1930s Italian carrier aircraft projects

[Sherman Tank]

Enrico Cernuschi and Vincent O'Hara's article on Italian aircraft carrier design ("Search for a Flattop: The Italian Navy and the Aircraft Carrier 1907-2007") in Warship 2007 has a passing mention of two mid-1930s proposals for carrier-based aircraft: the Caproni Ca.165 biplane fighter and a version of the CANT Z.1012 liaison aircraft powered by a singkle Isotta Fraschini engine meant to be a torpedo bomber.

There's a reasonable amount of information on the Ca.165 (although not its planned use as a carrier fighter) but I've never seen anything about a single-engined Z.1012, let alone one meant to be a torpedo bomber. Does anyone have any information about this?

 

[hesham]

Good surprise Sherman,

but as I know Z-1017 was a torpedo bomber Project,and for Ca.165 carrier based version,I will search.

 

[Sherman Tank]

Unless the Z.1017 was a very small aircraft it's unlikely to be the design referred to in the article, since the proposed carrier that would've operated these two aircraft was a diminutive one by carrier standards (14,000 tons displacement or thereabouts).

 

[Apophenia]

... the Caproni Ca.165 biplane fighter and a version of the CANT Z.1012 liaison aircraft powered by a singkle Isotta Fraschini engine meant to be a torpedo bomber ... but I've never seen anything about a single-engined Z.1012, let alone one meant to be a torpedo bomber...

If you ignore the trimotor layout, the CANT Z.1012 was quite a svelte design. A single-engined combat evolution is readily imaginable.

Attached is a totally speculative single-engined Z.1012 derivative. I've used the cowling of the Z.501 (since it was powered by an Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI.RC closely related to the Caproni Ca.165's Isotta-Fraschini L.121 R.C.40 engine). I've adopted the same 'podded' main undercarriage solution as intended for the unbuilt CANT Z.1016 record aircraft.

For this hypothetical single-engined Z.1012, the cockpit canopy has been moved aft but I've made no attempt to represent a rear gunner's position ... since I no idea how Zappata would have approached it. Perhaps the rear fuselage would have been 'stepped' as on the Z.506B?

 

[hesham]

Nice Imagination my dear Apophenia,

and for Sherman,can I ask you if you know more Info about Z-1017 ?.

 

[Sherman Tank]

Thank you for the speculative drawing Apophenia.

The only information on the Z.1017 I've ever seen was via Google translate from, I think, a now-dead website that claimed it was a development of the Z.1015, which was itself a development of the Z.1007.

 

[hesham]

Thanks.

 

[Hood]

Enrico Cernuschi and Vincent O'Hara's article 'The Breakout Fleet: The Oceanic Programmes of the Regia Marina, 1934-40' in Warship 2006 mentions another Italian carrier-based aircraft project.

They state the Caproni-Vizzola F.5 fighter had been chosen as the carrier-borne fighter as part of the 1939 Programme (two small carriers to lay down in late 1940-41 and commission during 1943). The author's state the 11 F.5 pre-production aircraft were designated as maritime fighters.
I've never read this elsewhere so it seems Messers Cernuschi and O'Hara have left us another mystery!