| F.5 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Caproni |
| First flight | 19 February 1939[1] |
| Introduction | ca. 1939-1940[1] |
| Primary user | Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) |
| Number built | 13[1] plus 1 F.4 prototype |
| Variants | Caproni Vizzola F.4(precursor) Caproni Vizzola F.6 |
The Caproni Vizzola F.5 was an Italian fighter aircraft that was built by Caproni. It was a single-seat, low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable landing gear.[1]
The F.5 was developed in parallel with the Caproni Vizzola F.4, with which it shared a common airframe. Design began in late 1937 by a team led by F. Fabrizi. The aircraft had a welded steel-tube fuselage and wooden wings; the fuselage was covered with flush-riveted duralumin, while the wing had a stressed plywood skin. The F.5 (standing for Fabrizi 5) had a two-row 14-cylinder Fiat A.74 R.C. 38 radial engine, unlike its cousin the F.4, which Fabrizi and his design team intended to be powered by a water-cooled engine. The F.4 project was not pursued immediately because the Italian Air Ministry held its proposed engine in disfavor, but development of the F.5 continued.[2]
The F.5 prototype first flew on 19 February 1939. The aircraft displayed very high maneuverability during official testing, prompting an order for both a second prototype and 12 preproduction models. The last of the preproduction aircraft was selected for use as a prototype in a renewed F.4 program, but the rest of the F.5 order was delivered to the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force).[2]
No F.5 production models were built as Caproni decided to produce the more developed Caproni Vizzola F.6M fighter instead.
The Regia Aeronautica assigned the 11 preproduction F.5 fighters to the 300° Squadriglia, 51° Stormo for operational use. By 1942, they were serving as night fighters in the 167° Gruppo.[2]
The F.5 was offered to foreign customers. It has been said[by whom?] that the Aeroplani Caproni subsidiary in Peru acquired the license rights for local manufacture, but no F.5s were ever built in Peru.
Data from Italian Civil and Military Aircraft 1930-1945 [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
