Macchi C.202 - Development

Development

The decision of the Italian military authorities to adopt radial engines meant that, during the second half of the 1930s, the Italian aeronautical industry failed to develop more powerful engines based on streamlined liquid-cooled designs. This forced Macchi Aeronautica to rely on the aging Fiat A.74 radial engine for its C.200 fighter. By 1941, the C.200, armed with two 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine guns and with a maximum speed of 504 km/h (315 mph), was obsolete.

In July 1939, the RA requested that Reggiane build a prototype Re.2000 with a German Daimler-Benz DB 601Aa, liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine rated at 1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW); this became the Re.2001. At the time, the most powerful reliable Italian inline engine was the 715 kW (960 hp) Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC.40, which was designed in 1936. Consequently, in November 1939, Alfa Romeo acquired the license to produce the DB 601Aa as the R.A. 1000 RC.41-I Monsone, which was to be used in the production of C.202s.

Meanwhile, as they waited for Alfa Romeo production to start, Aeronautica Macchi imported a DB 601Aa engine; Macchi chief of design Mario Castoldi began to work on mating the Macchi C.200 wings, undercarriage, vertical and horizontal tail units with a new fuselage incorporating the imported DB 601Aa. Design of the new fighter began in January 1940 and, less than seven months later, on 10 August 1940, the sole prototype, MM.445, made its first flight, two months after Italy's entry into World War II.

From the first trials, it was evident that the C.202 was an advanced design, mainly because of the use of the Daimler Benz DB 601, a departure from the standard practice of using engines of Italian origin. Test results showed that Italy had caught up with Britain and Germany in the field of fighter airplanes. The prototype differed in some respects from the production aircraft; the headrest fairing incorporated two windows for rear visibility, while production versions replaced this with a narrower, scalloped headrest. The square-sectioned supercharger air intake was replaced by an elongated round sectioned fairing, which was later redesigned to incorporate a dust filter. The prototype was flown to the Regia Aeronautica's main test airfield at Guidonia, where it met with an enthusiastic response from test pilots. A speed of 603 km/h (375 mph) was recorded, with 5,486 m (18,000 ft) being reached in six minutes and little of the good manoeuvrability of the C.200 was lost. Another of its attributes was its extremely strong construction that allowed its pilots to dive the aircraft steeply. Due to the flight test reports, the C.202 was immediately ordered into production with the first examples (built by Macchi as Serie II) appearing in May 1941. The complexity of the structure was not well suited to mass production, and resulted in a limited production rate compared to the Bf 109E/F (usually rated at 4,500-6,000 man-hours) while the Macchi needed 22,000 or more. The growth of the C.202 project was slower than that of the Re. 2001; but, by employing both mass production techniques and less expensive advanced technologies, the production cost was slightly less than that of the Reggiane Re.2001, (525,000 lires vs 600,000); this latter, the only other DB 601 fighter in mass production, was slower and heavier (2.460/3.240 kg) but had a bigger wing and a more advanced and adaptable structure. Breda, Milan was also chosen to build the C.202 and eventually built the majority of the type. SAI-Ambrosini was another sub-contractor, building some 100 C.202s.