Caproni Ca.4 - Variants

Variants

Note: during the war, all these aircraft were designated Ca.4 by the Italian Army. At the time, Caproni referred to the various designs by the total power of their engines. After the war, Caproni devised a new designation scheme for their own design—these are used below.

• Caproni Ca.40 - single prototype.
• Caproni Ca.41 - production variant, essentially similar to the prototype and powered by 3 Fiat A.12 inline engines of 210 kW (280 hp). A few Ca.41s were powered by 186 kW (250 hp) Isotta Fraschini engines instead. These were referred to internally by Caproni as the Caproni 750 hp. A total of 41 were built.
• Caproni Ca.42 - powered by Liberty 298 kW (400 hp) inline engines and known internally as the Caproni 1,200 hp. Twelve built.
• Caproni Ca.43 - single example of a floatplane variant.
• Caproni Ca.48 - Airliners converted from Ca.42s after World War I; the Ca.48 first flew in 1919. The double-deck passenger cabin mounted between the booms seated a total of 23 passengers who entered via the nose nacelle; 16 of them sat in the lower cabin on long benches alongside its walls with large windows providing them with good views, and the other seven passengers sat on an upper deck, as did the pilots. The Ca.48 was powered by three 298-kilowatt (400-horsepower) Liberty L-12 engines. Although it is unlikely that the Ca.48 ever entered airline service, a Ca.48 did visit the First Aviation Exhibition Amsterdam of August–September 1919, where it was very popular with visitors, among whom was Prince Hendrick (1876–1934), Prince Consort of the Netherlands (1901–1934).
• Caproni Ca.51 - single example of a considerably enlarged design with biplane tail and tail barbette. Three × 522 kW (700 hp) Fiat A.14 engines.
• Caproni Ca.52 - Ca.42s built for the RNAS. Six built.
• Caproni Ca.58 - Ca.48s re-engined with Fiat A.14 or Isotta Fraschini V.6.
• Caproni Ca.59 - as for the Ca.58, but this designation used for customers outside Italy.

Production figures differ in publications. The most likely number is 38 of all Ca.4 variants (other quoted figures are: 38 of Ca.40 and Ca.41 and 6 Ca.42 or 32 Ca.42 and 21 of other variants). Numerous publications incorrectly refer to all variants as the Ca.42.