The Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale (Mistral) was an Italian single-engined two-seat fighter-bomber/reconnaissance aircraft of the 1930s.
In October 1937, the Belgian aircraft manufacturer Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA) entered into a marketing agreement with the Italian company Caproni.
As part of the agreement, SABCA sold some of Caproni’s military aircraft in specific markets, including the Ca.135, Ca.310, and the Ca.312, which were designated SABCA S.45bis, S.46, and S.48 respectively.
Caproni was tasked with developing a replacement for the Belgium Air Force’s Fairey Fox biplanes under the agreement.
The Chief Engineer Cesare Pallavicino was assigned to design the new aircraft, the Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale, which was inspired by his previous A.P.1 attack aircraft.
The Maestrale was a low-winged monoplane with a mixed construction of metal skinned steel-tube fuselage and wood and fabric wings.
It was powered by a single Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs V12 engine and featured a hydraulically actuated retractable tailwheel undercarriage, with the mainwheels retracting backwards into the wing.
The pilot and observer were each given their own separate cockpits, widely spaced apart.
The observer was equipped with a single machine gun for defence, while the pilot operated a Hispano-Suiza HS.404 moteur-canon firing through the propeller hub and two wing-mounted machine guns.
Additionally, the aircraft featured a small bomb bay that housed two 50 kg (110 lb) bombs, with the capability to carry an additional ten 50 kg (22 lb) bombs under the wings.
The Ca.335 prototype was constructed at Caproni’s Ponte San Pietro factory and successfully completed its maiden flight on 16 February 1939.
The aircraft was disassembled and transported to SABCA’s factory in Brussels via train.
After being reassembled, it took flight once again on 19 September 1939.
Following successful initial testing, SABCA acquired a license to manufacture the Ca.335, which was then showcased as the SABCA S.47 to officials from the Belgian Ministry of Defence and various other countries.
Despite the Belgian Air Force’s admiration for the S.47 and their need for 24 units, SABCA’s factory was preoccupied with fulfilling orders for 41 Breguet 693s for Belgium and France, as well as 10 Koolhoven F.K.58s for France.
This led to a delay in placing a formal order.
The prototype underwent a demonstration for the French Armee de l’Air in Orleans on 14 March 1940, but unfortunately, it sustained damage in a minor landing incident.
Due to the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, SABCA’s production plans were halted, leaving the prototype unrepaired.
Subsequently, on 13 June 1940, the advancing German forces captured the prototype S.47.
Despite Caproni’s efforts to retrieve the S.47, their attempts were futile, and the aircraft remained in France until 1943, when it was eventually scrapped.
