Piaggio P.16
| Piaggio P.16 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Piaggio |
| First flight | 1934 |
| Primary user | Regia Aeronautica |
The Piaggio P.16 was an Italian heavy bomber designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force).
Design and development
The P.16 was a three-engine shoulder-wing monoplane of mostly metal construction, with inverted gull wings.[1] Its wing was thick and semi-elliptical, and its tail was mounted high on the fuselage. It had retractable main landing gear and a spatted, non-retractable tailwheel.[1] In addition to bombs, its armament consisted of four 7.62-millimeter (0.3-inch) machine guns, of which two were mounted in the leading edge of the wing, one in a retractable dorsal turret, and one in the rear of the fuselage beneath the tail.[1] The bombardier (bomb-aimer) manned a compartment set behind the nose engine on the underside of the fuselage.
Operational history
The P.16 first flew in November 1934,[1] and an order for 12 aircraft was placed and then cancelled,[1] with preference given to the Piaggio P.32, which was produced from 1936 to 1939.[1]
Operators
Specifications
Data from Italian Civil and Military aircraft 1930–1945[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 4
- Length: 13.348 m (43 ft 9.5 in)
- Wingspan: 22.00 m (72 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.4989 m (11 ft 5.75 in)
- Wing area: 69.97 m2 (753.2 sq ft)
- Gross weight: 8,432 kg (18,590 lb)
- Powerplant: 3 × Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 520 kW (700 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 399 km/h (248 mph, 216 kn) at 3,170 m (10,400 ft)
- Stall speed: 105 km/h (65 mph, 56 kn)
- Range: 1,999 km (1,242 mi, 1,079 nmi) with 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs , or 1,500 km (932 mi) with 500 kg (1,102 lb) of bombs
- Time to altitude: 6,000 m (19,685 ft) in 17 minutes
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 x fixed 7.62 mm (0.300 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns in wing leading edge
- 1 x flexible7.62 mm (0.300 in) machine gun in dorsal turret
- 1 x flexible 7.62 mm (0.300 in) machine gun in rear underside of fuselage
- Bombs: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
References
- ^ a b c d e f Pearce, William. "Piaggio P.16 Bomber". oldmachinepress.com. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Thompson, Jonathan W. Italian Civil and Military aircraft 1930–1945 (1st ed.). New York: Aero Publishers Inc. pp. 219–220. ISBN 0-8168-6500-0.
External links
