WW1 Caproni Ca.5 MERR 3 PROPELLER LIBERTY 1917 Italian Bomber Prototype PHOTO

Description

COMBINED SHIPPING ON UNLIMITED ITEMS
AS SHOWN EXCELLENT 5 1/2 X 3 1/2
The Caproni Ca.5 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I and the postwar era. It was the final version of the series of aircraft that began with the Caproni Ca.1 in 1914.By late World War I, developments in aircraft technology made older bomber designs unable to penetrate targets defended by modern fighters. Caproni's response to this problem was to significantly uprate the power on the existing Ca.3 design, with some versions of the Ca.5 eventually carrying engines with nearly five times the total power that the first Ca.1 had. Apart from greater power, various refinements were made to the design, including modifications to the main nacelle and undercarriage, and completely new wings. The first prototype flew in late 1917 and the type remained in production until 1921. Some 659 of all versions were built by Caproni, and another three were licence-built in the US (two Ca.44s by Standard, and one Ca.46 by Fisher). Planned licensed production in France was cancelled with the end of the war. During the war, Caproni designated these aircraft according to the total power of their engines.