Help identifying the following Italian Aircraft

[Semovente]

While doing some photo research for another project, I stumbled upon a few photos of the following Italian 4-engine bomber (I guess). I have tried but am unable to identify said beast.

Does anyone have ANY ideas?

Thanks in advance,

.vp

 

[buffnut453]

The basic layout is very similar to the Farman F.221 but the wing struttery is wrong. I'll keep looking.

 

[GrauGeist]

The basic layout is very similar to the Farman F.221 but the wing struttery is wrong. I'll keep looking.

I think you nailed it.

The F.220 series had several variations and I suspect that the one pictured is an F.222 variant.

By the way, in response to the original post, the Farman is French, not Italian.

 

[Graeme]

I think it is Italian. The experimental heavy bomber Caproni Ca 102quater - which was modelled closely on the Ca 101.

 

[buffnut453]

You've nailed it Graeme. That's absolutely the beast. It's still ugly enough to be French, though.

 

[GrauGeist]

Excellent work, Graeme - I was perhaps looking too hard at the spats and not the cockpit.

Funny how the Farman F.222 series bore a remarakble resemblance, though.

It's still ugly enough to be French, though.

 

[Airframes]

It's almost ugly enough to be from the Blackburn factory !!

 

[Semovente]

Aircraft identified in less than 24 hours!

I had pursued the Farman angle thinking that it was a captured/borrowed/purchased copy that the RA had in its inventory. A few things didn't make sense though: the front of the airplane was close but not close enough; the struts reminded me of the Caproni 101 which motivated a search of Caproni aircraft; the Farman didn't have spats - the Italian "version" could have been modified after "acquisition" which kept that hope alive.

Once Graeme identified the aircraft it was a simple matter to reformulate the search and this is what I found from the Italian Wikipedia site:

Ca.102quater
versione quadrimotore caratterizzata dall'adozione di una coppia di motori Lynx da 200 CV in configurazione traente-spingente per lato.


four-engined version characterized by the adoption of a pair of Lynx 200 hp motors in push-pull configuration per side.


Thanks again!!

.vp

 

[vikingBerserker]

I like it and I READILY admit I like the early "butt ugly" bombers.

 

[Graeme]

Funny how the Farman F.222 series bore a remarakble resemblance, though.

Yeah, same here mate - I went down the Farman road as well, but something wasn't right.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Well done!