The Caproni Ca.133 was a three-engine transport/bomber aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica from the Second Italo-Abyssinian War until World War II.
Originally developed as a civilian airliner and successor to the Ca.101, the Ca.133 prototype first flew in December 1934, and production began in 1935. The military versions of the aircraft were used as transports and light bombers and saw action on all fronts.
Designed by ingegnere Rodolfo Verduzio, the Caproni 133 was aerodinamically and structurally an improved Ca.101. Like its predecessor, the Ca.101, was a robust and inexpensive aircraft, designed to be easily maintained in difficult conditions and economical to operate. It had a welded steel-tube structure, mixed construction, with metal and fabric covering, main wheel spats, flaps and modified tail surfaces.
The wing was mounted high, roughly elliptical, and made of wood and steel. The undercarriage was spatted and fixed. The aircraft was powered by three engines, one in the nose, and one under each wing mounted in faired nacelles, with NACA cowlings, supported by steel tubes.
The civil version could accommodate up to 16 passengers. It was used by Ala Littoria. The military version was widely used by Regia Aeronautica, mostly in Italian East Africa. As a bomber it incorporated two small internal bomb bays where it could hold up to 500 kg (1,100 lb). Larger ordnance could be mounted externally. It was armed with five machine-guns, 7.7 mm (.303 in) Vickers machine guns, one dorsal, two ventral, and two lateral. Bomber aircraft operated as military transport, redesignated Ca 133T, had the interior modified to accommodate 18 fully equipped soldiers.
The Ca.133 was well-suited for colonial use, and it became the most successful of all Italian colonial aircraft.
The more advanced Savoia-Marchetti SM.81s were too valuable to be used in 'low level wars' and were also more costly. The Italo-Abyssinian War (19351936), was thus fought mainly with the Ca.101, Ca.111 and Ca.133.
Around 100 Ca.133s took part in the conflict, and without any air opposition, and flak almost exclusively based on small calibre arms, air power was a decisive factor in Italy's final victory, culminating in the capture of Addis Ababa in early 1936. Even so, COIN (COunter INsurrection) operations continued until the start of World War II.
While in Ethiopia they were widely used, in Spain the Ca.133 was found to be too slow, and highly vulnerable to enemy Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 aircraft, and to heavy anti-aircraft fire.
During WWII, the Ca.133 was used mostly as a light transport aircraft in mainland Italy, supporting fighter and bomber squadrons by carrying supplies, personnel and spare parts. It was also used as an air ambulance in the Ca.133S (Sanitary) variant. Over 250 Ca.133s were in service in September 1939, when the war broke out. Some survived until the Armistice in 1943.
After WWII a handful were retained for civilian service with the airline Ala Littoria. Some were exported to Austria.
The last Ca.133 was phased out by the Aeronautica Militare in 1947.
General characteristics
Crew: 5 for bomber, 2 for transport
Length: 15.36 m (59 ft 4.75 in)
Wingspan: 21.34 (69 ft 8 in)
Height: 4.0 m (13 ft 2 in)
Empty weight: 4,000 kg (8,818 lb)
Loaded weight: 6,525 kg (14,390 lb)
Powerplant: 3× Piaggio Stella VII.C 16 air-cooled radial engines, 340 kW (460 hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 230 km/h (120 kn, 140 mph)
Cruise speed: 200 km/h (110 kn, 120 mph)
Range: 1,350 km (729 nmi, 840 mi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
Power/mass: 210 W/kg (130 hp/lb)
Armament
Guns: 5 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns
Bombs: 500 kg (1,102 lb)
Original AI aircraft designer: Corrado La Posta, 1999
All reworked CFS flyable version with additional textures, moving propellers and damage profile: Edmundo Abad, April. 2010.
This virtual model is up-scaled to obtain a better view in Combat Flight Simulator.
(for accurate scale in FS98, replace the file Ca133.mdl by Ca133old.mdl and rename this as Ca133.mdl)
