Caproni Ca.313

The Caproni Ca.313 was an Italian twin-engine reconnaissance bomber of the late-1930s. It was a development of the Ca.310. Its variants were exported to several other countries.

Design and development

The Ca.313 was designed by Cesare Pallavicino. The prototype first flew on 22 December 1939. It was developed as a replacement of the Caproni Ca.311.

To save development time, the first Ca.313 was simply a modified Ca.310 with new engines. The final Ca.313 design was similar to the Ca.311 with inline engines. These engines, IF Delta RC 35 inverted V-12s, had a smaller frontal profile than the Piaggio P.VII C.35 radial engines they replaced. Due to the resulting lower aerodynamic drag, the Ca.313 was capable of more speed for the same power. Given the fact that 626 kW (840 hp) Fiat A.38 radial engines were needed for frontline fighters, there was no other choice for this aircraft.

The Ca.313 had a glassed-in nose, similar to the Heinkel He 111. This Caprioni, with its characteristic 'Z' hubs, engines mounted in the wings and retractable undercarriage, was of mixed construction, i.e. metal in the fuselage and wood in the wings.