 50 kg.

;CR.32ter:Revised CR.32bis with many improved features

;CR.32quater:Revised CR.32ter with reduced weight, added radio and max speed 356 km/h at 3,000 m. 337 built for the Italian air force.

;CR.33:Only three prototypes were built.

;CR.40:One prototype powered by a Bristol Mercury IV radial piston engine.

;CR.40bis:One prototype only.

;CR.41:One prototype only.

;HA-132L:Spanish version that was in service as an aerobatic trainer till 1953.

Operators

;ARG
*Argentine Air Force;AUT
*Austrian Air Force;China as ROC
*Chinese Nationalist Air Force;flag|Germany|Nazi
*"Luftwaffe";flag|Hungary|1940
*Royal Hungarian Air Force;flag|Italy|1861-state
*"Regia Aeronautica";PAR
*Paraguayan Air Force ordered five aircraft in 1938.;flagicon|Spain|1939 Spanish State
*Spanish Air Force;VEN
*Venezuelan Air Force ordered nine aircraft in 1938.

pecifications (CR.32)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

crew=1
capacity=
length main= 7.47 m
length alt= 24 ft 6 in
span main= 9.5 m
span alt= 31 ft 2.25 in
height main= 2.36 m
height alt= 7 ft 9 in
area main= 22.1 m²
area alt= 237.88 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 1,455 kg
empty weight alt= 3,210 lb
loaded weight main= 1,975 kg
loaded weight alt= 4,350 lb
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=

engine (prop)=Fiat A30 RA-bis V12
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main= 600 hp
power alt= 445 kW
max speed main= 360 km/h
max speed alt= 224 mph
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 781 km
range alt= 485 mi
ceiling main= 8,800 m
ceiling alt= 28,870 ft
climb rate main= 9 m/s
climb rate alt= 1,822 ft/min
loading main=
loading alt=
more performance=

armament=
* Guns: 2 × Breda-SAFAT 7.7 mm machine guns
* Bombs: Up to 100 kg (220 lb)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Apostolo, Giorgio. "Fiat CR 32 (Ali D'Italia 4)". (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aeronautica, 1996. No ISBN.
* Cattaneo, Gianni "The Fiat CR.32 (Aircraft in Profile Number 22)". Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1965.
* Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. "The Facile Fiat...Rosatelli's Italian Fighter" "Air Enthusiast Twenty-two" August-November 1983. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press Ltd., 1983.
* Maliza, Nicola. "Il Fiat C.R. 32 - Poesia del Volo" (in Italian). Roma, Italy: Edizioni dell'Ateneo & Bizzarri, 1981.
* McCullough, Anson. "La Cucaracha." "Airpower" Volume 28, No. 5, September 1998.
* Mondey, David. "The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II". New York: Bounty Books, 1996. ISBN 1-85152-966-7.
* Punka, George. "Fiat CR 32/CR 42 in Action (Aircraft Number 172)". Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal, 2000. ISBN 0-89747-411-2.
* Westburg, Peter. "Dogfight over Ruthenia." "Airpower" Volume 13, No. 6, November 1983.

External links

* [http://www.constable.ca/cr32.htm Fiat CR.32 Fighter]
* [http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/cr32.htm Fiat CR.32]

ee also

aircontent

related=
*Fiat CR.42

similar aircraft=
*Polikarpov I-15

sequence=
CR.20 -
CR.25 -
CR.30 -CR.32 -
CR.33 -
CR.40 -
CR.41

lists=
*List of military aircraft of Italy

see also=