View source for Caproni Ca.5

{{short description|Italian heavy bomber of World War I}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=December 2021}}
{{More footnotes|date=December 2021}}
}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = Ca.5
 |image = File:Caproni ca5.jpg
 |caption = 
 |type = Heavy bomber
 |national_origin= [[Italy]]
 |manufacturer = [[Caproni]]
 |designer = 
 |first_flight = 1917
 |introduction =
 |retired =
 |status = Retired
 |primary_user = ''[[Corpo Aeronautico Militare]]''
 |more_users = 
 |produced = 1917–1921
 |number_built = 662 
 |unit cost = 
 |variants = 
}}

The '''Caproni Ca.5''' was an Italian [[heavy bomber]] of [[World War I]] and the postwar era. It was the final version of the series of aircraft that began with the [[Caproni Ca.1 (1914)|Caproni Ca.1]] in 1914.

==Development==
By late [[World War I]], developments in aircraft technology made older [[bomber]] designs unable to penetrate targets defended by modern [[fighter aircraft|fighter]]s. Caproni's response to this problem was to uprate the power significantly on the existing [[Caproni Ca.3|Ca.3]] design, with some versions of the Ca.5 eventually carrying engines with nearly five times the total power that the first Ca.1 had.

Apart from greater power, various refinements were made to the design, including modifications to the main [[nacelle]] and [[Landing gear|undercarriage]], and completely new wings. The first prototype flew in late [[1917 in aviation|1917]] and the type remained in production until [[1921 in aviation|1921]]. Some 659 of all versions were built by Caproni, and another three were licence-built in the US (two Ca.44s by Standard, and one Ca.46 by Fisher). Planned licensed production in France was cancelled with the end of the war.

During the war, Caproni designated these aircraft according to the total power of their engines. Afterwards, the company redesignated them.

==Design==
The Ca.5 was a three-engine [[biplane]] of a wooden construction, covered with fabric. The crew of four was placed in an open central nacelle (front gunner, two pilots and rear gunner-mechanic). The rear gunner manned upper [[machine gun]]s, standing upon the central engine in a protective "cage", just before a propeller.

Armament consisted of two to four Revelli 6.5&nbsp;mm or 7.7&nbsp;mm machine guns, one on a front ring mount and one, two or sometimes even three on an upper ring mount. Bombs were suspended under the hull.

==Variants==
* '''Ca.44''' - main production version, originally powered by three [[Fiat A.12]] engines of 149&nbsp;kW (200&nbsp;hp) each, hence the name '''Caproni 600&nbsp;hp'''. Later, the A-12''bis'' was used, and aircraft so equipped were known as '''Caproni 600/900&nbsp;hp'''s
* '''Ca.45''' - variant selected for French service, powered by three [[Isotta Fraschini V.6]]s of 186&nbsp;kW (250&nbsp;hp) each. ('''Caproni 600/750&nbsp;hp''', or simply '''Caproni 750&nbsp;hp''')
* '''Ca.46''' - late-war variant with three 269&nbsp;kW (360&nbsp;hp) [[Liberty engine]]s.
* '''Ca.47''' - (or '''I.Ca''') [[seaplane]] version of Ca.44 (ten built)
* '''Ca.50''' - Ca.44s modified as air ambulances
* '''Ca.57''' - (or '''Breda M-1''') - [[airliner]] conversion of war-surplus Ca.44s.

==Operators==
;{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
* [[Corpo Aeronautico Militare]]
;{{USA}}
* [[United States Navy]]

==Specifications (Ca.44)==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref={{Citation needed|date=December 2008}}
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew= four (pilot, co-pilot, front gunner, and rear gunner/mechanic)
|length m=12.6
|span m=23.4
|wing area sqm=150
|max takeoff weight kg=4,600
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=3
|eng1 name=[[Fiat A.12]]
|eng1 type=6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine
|eng1 kw=149<!-- prop engines -->
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=160
<!--
        Armament
-->
|guns= 2 × {{convert|6.5|mm|in|abbr=on|3}} or {{convert|7.7|mm|in|abbr=on|3}} [[Fiat-Revelli Modello 1914|FIAT-Revelli machine gun]]s
|bombs= {{convert|533|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}} of bombs
}}

==See also==
{{Aircontent|
|related=
* [[Caproni Ca.1 (1914)]]
* [[Caproni Ca.2]]
* [[Caproni Ca.3]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Handley Page Type O]]
* [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]]
* [[Vickers Vimy]]
|lists=
* [[List of bomber aircraft]]
* [[List of World War I Entente aircraft]]
}}

==Bibliography==
{{commons category|Caproni Ca.44}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Layman|first1=Dick|title=Les Ca-5 de l'US Navy|journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=June 1993 |issue=4 |pages=11–14 |trans-title=The Ca-5s of the US Navy|language=French |issn=1243-8650}}

{{Caproni aircraft}}
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[[Category:1910s Italian bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:Caproni aircraft|Ca.005]]
[[Category:Three-engined push-pull aircraft]]
[[Category:Twin-boom aircraft]]
[[Category:Biplanes]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1917]]
[[Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear]]
[[Category:Three-engined piston aircraft]]