Caproni Ca.310

The Ca.310 was designed as a low-wing monoplane reconnaissance/bomber, being essentially a version of the semi-military Ca.309 with retractable landing gear and uprated engines. The fuselage was of welded steel tube construction with a covering of light alloy panels and fabric, while the empennage/tail unit was of wooden construction with plywood skin on its fixed portions and fabric covering on control surfaces.{{cite web |last1=JDG |title=Caproni Ca.310 Overview and Specifications |url=https://comandosupremo.com/caproni-ca-310/ |website=comandosupremo |access-date=12 December 2019 |date=14 March 2010}}

Above the fuselage, mounted in line with the wing trailing edges was a manually operated dorsal turret armed with a single {{cvt|7.7|mm|3}} Breda-SAFAT machine gun.

File:Caproni310.jpg

Caproni pinned great hopes on the Ca. 310's effectiveness as a combat aircraft, only to be dashed when its performance fell short of expectations. This lack of performance resulted in both Norway and Hungary being disappointed with the export models they received in 1938. The Ca.310 had been evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) which ordered a small batch. A unit of 16 aircraft was sent to Spain in July 1938 for operational trials as a reconnaissance/bomber by the Italian expeditionary force operating alongside the Nationalist insurgents in the Spanish Civil War.

The Norwegian aircraft were acquired as part of a dried and salted cod (Klippfisk) barter deal between Norway and Italy.{{cite web |title=Norwegian Aircraft in 1940 |url=http://www.nuav.net/norwair1940.html |website=nuav.net |access-date=12 December 2019}}{{cite web |title=Mellomkrigstiden 1918-39 |url=http://www.mil.no/felles/lmu/start/utstilling/Mellomkrigstiden/ |website=det Norske Forsvarets offisielle informasjonsteneste |publisher=Forsvarets overkommando |language=no |access-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070616131545/http://www.mil.no/felles/lmu/start/utstilling/Mellomkrigstiden/ |archive-date=16 June 2007 |location=Oslo}} The original order, including options, was for 24 aircraft, but after seeing that the aircraft did not perform well, the Norwegian authorities refused to accept any further Ca.310s. Instead, a delivery of 12 Caproni Ca.312s with upgraded engines and improved performance was substituted, but not delivered before the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940. A similar scenario occurred with other export contracts, especially with a hoped-for Royal Air Force order for bomber trainers being curtailed during negotiations with Caproni when Italy entered the war as an Axis power.

File:Caproni Ca.310 bomber at Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola.JPG]]

A series of 12 Ca.310bis were produced for Yugoslavia. This variant differed mainly in having an unstepped, glazed nose. The prototype Ca.310bis served as the development for the Caproni Ca.311.

The 33 Hungarian Ca.310s returned to Italy were refurbished by Caproni and reissued to the 50˚ Stormo d’Assalto. The Ca.310 was not considered an effective combat aircraft and when it saw service during World War II, it was as a reconnaissance aircraft and as a light bomber in areas where no serious opposition was expected.{{citation |title=Caproni Ca 310 Reconnaissance Bomber "Libeccio"|url=http://www.constable.ca/ca310.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023103343/http://www.constable.ca/ca310.htm |website=Constable.ca |archive-date=23 October 2007 }}

Peruvian Aeronautical Corps Ca.310s took part in the July 1941 Ecuadorian–Peruvian War. Together with North American NA.50s, the Peruvian Ca.310s flew bombing missions against Ecuadorian cities and supported Army of Peru ground forces.

;Ca.310 : Twin-engined reconnaissance aircraft, powered by two Piaggio Stella P.VII C.16/35 seven-cylinder radial piston engines.

;Ca.310 Idro: Twin-float seaplane version.

;Ca.310bis:Effectively the prototype of the Caproni Ca.311 with the unstepped all-glazed nose and two Piaggio Stella P.VII C.35 engines

;Ca.318:Proposed derivative powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14K engines

;A.3

:Spanish Air Force designation for the Ca.310.{{Cite web |title=Spanish Military Aircraft Designations |url=https://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/spain.html |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.designation-systems.net}}

;{{flag|Independent State of Croatia}}

• Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske operated seven captured ex-Yugoslav aircraft.

;{{flag|Hungary|1920}}

• Royal Hungarian Air Force ordered 36 examples in 1938, but returned the surviving 33 in 1940 after being unhappy with type's performance.

;{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}

• Regia Aeronautica 193 aircraft{{cite web |url=http://www.alieuomini.it/catalogo/dettaglio_catalogo/caproni_ca_libeccio,55.html |title=Caproni Ca.310 |archive-date=2017-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001044103/http://www.alieuomini.it/catalogo/dettaglio_catalogo/caproni_ca_libeccio,55.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2021-07-07}}
• Aviazione Legionaria 16 aircraft
• Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force

;{{ITA}} Postwar

• Aeronautica Militare Italiana

;{{NOR}}

• Norwegian Army Air Service operated four Ca.310s. Serial: 501, 503, 505 and 507

;{{flag|Peru|1825}}

• Cuerpo de Aviación del Perú purchased 16 aircraft in 1938. 15 of them were delivered by ship in May 1938, and the last one was lost during the ferry flight from Italy to Peru on August 2, 1939, killing Capt. Pedro Canga Rodríguez and one of his crew members - their deaths being immortalized in the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6LwngeeYBw song "Alas Peruanas"] by Los Morochucos.

;{{flag|Spanish State|1938}}

• Aviación Nacional -16 aircraft

;{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}

• Royal Yugoslav Air Force purchased 12 aircraft in 1938.

;{{YUG}}

• SFR Yugoslav Air Force - Postwar.

One Norwegian example is being restored and is displayed at Sola Aviation Museum.{{cite web |title=Caproni Ca.310 |url=http://caproni.blogspot.com/ |website=caproni.blogspot |access-date=12 December 2019 }}

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{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Caproni Ca.310 Overview and Specifications

|prime units?=met

|crew=3

|length m=12.2

|length note=

|span m=16.2

|span note=

|height m=3.52

|height note=

|wing area sqm=38.7

|wing area note=

|aspect ratio=

|airfoil=

|empty weight kg=3040

|empty weight note=

|gross weight kg=

|gross weight note=

|max takeoff weight kg=4650

|max takeoff weight note=

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

|eng1 number=2

|eng1 name=Piaggio Stella P.VII C.16/35

|eng1 type=7-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

|eng1 kw=350

|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=variable-pitch ptropellers

|prop dia m=

|prop dia note=

|max speed kmh=365

|max speed note=

|cruise speed kmh=285-312

|cruise speed note=

|stall speed kmh=

|stall speed note=

|never exceed speed kmh=

|never exceed speed note=

|minimum control speed kmh=

|minimum control speed note=

|range km=1690

|range note=

|combat range km=

|combat range note=

|ferry range km=

|ferry range note=

|endurance=

|ceiling m=7000

|ceiling note=

|g limits=

|roll rate=

|climb rate ms=

|climb rate note=

|time to altitude=

|wing loading kg/m2=

|wing loading note=

|fuel consumption kg/km=

|power/mass=

|thrust/weight=

|more performance=

|guns=

:*3 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns (2 fixed forward firing mounted in the wing roots; 1 in a dorsal turret)

|bombs= up to 450 kg (992 lb)

}}

{{aircontent|

|related=

|similar aircraft=

|lists=

• List of Interwar military aircraft
• List of Regia Aeronautica aircraft used in World War II

|see also=

}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Lucchini|first1=Carlo|title=Le meeting saharien de 1938 |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=April 1999 |issue=73 |pages=53–57 |trans-title=The 1938 Sahara Air Meeting|language=French |issn=1243-8650}}

• {{cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=Chris |title=The complete encyclopedia of weapons of World War II |date=1998 |publisher=Brown Books |location=London |isbn=1-897884-36-2}}
• Donald, David Ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. 2001. Amber Books, London. {{ISBN|0-7607-0592-5}}.
• {{cite book |last1=Mondey |first1=David |title=Axis aircraft of World War II |date=1996 |publisher=Chancellor Press |location=New York |isbn=1-85152-966-7}}
• {{cite book |title=Jane's Encyclopaedia of Aviation |last=Taylor |first=Michael J.H. |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |isbn=978-0-517-69186-1 }}

{{commons category|Caproni Ca.310}}

• [http://www.comandosupremo.com/Ca310.html Comando Supremo on the CA.310]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071023103343/http://www.constable.ca/ca310.htm Constable.ca on the Ca.310]
• [http://www.aircraftaces.com/caproni.htm World War 2 Aircraft: Caproni Bergamaschi CA 310 Series]

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Ca.310

Category:1930s Italian military reconnaissance aircraft

Category:Low-wing aircraft

Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1937

Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear