Caproni Ca.101 & Ca.102

The Caproni Ca.101 was a three-engine Italian airliner which later saw military use as a transport and bomber.

It was designed in 1927 and first flown in 1928.

The Regia Aeronautica ordered 72 Ca.101 and 34 Ca.102.

Though the Ca.102 was more advanced, only the Ca.101 served in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.

In 1939, the Regia Aeronautica retired their Ca.101’s.

The Ca.102’s were retired before that, possibly because the twin-engine layout gave less overall reliability.

Variants

Ca.101  

Production model

Ca.101bis

Slightly larger and with more powerful engines designed for colonial service.

Ca.102  

Ca.101 airframe with two Bristol Jupiter engines

Ca.102quarter  

Ca.102 with four engines.

Specifications

Ca.101

Crew

Three 

Capacity

Eight soldiers

Or

four wounded

Or

1,500 kg (3,300 lb) of cargo

Length

13.5 m (44 ft 4 in)

Wingspan

18.8 m (61 ft 8 in)

Height

3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)

Wing area

52 m2 (560 sq ft)

Empty weight

2,450 kg (5,390 lb)

Gross weight

3,950 kg (8,690 lb)

Powerplant

3 × Alfa Romeo licence-built Armstrong Siddeley Lynx , 149 kW (200 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed

210 km/h (130 mph, 110 kn)

Range

1,000 km (621 mi, 540 nmi)

Service ceiling

5,000 m (16,400 ft)

Rate of climb

2.6 m/s (512 ft/min)

Armament

2 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Lewis Guns in the nose and ventral position.

There was sometimes a twin forward installation and a dorsal defensive turret mounted.

250 × 2 kg (4.4 lb)

Or

40 × 12 kg (26.4 lb) bombs carried internally.