Piaggio P.3
Piaggio P.3 | |
---|---|
Type: | bomber |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
1923 |
Number of pieces: |
1 prototype |
The Piaggio P.3 was a night bomber made by the Italian manufacturer Piaggio .
History and construction
The P.3 was designed by Giovanni Pegna and was a four-engine biplane with wings of different wingspan. The machine was powered by four SPA-6A piston engines with 149 kW each, two of which were mounted in tandem on the lower wing and powered either a push or a pusher propeller. The stern of the P.3 was also designed as a double-decker and had three oars mounted in between. The two pilots sat next to each other in the open cockpit in front of the wings, the bow gunner in front and the stern gunner behind the wings. Three machine guns were used for defense; one could be used by the nose gunner and two by the rear gunner, with one of the two pointing upwards on the aircraft and one downwards through an opening so that the aircraft could also be defended downwards.
The P.3 took off on its maiden flight in 1923. Later, instead of the four SPA motors, four Fiat A.20Vs with 302 kW each were installed. However, the Regia Aeronautica did not order a single machine.
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data |
---|---|
crew | 4th |
length | 12.40 m |
span | 24 m |
height | ? m |
Wing area | ? m² |
Empty mass | ? kg |
Max. Takeoff mass | 4860 kg |
Cruising speed | 142 km / h |
Top speed | 185 km / h |
Service ceiling | 5800 m |
Range | 560 km |
Engines | 4 × Fiat A.20V piston engines with 302 kW (411 PS) each |
Armament | 4 × 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns |
See also
Web links
- Piaggio P.3 - bomber (english)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bww1/piaggiop3.html , accessed on June 23, 2013