Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Macchi C.202 Folgore (Thunderbolt)

Macchi C. 202 The History of Folgore (Thunderbolt)

The Macchi C. 202 Folgore ("Thunderbolt") served in the crucial mid-war period of World War II and was one of the finest fighter jets of Italian design. The inline-engine-powered C. 202 series was another modification of the radial-engine C. 200 Saetta monoplane developed by Macchi.

The C. 202 was immediately improved with a licensed production version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601 production engine, with Alfa Romeo responsible for local Italian production as the RA-1000-RC-411. Besides the Fiat G. 55 "Centauro", the Macchi C. 202 "Folgore" proved to be one of the best Italian fighter designs of the war.

C. 202 Origins

The original Macchi C. 200 "Saetta" combat series, developed by Macchi engineer Mario Castoldi, suffered from underpowered radial engines, and still used the open-air cockpit of a bygone aviation era. Because of this, Casoldi began to improve its design as early as 1938, and series deliveries began in 1939. However, it wasn't until 1940 that a better powerplant came along - the German Daimler-Benz DB 601 A-1 inline engine - which was based on the C-Type after some modifications to the airframe. Attached 200 Saetta body. The cockpit is now closed and the fuselage has been improved compared to the original model.

The wings, landing gear and tail sections all retain the original C.200 design. The resulting reviews showed that the new design was very promising, with excellent launch performance - a testament to the sound of Castoldi's original design simply lacking a proper powerplant. The first flight of the prototype was recorded on August 10, 1940, followed by tests. The new model took shape under the new name C. 202 "Folgore", and the Italian government quickly ordered the model to be put into production, using a version of the German engine licensed in Italy (importing the German engine was a difficult task underway for the Allied bombing).

To simplify production, both the C.200 and the C.202 are produced side-by-side at the Italian factory - the C.202 is basically a direct successor to the C.200.

The first production C.202 entered service with the Italian Air Force in the summer of 1941, with the 1st Commando in Udine. The team moved its C.202 from its base in Sicily to operate over Malta in November. The first combat operation of the C.202 also took place in North Africa in November.

The combat force eventually consisted of Italian squadrons stationed along the Aegean Sea, Italy, and Russia's Eastern Front. This guy would continue to fight in the postwar world until 1951.

While the C. 200 was underpowered, the C. 202 - in its original production form - was inherently under-equipped compared to its contemporaries. Therefore, a pair of additional heavy machine guns (one on each wing) were later installed on the wings to complement the pair of heavy machine guns in the upper fairing.

Other measures were later taken to increase the Folgo's striking power, including the installation of underwing machine gun nacelles. Underwing attachments were introduced to allow bombs or fuel tanks to be carried.

Folgore production tag

The main brands of the C. 202 family include the production model originally designated as the C. 202, the C. 202AS for combat in the North African tropics, the C. 202CB fighter-bomber with underwing mounts, and the C. 202EC additional artillery armament, improved reconnaissance model C. 202RF, prototype C. 202D with redesigned cooler, C. 202 AR. 4 Radio-controlled drone and C. 202bis engine test platform.

Production continued until the surrender of Italy in September 1943.

In service, the C. 202 Folgore reportedly excelled against top aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire Mark V. Where her gun fails, Folgores can make up for it with the balanced properties of her airframe. Their lack of powerful weapons has been a sticking point, barely showing enough "penetration" to take down enemy fighter jets, let alone plunder Allied bombers.

Like other top Italian fighters of the war - especially those that relied on German engines for aerial success - the Folgore suffered from engine shortages throughout its service, severely limiting the quantitative production of this fine system. As a result, the C. 202 never thrived during the war, with production peaking at around 1,200 units.

Most were produced by Breda, while March had delivered only 392 systems by the end of the war.

C.205 "Veltro"

The last aircraft of the C. 202 series became the C. 205, but at the time of the Italian surrender only 66 improved aircraft were available, of which only six were in service with the Italian Air Force. The C. 205 was nicknamed "Veltro" (meaning "Greyhound") and was equipped with a more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The C.205 retains the same basic airframe and landing gear as the C.202, but upgrades its armament to 2 x 12.7mm Breda SAFAT machine guns and 2 x 20mm cannons from the MG 151 series. The prototype C.205 flew for the first time on April 19, 1943, and deliveries of production models began in mid-1943.

However, these were again hampered by slow deliveries of licensed DB locomotives. After the surrender of Italy, the Germans took over production of this type and produced more than 205 for use in the fascist-held northern areas. The Luftwaffe also used about a dozen II/JG 77s.

Macchi C. 202 Tour

The Macchi C. 202 is one of the most delightful Italian aircraft designs of World War II. From nose to tail, the aircraft is streamlined and contoured to the highest degree. An inline engine is located in the forward compartment and drives a three-bladed propeller system. The cockpit remains aft of the nose assembly and provides limited visibility when taxiing.

The cockpit sits roughly on a cylindrical hull in the middle of the hull and is covered with a framed panel-side canopy with a raised rear that prevents the key "hexagon" from being seen. The tail is tapered, retaining the traditional wing layout with a single vertical tail and a mid-level horizontal plane. The main wing elements were located in front of and below the cockpit and behind the engine compartment.

The wings are straight low with rounded tips. The tail surface is evenly rounded at the edges. Landing gear is a typical feature of aircraft used throughout World War II, and the "tail drag" consists of the main gear legs and tail wheel.

The single-wheel main legs are retracted inward toward the centerline of the fuselage.

Performance

Power comes from a single supercharged liquid-cooled V12 Series 601 engine from Daimler-Benz rated in excess of 1,175 hp. Of course, these are offered under the Alfa Romeo brand label for localized production in Italy. Top speed is 372 mph, service is capped at 37,730 feet, and range is 475 miles.

The rate of climb was measured at 3,563 feet per minute.

Armed

As mentioned before, C. 202 Folgore is underarmed, only a notch below the famous victors of the war in other countries. Weapons are concentrated on a pair of heavy 12.7mm Breda SAFAT machine guns on the upper shroud, each carrying 300-400 rounds of ammunition. The second pair of machine guns are shown in later markings as a single accessory per wing. Each of these guns received 500 rounds of ammunition.

Cannon weapons are included in the C. 205 design. The Folgore, which used to be equipped with "welded" underwing mounts, can now use a pair of bombs - 110 lbs, 120 lbs or 350 lbs each. If desired, this can be replaced with a pair of fuel tanks to increase operations and ferry range.

Post-War Followers

At least one C. 202 returned to the U.S. for testing at Wright-Patterson Airport in Dayton, Ohio. A surviving C. 202 aircraft is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Egypt became the recipient of the C. 202 after the war, when about 31 systems were equipped with Daimler-Benz DB 605 series engines and delivered as the C. 205 Veltro. Eleven such systems followed, with cannon weapons on the wings.

Another important operator became the Independent State of Croatia.