Caproni Vizzola F.5

Single-Seat, Single-Engine Monoplane Fighter [ 1940 ]

The Caproni Vizzola F.5 was developed in parallel with the F.4 of 1940 but both amounted to little more than footnotes of Italian military aviation for their time in the air.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/08/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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In the pre-World War 2 period, F. Fabrizi of Italy led a design team that engineered several lesser-known fighter prototypes for the Kingdom of Italy. This work netted the "F.4", an all-modern monoplane seating one in an enclosed cockpit, offering a wholly retractable undercarriage, and armed with twin machine guns. Engine decisions meant that this model was passed on in favor of another fighter being designed in parallel - the "F.5'.

While the F.4 was intended to fit an Isotta-Fraschini liquid-cooled inline, the F.5 was to feature the Fiat A.74 R.C.38 twin-row, 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine of 870 horsepower. This was used to drive a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose. Both aircraft used the same low-wing monoplane layout and both were designed to carry 2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns as primary armament. The availability of the German Daimler-Benz DB601 inline engine for Italy in the summer of 1939 changed the fortunes of the F.4 some but this model, slated to become the "F.5bis" prototype, managed little before being given up for good in 1942.

The F.5 itself flew in prototype form on February 19th, 1939 with its Fiat powerplant in place. It was showcased to Italian authorities who were sold enough on the type to order a second flyable prototype for further evaluation and this was followed by a contract for twelve pre-series airframes (subsequent events then led to the final pre-series F.5 airframe being used to develop the F.4/F.5bis mentioned earlier as that program was revitalized by the arrival of the German inline engines).

The eleven pre-series F.5 were delivered to 300 Squadriglia and, by 1942, were formed as part of the night-fighting contingent of 167 Gruppo. Beyond this, it appears that little more was had with the F.5. Like the F.4, the F.5 ended its days most likely in 1942.

The F.5 "Gamma" was a proposed two-seat trainer being planned for the series. It was to be powered by an Isotta-Fraschini "Gamma" R.C.35 IS air-cooled radial piston engine instead. A single 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun was to make up its armament load for gunnery training. Little was realized of this project.

As flown, the F.5 managed a maximum speed of 317 miles per hour with a range out to 480 miles. Its service ceiling reached 31,200 feet.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1940

Origin

Kingdom of Italy

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

14
UNITS

Caproni - Kingdom of Italy

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Kingdom of Italy (retired)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

25.9 ft
(7.90 m)

Width/Span

37.1 ft
(11.30 m)

Height

9.8 ft
(3.00 m)

Empty Wgt

4,079 lb
(1,850 kg)

MTOW

4,938 lb
(2,240 kg)

Wgt Diff

+860 lb
(+390 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Caproni Vizzola F.5 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Fiat A.74 R.C.38 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 870 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

317 mph
(510 kph | 275 kts)

Ceiling

31,168 ft
(9,500 m | 6 mi)

Range

478 mi
(770 km | 1,426 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Caproni Vizzola F.5 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT fixed, forward-firing machine guns.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

F.5 - Base Series Designation.

F.5bis - F.4 airframe with DB601A inline engine built from final F.5 pre-series aircraft.

F.5 "Gamma" - Proposed two-seat trainer with Isotta-Fraschini R.C.35 IS radial engine; not furthered.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

22

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 400mph

Lo: 200mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (317mph).

Graph average of 300 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Caproni Vizzola F.5 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (14)

14

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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