Production |
Airframe/Variant |
Engine |
Speed |
Armament |
Bombs/Torpedo |
(FF 03/11/1937) |
Cant Z.1007 prototype (MM20687) |
3x Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC15 840hp |
428 km/h |
|
|
34 total |
Cant Z.1007 Asso
(MM20687-20704, MM21205-21220)
|
3x Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC40 1000hp |
430 km/h @ 5000m |
|
|
(FF 06/06/1939)
402 by CRDA
100 by Breda
|
Cant Z.1007bis
(MM20687 re-engined)
|
IV 3x Piaggio P.XI RC40 1000hp |
458 km/h @ 4600m
|
|
|
(FF 05/05/1941)
|
Cant Z.1007bis (MM23366)
|
3x Alfa Romeo 128 |
409 km/h @ 3000m |
|
|
(tested 05/09/1942)
150 by Piaggio
125 by CRDA
|
Cant Z.1007ter (MM24558) |
3x Piaggio P.XIX RC45 |
490.5 km/h @ 6150m |
|
|
Data: Garello. 3-view / anatomy
Background
-- "In Autumn 1933 the Italian aircraft engineer Filippo Zappata accepted the invitation extended by Air Minister Italo Balbo, resigned from the French Bleriot company and returned to his native country to become chief designer of the CRDA Aviation Works at Monfalcone, near Trieste. The government-controlled IRI conglomerate had just absorbed the company and the arrival of Zappata led to a vast technical and organizational renewal, which resulted in a marked acceleration in its aviation activities. // A fresh start was required, for the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (Combined Adriatic Shipworks, CRDA) had given up all original design work to concentrate on license production. At the time ... about to complete the manufacture of 40 SIAI S.55 seaplanes and prepared to start work on a batch of 36 SM.81 landplane bombers that would be delivered between [09/1935-08/1936]. // Zappata launched into a feverish design work ..." (Garello, 3-4)
Cant Z.1007 (FF 03/11/1937)
-- design by Fillipo Zappata
-- "... 1935 design ... took to the air on [03/11/1937] with the experienced CRDA chief test pilot Mario Stoppani at the controls."
-- "shared the same design concepts as the Cant Z.506, including the wooden structure, oval fuselage cross-section, the great trapeze-shaped wing with elliptical tips and the tandem cockpit arrangement." (Garello, 4)
-- 05/1937 Regia Aeronautica issued specifications to renew the main engine categories; relying on licenses up to that time. For bombers, the Air Force sought 1500hp @ 3500m, but none of the 4 proposals submitted could meet it [AR 136 RC35, Fiat A.84 RC40, IF Asso 28 RC40, Piaggio P.XXII RC40], the only original layout being the IF A.28 [28 cylinders on 4 rows]; others all derived from other engines under development (Alfa 136) or already in the design phase (A.82 and P.XI/XII) ... In any case, no engine entered in the 1937 competition was ever certified -- much less did it enter production ... Of the 5 bomber types then in production [SM.81, SM.79, BR.20, P.32, Ca.135, P.32], only the SM.79 had advantage ... [Fiat] BR.20 won the 1934 competition but had limited capability due to troublesome A.80 engines. (Garello, 4-5)
-- Z.1007 ordered off the design table; batch of 18 (MM20687-20704) followed by another 16 (MM21205-21220). (Garello, 5)
-- production machines equipped with Asso XI RC40 1000hp engines; actual output 836hp @ 2250rpm @ 4000m; fitted with 3 different propeller types [details]. (Garello, 6)
-- "At the end of 1939 the 16th Stormo ... was based ... at Vicenza with a total of 31 Cant Z.1007 bombers split between the 50th Gruppo (210th and 211th Squadriglie) and the 51st (212th and 213th). The Asso-powered aircraft were used mainly to practice formation flying, bombing and instrument and high altitude navigation. When Italy entered the war [06/1940], the 16th Stormo was mobilized because the Cant Z.1007 was considered unfit for operations. The unit continued to train and in late [07/1940] the 50th began receiving the first, eagerly awaited Cant Z.1007bis." (Garello, 18)
Cant Z.1007bis (FF 06/06/1939)
-- production commenced late 1938 at Monfalcone. First flight 06/06/1939, ferried to Guidonia 06/21/1939 by Stoppani. (Garello, 10)
-- "To take full advantage of the new opportunities offered by the P.XI engines, Zappata then completely reworked the Z.1007 to obtain a larger aircraft with greater operational capabilities. The extensive changes warranted the new Z.1007bis designation. The new engines alone pushed up empty weight by 400kg. The increased dimensions and weights dictated major redesigns of the fuselage and engine nacelles, altering the external appearance. The bombardier's cabin found a more rational position in the fuselage, forward of the bomb bay; defensive armament was improved by replacing the Breda I upper turret with a Caproni-Lanciani Delta type 1 and increasing the caliber of the belly gun. Fuselage volume almost doubled, growing from 17 to 32.1 cubic meters. The internal bomb load was similarly increased, from 500 to 900kg, to which the new version also added underwing racks. Fuel capacity went from 4009 to 4270 liters. The outmoded empennage bracing struts disappeared, replaced by four faired tubes supporting the horizontal tailplane alone." (Garello, 7-8)
-- "[Development followed by Air Staff with great interest] ... further order of 32 [08/03/1938] ... necessary to form a new Stormo ... [in order to form] a fast and homogenous landplane bomber division." (Garello, 9)
-- "The new trimotor was much more sophisticated than the SM.81 they were accustomed to [exceeded SM.79] ... the aircraft could hardly be born under a brighter star ... summer 1939 testing at Guidonia ... outcome quite positive ... [exceeded that of every other bomber in Italian service]." (Garello, 10-12)
-- "Asked to indicate the firms it thought best suited to build the Cant Z.1007bis, the General Directorate for Aeronautical Construction (DGCA) replied Reggiane and, as soon as it were ready, 'the coming Acerra factory, on account of its relationship with CRDA.' This phrase probably referred to the factory later built at Pomigliano d'Arco by Alfa Romeo, controlled by IRI like CRDA ... [this exchange conveys] very effectively the great expectations that the new Zappata design raised in the Air Force." (Garello, 12)
-- "In [06/1940 the 47th Stormo (106th and 107th Gruppo) was based at Ghedi with 4 Cant Z.1007bis whose aircrew had just started using for transition training. Aircraft deliveries accelerated during the summer, enabling the 106th Gruppo (260th and 261st Squadriglia) to move to its wartime base at Trapani-Milo. It was from this Sicilian airfield that on [08/29/1940] the Alcione made its operational debut in [WW2], flying its first sorties in the long campaign against Malta." (Garello, 18-19)
-- "... upon entering service the Cant Z.1007bis immediately showed qualities that endeared it to its crews -- docile handling, stable platform, good low speed characteristics. War experience proved that bombs were well placed, making for predictable trajectories that improved accuracy; defensive armament was also found adequate to keep enemy fighters at bay. The Cant had its Achilles' heel in the wooden structure that, although extremely strong, was easily set on fire. The outer skin, obtained by gluing several overlapping thin layers of 'tulipier' wood, was prone to delamination and warping when exposed to environmental shocks. The Piaggio P.XI engines represented another weakness and required constant attention from the ground crews; the situation was somewhat improved with the introduction of the P.XIbis variant from aircraft MM23747 onwards." (Garello, 22-23)
-- "In [02/1941] IMAM, the Naples subsidiary of the Breda group, began delivering its first Z.1007bis. The units receiving these aircraft soon complained that the performance of these aircraft almost invariably fell short of that offered by those originating from the Monfalcone production line. The Guidonia Test Center was asked to verify ... concluding that performance [of the IMAM-produced Z.1007bis] was indeed inferior ..." (Garello, 23)
-- "The gradual increase of the Cant Z.1007bis production rate translated into greater availability, which in turn allowed several S.79 units to convert ..." (Garello, 26)
-- "The air and sea battles in the Mediterranean intensified in 1942, with Cant Z.1007bis units participating actively from their bases in Libya, Sardinia, Sicily and the Aegean. By now the aircraft formed the backbone of the reconnaissance and bomber branches, equipping the majority of their units." (Garello, 35)
-- "... the combined monthly output of CRDA and IMAM seldom exceeded 20 Cant Z.1007bis aircraft." (Garello, 37)
-- "[Lt Vittorio Sanseverino], a veteran of the 256th Squadriglia, testifies that the 1007 could take great punishment and was not easily set on fire. Sanseverino adds that an experienced Cant pilot could easily shake off a Beaufighter with a sudden dive, provided he received prompt warning of the enemy on his tail." (Garello, 37)
-- "Differing from the Z.1007 in that it has Piaggio P.XI RC40 two-row radials ... otherwise believed to be similar [as of 06/1940]. As in the previous ... main bomb load is stowed internally, though there are also wing racks. Data: Span 81' 5" ... length 60' 5" ... stalling speed 84 mph ... climb to 13,120' 10:30." (Flight Magazine 06/13/1940); (Flight Magazine 06/20/1940)
Cant Z.1007ter (delivered 02/1943)
-- "From [02/1943] units began receiving at a painfully slow rate the Ter variant, powered by [Piaggio P.XIX 1175hp] engines that improved its speed, range and ceiling characteristics." (Garello, 41)
-- "To help friendly anti-aircraft artillery, ANR Z.1007's marked their fuselage with Luftwaffe crosses." (Garello, 44)
-- "Following the 1943 armistice, the Germans captured 88 Cant Z.1007's scattered on various airfields and factories, the richest booty coming from Vicenza and Trento with 17 and 21 aircraft respectively. Luftwaffe operational units briefly used a few, no more than 4 in [01/1944-02/1944]; the presence with second line units was somewhat longer, averaging 5 aircraft monthly between [01/1944-09/1944]." (Garello, 45)
-- "In Northern Italy, on [06/15/1944] the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) formed the 'Ettore Muti' Autonomous Bomber Squadron, based at Lonate Pozzolo and equipped with 14 Cant Z.1007ter. But ANR had little use for bombers and the unit was disbanded after a brief training period." (Garello, 46)
-- "Fitting the P.XIX required significant changes to the engine cowlings, with new tapered units replacing the previous cylindrical models. Together with the new pointed spinners, these modifications gave the Cant Z.1007ter even sleeker lines." (Garello, 53)
-- "A report on work performed by the Piaggio factory [09/08/1943-04/25/1945] indicates that the company delivered 4 Cant Z.1007ter to the Regia Aeronautica and 8 to the ANR; the Germans later requisitioned 19 more, albeit lacking guns and armament installations." (Garello, 54)
versions and variant, armament details -- Garello, 47-54
Cant Z.516 -- return to floatplane, abandoned
-- "The most unusual ... variant was the floatplane derived from MM.23289 ... test flown by Stoppani [08/31/1940] with Zappata, Divari and Spinetta on board ... flown to Vigna di Valle seaplane test center [12[12[1/940] ... but the belated realization that seaplane bombers were a thing of the past caused the project to be abandoned. After recording its performance, the MM.23289 was returned to landplane configuration." (Garello, 53)