Fiat CR 42, postwar unbuilt version?

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SalothSar

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During the Seventies, a small italian editor, named S.T.E.M. Mucchi, published some numbers of a monographic review given up to air war in W.W. Two. Number eight of the review was given up to italian biplane fighter Fiat CR 42 Falco. I read in italian language, in the final chapter, related to the postwar history of the plane:
"E' da ricordare l'idea di farne un caccia leggero per la NATO."
I try to translate:
"To be remembered the idea to transform it in a lightweight fighter for NATO."
Did a paper postwar version of the plane exist? I've never been able to find any confirmations. It would be curious to find drawings, technical data showing how, after the ruinous end of the war, Italians still thought to biplane fighters.
 
It seems to be a mishap or a fault of the book's writer.
It highly unlikely that FIAT would propose any CR-42 derivative to NATO in full jet fighters era.

It is also unlikely because FIAT, at that times, had in full production the G-55 derivatives (G-59 single and double seat equipped with Merlin-Packard engine), that arouse some success also in other countries like Argentina.

The only real CR-42 derivative proposal was one equipped with a DB-601 engine, left in single prototype stage.
It is true that the CR-42 was used until the end of WWII by Luftwaffe but in a particolar COIN role and night disturb actions (similarily to the Russian Po-2).
After the war the CR-42 was quickly forgot...
 
Two-places CR-42s were briefly used for some time after the war as first-period trainers. Aeronautica Militare was using everything they had at hand. This ended very quickly when the MAP assistance started. There were some talks on modifyng wartime types for the attack role (the SM-92, for one), but the flood of American modern types acquired for free ended this too.
 
I've never been able to find further pieces of information, so I can neither confirm nor reject the supposition it has been a mishap, a fault of the author of the article. However, if you study the history of industrial capitalism in Italy, you will verify that the greatest part of big industrial firms in Italy have always preferred to try to reproduce old industrial patterns, as long as it's possible, instead of to accept the risk in developping and producing something new.
 
I think the last poster hit it. It sounds like something the sales department put forward to see if there was any interest in the concept. However, at that time weren't the major Italian aero companies working on aircraft broadly in the T-28 class? Considering that there were thousands of surplus T-6s and BT-13s available at scrap metal prices, a modification of these aircraft might actually sell.
 
The CR.42 light fighter-bomber answering the NATO Basic Military 1 (the G.91's one) was a persistent joke circulating in Italian military circles as a critic to some too conservative thinking of high staff. The author of the STEM Mucchi booklet probably thought the joke was a real proposal or perhaps some incident during proof reading modified its intention.
Similar jokes circulated stigmatized the apprently interminable development of the G.222 tactical cargo aircraft

Nico
 
All have a sense : Fiat CR 42 as light fighter on 1946 was too old and antiquated ! :)
 
Hi!

Quite interesting idea - to put aircraft with piston engine for the contest of jet fighters.
Very good chanses to win, IMHO :cool:

Did anyone knows - does FIAT aircraft factorie has been destroyed during the war?
I remamber some photos of ruined plants, although names of the companies's are not in my memory.
So my question was - did FIAT company in, say 1945, still have necessary assembly rigs, tooling and materials to produce CR-42?
As far as I knew, it has been succeded in production by new fighter monoplanes, designed by Gabrieli.

P.S. Anyone could share with me info on CR-35 and other FIAT biplanes' projects with liquid cooling engines? Thanks in advance!
 

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