Fiat Cr.32

Biplane Fighter Aircraft

Kingdom of Italy | 1938

"The Italian Fiat CR.42 was one of the best inter-war designed fighters to ever see service, though largely outclassed by the start of World War 2."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/16/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Italian Fiat CR.32 biplane fighter is widely regarded as one of the best of its kind during the inter-war period, specifically the 1930s. The CR.32's design was based on the preceding CR.30 offering which totaled 176 aircraft for various global operators including Italy, Paraguay and the Spanish State. From this framework, a dimensionally-smaller form was worked into a viable gunnery platform possessing good maneuverability and excellent in-the-field survivability.

A biplane winged arrangement was used and the aircraft was crewed by a single operator seated in an open-air cockpit under and aft of the upper wing element (near midships). The upper and lower wings (of unequal span) were joined by parallel strutworks and cabling common to fighter designs of the period. The undercarriage was of a tail-dragger configuration though the main wheels were spatted for aerodynamic efficiency. The tail was of single-rudder design. At front in the fuselage (direct ahead of the pilot's position) was the engine installation and this drove a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose. Armament included 2 x 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades though 12.7mm heavy caliber machine guns could be used in their place. A modest bomb load of up to 220lb could also be carried for ground attacks. Internally, a metal understructure was used while skinning was a mix of alloy and fabric covering.

Dimensions included a length of 24.5 feet, a wingspan of 31.2 feet and a height of 7.8 feet. Empty weigt was 3,210lb against an MTOW of 4,350lb.

Power was served from a Fiat A30 RA-bis V12 engine developing 600 horsepower. Maximum speed of 225 miles per hour with a range out to 485 miles and a service ceiling up to 28,870 feet. Rate-of-climb neared 1,822 feet per minute.

A first-flight in prototype form was recorded on April 28th, 1933. China was the initial global operator to commit to the type through a twenty-four strong order. These arrived in 1935 though the order totaled only nine fighters in the end. From March of 1934 until February of 1936, the Italian Air Force became the proud recipient of this homegrown product and took on 282 aircraft. Almost immediately, pilots appreciated the small fighter's capabilities and its impact on the air service was well publicized. Before its combat service began, the CR.32 was a favorite at many of the air displays it attended.

Spain managed to secure a license for local production of the Italian machine which resulted in 100 HA-132-L "Chirri" fighters. These were pressed into service during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) from 1938 onward. The Italians had already been using their CR.32 fighters in the conflict since August 1936 and this marked the series' first taste of combat.

Improved A30 RAbis engines of 600 horsepower output greeted the equally-improved CR.32bis variant delivered to the Italian Air Force by way of a 283-strong order. Armament was mixed with 2 x 7.7mm and 2 x 12.7mm machine guns giving the nimble fighter a better offensive punch. Austria was sold 45 of this standard and an additional 52 were entrusted to Hungary though only 38 of the lot were handed over to the customer.

Article Continues Below Advertisement...

ADVERTISEMENTS

One hundred fifty more CR.32 fighters were realized as the CR.32ter in 1937 and these carried just 2 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns but were given improved cockpit panels and aiming devices. The CR.32quater (based on the CR.32ter) numbered 337 production units for the Italian Air Force but was also sold to Paraguay and Guatemala. This version was also produced locally by Spain from 1940 until 1943 and forty were reworked as two-seat training platforms. Its major change was a new lightweight design and now a communications set had been added.

The CR.33 made up three prototypes with Fiat AC.33RC engines. Maximum speed was improved to 256 miles per hour but the model was not adopted for serial production.

The CR.40 was a one-off prototype with a British Bristol Mercury IV air-cooled radial piston engine. Like-wise the CR.40bis was a single prototype and the CR.41 followed suit - neither were adopted.

Total CR.32 fighter production reached 1,052 units before its end was seen. It was more or less made obsolete by modern inventions by the time of World War 2 in 1939 but Italian authorities were still convinced of the merits of the CR.32 even against more modern types and the biplane went on to represent over half of the fighter stock available to the Italians as war broke out. As such, these aging biplanes were encountered in the North African campaign and across Italian homeland airspace during the early part of the conflict - certainly into 1940 by which point the fighter was still having a good showing, even against more modern thoroughbreds.

Additional combat actions were seen over Greece but, by 1942, the line was all but marked for retirement. Night time missions were the last taken on by the line. The Spanish Air Force did not retire their lot until 1953.

Other global operators beyond those mentioned included Austria, China, and Nazi Germany. The Austrians committed to 45 of the CR.32bis model while the Chinese fielded the type under the Nationalist Air Force banner. German examples were taken over from the existing Austrian stock.

The Fiat CR.42 biplane fighter (detailed elsewhere on this site) of 1939 was born from this same design.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Fiat Cr.32bis Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

1 x Fiat A.30 V-12 water-cooled, in-line piston engine developing 600 horsepower driving two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

233 mph
375 kph | 202 kts
Max Speed

28,871 ft
8,800 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

423 miles
680 km | 367 nm
Operational Range

2,000 ft/min
610 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Fiat Cr.32bis Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

24.4 ft
7.45 m
O/A Length

31.2 ft
(9.50 m)
O/A Width

8.6 ft
(2.63 m)
O/A Height

2,921 lb
(1,325 kg)
Empty Weight

4,079 lb
(1,850 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Fiat Cr.32 Biplane Fighter Aircraft .

STANDARD:
2 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns
2 x 7.7mm medium machine guns

OPTIONAL:
220lb of conventional drop bombs.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Fiat Cr.32 family line.

CR.30 - Fitted with Fiat A.30 V-12 water-cooled engine of 600 horsepower; 2 x 7.7mm OR 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns.

CR.32 - Fitted with Fiat A.30 RAbis engine of 600 horsepower; armed with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns.

CR.32bis - Close-Support Fighter Model; fitted with 2 x 7.7mm machine guns and 2 x 12.7mm machine guns; provision for up to 100kg of external ordnance.

CR.32ter - "Improved" CR.32bis model

CR.32quater - Based on the CR.32ter model series; improved performance; 337 examples produced.

CR.33 - Prototype Model appearing in 3 examples.

CR.40 - Single Production Prototype; fitted with Bristol Mercury IV radial piston engine.

CR.40bis - Single Production Prototype

CR.41 - Single Production Prototype

HA-132L - Spainish Designation; produced under license by Hispano-Chirri.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Fiat Cr.32. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 750 Units
Contractor(s): Fiat - Italy

[ Argentina; Austria; China; Nazi Germany; Hungary; Kingdom of Italy; Paraguay; Spain; Venezuela ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (233mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

750

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Fiat Cr.32 Biplane Fighter Aircraft appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)