Caproni Ca.18

Ca.18
File:Caproni Ca.18 front.jpg
General information
Type	Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer	Caproni
Designer	Gianni Caproni
History
Introduction date	1915
First flight	1913

File:Caproni Ca.18.jpg

Caproni Ca.18 side view

The Caproni Ca.18 was a military reconnaissance aircraft built in Italy shortly prior to World War I. It became the first Italian-designed and -built aircraft to see service with the Italian armed forces. The Ca.18 was a monoplane of conventional configuration and fixed tailskid undercarriage. The wings were mounted to the fuselage with a bayonet fitting, to facilitate the rapid erection and dismantling of the aircraft.

Originally designed for a government competition in early 1913, no production order for the aircraft was forthcoming until the nationalisation of the Caproni company later in the year, whereupon a small batch was built for the 15th Squadron.

Operators

Kingdom of Italy

• Corpo Aeronautico Militare

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 2, pilot and observer
• Length: 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 10.92 m (35 ft 10 in)
• Height: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 22 m² (237 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 400 kg (880 lb)
• Gross weight: 600 kg (1,320 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Gnome rotary , 60 kW (80 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 120 km/h (75 mph, 65 kn)
• Endurance: 5 hours