Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near

Linate Airport Milan Linate Airport is a city airport located in Milan, the second-largest city and largest urban area of Italy. It served 10.6 million passengers and recorded 118,060 aircraft movements in 2024, making it one of the busiest airports in Ital ...

, on the outskirts of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. Founded by Giovanni Battista "Gianni" Caproni during 1908, the company produced several successful

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...

s during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Following the acquisition of several other aviation firms throughout the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, Caproni transformed into a sizable aviation-orientated

syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndic ...

, the ''Società Italiana Caproni, Milano''. The majority of its aircraft were bombers and transport aircraft. It played a pioneering role in the development of the

Caproni Campini N.1 The Caproni Campini N.1, also known as the C.C.2, is an experimental jet aircraft built in the 1930s by Italian aircraft manufacturer Caproni. The N.1 first flew in 1940 and was briefly regarded as the first successful jet-powered aircraft in h ...

, an experimental aircraft powered by a thermo-jet. It provided large numbers of combat aircraft for the

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The firm did not prosper in the

postwar A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

era and the Società Italiana Caproni went out of business in 1950. Many of the company's former assets were subsequently acquired by the Italian helicopter specialist

Agusta Agusta was an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It was based in Samarate, Northern Italy. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first aeroplane in 1907. The MV Agusta motorcycle manufacturer began as an offshoot ...

History

The company was founded during 1908 by the Italian aviation pioneer and

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

Giovanni Battista "Gianni" Caproni. It was initially named, from 1911, ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'', then ''Società Caproni e Comitti''. Caproni was responsible for completing the first aircraft of Italian construction in 1911. Its principal manufacturing facilities were based in Taliedo, a peripheral district of

, close to

, while the firm's Caproni Vizzola division was based in Vizzola Ticino, close to Milan–Malpensa Airport. The firm initially produced a series of small single-engine aircraft, including the Caproni Ca.1, Ca.6 and Ca.12; these became important milestones in the early development of Italian aviation. As such, Caproni became one of the most important Allied aircraft manufacturers during the

, being responsible for the design and manufacture of large, multi-engine long-range

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

s, such as the three-engined Caproni Ca.32, Ca.33, Ca.36 and Ca.40. These aircraft were adopted not only by the Italian military, but by the French as well. Caproni's bombers were a significant contribution in the development of heavy aircraft. Following the end of the conflict, the

strategic bombing Strategic bombing is a systematically organized and executed military attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers, long- or medium-range missiles, or nuclear-armed fighter-bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy' ...

theories of

Giulio Douhet Giulio Douhet (30 May 1869 – 15 February 1930) was an Italian general and air power theorist. He was a key proponent of strategic bombing in aerial warfare. He was a contemporary of the air warfare advocates Walther Wever, Billy Mitchell, ...

were reputedly shaped by the operational use of Caproni bombers, and thus have been was seen as an important landmark in the history of aviation. The

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

was a busy one for Caproni. The end of the First World War led to a rapid decrease in demand for bombers, impacting orders for much of Caproni's traditional product line and the company redirected its resources towards the growing civil aviation market. It reorganised into a large

, which was named the ''Società Italiana Caproni, Milano'', as a result of having acquired several smaller Italian manufacturers. By the 1930s, the company's main subdivisions comprised Caproni Bergamasca, Caproni Vizzola, Reggiane and the engine manufacturer Isotta Fraschini. Caproni's aircraft activity largely orientated towards the production of bombers and light transport aircraft. Perhaps the most distinctive of Caproni's aircraft was the Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo, an experimental large

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

designed for the civil sector. At the time, the concept of a large multi-engined flying boat to serve long-distance passenger routes was considered to be radical. Caproni believed that such an aircraft could allow travel to remote areas more quickly than ground or water transport, and that the investment required to develop and manufacturer such an aircraft would be less expensive than pursuing alternatives. During 1919, Caproni filed to

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

his work on the concept. His large seaplane design, designated Caproni Ca.60, was highly unorthodox, featuring eight engines and three sets of triple wings. On 12 February or 2 March 1921, it took off for the first time, proving to be both stable and maneuverable during its brief flight, in spite of a persisting tendency to climb. On March 4, the sole completed aircraft was lost while attempting its second flight. During 1927, the Caproni Museum (Italian: ''Museo Caproni'') was established in Taliedo by Giovanni Caproni and his wife, Timina Caproni. It is both the oldest aviation museum in Italy, as well as the country's oldest corporate museum. The Caproni Museum has long outlived the Caproni company itself. Caproni continued to maintain its interest in innovative aircraft. The Stipa-Caproni, also known as the Caproni Stipa, was designed by Luigi Stipa and built by Caproni during the early 1930s. The aircraft featured a hollow, barrel-shaped

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

with the

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

and

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

enclosed by the fuselage, effectively forming a single

ducted fan In aeronautics, a ducted fan is a thrust-generating mechanical fan or Propeller (aeronautics), propeller mounted within a cylindrical wiktionary:duct, duct or shroud. Other terms include ducted propeller or shrouded propeller. When used in vertic ...

. Flight testing found that the approach induced significant

aerodynamic drag In fluid dynamics, drag, sometimes referred to as fluid resistance, is a force acting opposite to the direction of motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. This can exist between two fluid layers, two solid surfaces, or b ...

, cancelling out much of the gains in engine efficiency and reducing the aircraft's top speed to . Some authors have claimed that its design influenced the development of jet propulsion. CC2 overflying Piazza Venezia Rome 1941

During the 1930s, Caproni became involved with the Italian aeronautics engineer

Secondo Campini Secondo Campini (August 28, 1904 – February 7, 1980) was an Italian engineer and one of the pioneers of the jet engine. Campini was born at Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. In 1931 he wrote a proposal for the Ministry of Defence (Italy), Italian Air Min ...

, who was engaged in pioneering research into jet propulsion, having proposed adopting a so-called '' thermo-jet'' to power an aircraft. Campini had been issued with an initial contract from the Italian government to develop and manufacture his engine. During 1934, the '' Regia Aeronautica'' (the Italian Air Force) granted its approval to proceed with the production of a pair of jet-powered

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

aircraft; Caproni was engaged to manufacture this aircraft, which was thus designated as the

, with Campini providing technical guidance while specialising in the engine's design.Pavelec 2007, p. 5. On 27 August 1940, the

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...

of the experimental N.1 occurred at Caproni's Taliedo facility. On 30 November 1941, the second prototype was flown from Milan's

to Rome's Guidonia Airport, in a highly publicised event that included a fly-past over Rome and a reception with Italian Prime Minister

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

. According to the historian Nathanial Edwards, the practicality of the N.1 design had been undermined by political pressure to speed the programme along so that Italy would be more likely to be the first country in the world to perform a jet-powered flight.Edwards, Nathanial. "Flight as Propaganda in Fascist Italy." ''World At War Magazine'', Late 2010. According to economics author Harrison Mark,

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

aircraft design bureau

TsAGI The Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (also (Zhukovsky) Central Institute of Aerodynamics, , TsAGI) is a Russian national research centre for aviation. It was founded in Moscow by Russian aviation pioneer Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky on Decemb ...

obtained details on the N.1 programme and were encouraged to work on a similar design; as such, there is a basis for stating that the design of the N.1 influenced subsequent early jet aircraft. The early years of the

era was one of considerable hardship for Caproni and the wider Italian aviation industry alike. During 1950, the Società Italiana Caproni ceased to exist. However, one of the company's former divisions, ''Caproni Vizzola'', lasted until 1983, when it was acquired by the Italian helicopter manufacturer

Aircraft

FromAA.VV., Caproni Ca.90, in ''Grande Enciclopedia Aeronautica'', Milan, Edizioni Aeronautica L. Mancini, 1936, p. 154,

Pre-World War I

* Caproni Ca.1 of 1910 – Experimental biplane

World War I

* Caproni Ca.1 of 1914 – Heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.2 – Heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.3 – Heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.4 – Heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.5 – Heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.14 - biplane * Caproni Ca.15 - monoplane * Caproni Ca.17 - monoplane * Caproni Ca.18 – Observation plane * Caproni Ca.19 - monoplane * Caproni Ca.20 – Monoplane fighter * Caproni Ca.21 - reconnaissance aircraft * Caproni Ca.22 – Variable incidence research parasol monoplane * Caproni Ca.26 - project * Caproni Ca.27 - project * Caproni Ca.28 - project * Caproni Ca.29 - project * Caproni Ca.31 – Modified Ca.1 * Caproni Ca.32 – Modified Italian Army version of Ca.1

Inter-war period

* Caproni Ca.30 – Postwar redesignation of 1914 Ca.1 * Caproni Ca.33 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.3 * Caproni Ca.34 – Postwar redesignation of proposed modified Ca.3 * Caproni Ca.35 – Postwar redesignation of proposed modified Ca.3 * Caproni Ca.36 – Postwar redesignation of modified Ca.3 * Caproni Ca.37 – Postwar redesignation of prototype ground-attack version of Ca.3 * Caproni Ca.39 – Postwar redesignation of proposed seaplane version of Ca.3 * Caproni Ca.40 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.4 prototype * Caproni Ca.41 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.4 variant * Caproni Ca.42 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.4 variant * Caproni Ca.43 – Postwar redesignation of floatplane variant of Ca.4 * Caproni Ca.44 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.5 heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.45 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.5 aircraft built for France * Caproni Ca.46 – Postwar redesignation of Ca.5 variant * Caproni Ca.47 – Postwar redesignation of seaplane version of Ca.5 * Caproni Ca.48 – Airliner version of Ca.4 * Caproni Ca.49 – Proposed seaplane airliner of 1919 * Caproni Ca.50 – Air ambulance version of Ca.44 * Caproni Ca.51 – Postwar redesignation of prototype of enlarged Ca.4 * Caproni Ca.52 – Postwar redesignation for Ca.4 aircraft built for

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

* Caproni Ca.56 – Airliner version of Ca.1 * Caproni Ca.57 – Airliner version of Ca.44 * Caproni Ca.58 – Postwar redesignation for re-engined Ca.4s * Caproni Ca.59 – Postwar redesignation for exported Ca.58s * Caproni Ca.60 ''Noviplano'' – Flying boat airliner prototype * Caproni Ca.64 - fighter project * Caproni Ca.65 - fighter project * Caproni Ca.66 - Four-engine, single-

bomber of 1922 * Caproni Ca.68 - reconnaissance flying boat project * Caproni Ca.69 - reconnaissance flying boat project * Caproni Ca.70 – Prototype night fighter of 1925 * Caproni Ca.71 – Ca.70 variant of 1927 * Caproni Ca.73 – Airliner and light bomber * Caproni Ca.74 – Re-engined Ca.73 light bomber * Caproni Ca.75 - biplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.76 - biplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.77 - biplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.78 - biplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.80 – Later redesignation of Ca.74 * Caproni Ca.81 - reconnaissance monoplane project * Caproni Ca.82 – Redesignation of Ca.73''ter'' variant * Caproni Ca.83 - monoplane fighter * Caproni Ca.84 - biplane flying boat project * Caproni Ca.85 - biplane flying boat project * Caproni Ca.86 - biplane flying boat project * Caproni Ca.88 – Redesignation of Ca.73''quarter'' variant * Caproni Ca.89 – Redesignation of Ca.73''quarterG'' variant * Caproni Ca.90 – Heavy bomber aircraft * Caproni Ca.92 - reconnaissance biplane project * Caproni Ca.93 - biplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.94 - 4-engine monoplane heavy bomber * Caproni Ca.95 - Heavy bomber aircraft, 1933 * Caproni Ca.96 - 4-engine biplane heavy bomber project * Caproni Ca.97 – Civil utility aircraft * Caproni Ca.98 - monoplane tourer * Caproni Ca.99 - biplane tourer * Caproni Ca.100 – Trainer * Caproni Ca.101 – Airliner, transport, and bomber *

Caproni Ca.102 The Caproni Ca.101 was a three-engine Italian airliner which later saw military use as a transport and bomber. It was designed in 1927 and first flown in 1928. Design and development The Ca.101 was a derivative of the Caproni Ca.97, with an enla ...

– Re-engined Ca.101 * Caproni Ca.106 - civil biplane project * Caproni Ca.107 - biplane fighter project * Caproni Ca.108 - mailplane project * Caproni Ca.109 - 2-seat biplane sport/trainer * Caproni Ca.110 - biplane fighter project * Caproni Ca.111 – Reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber *

Caproni Ca.113 The Caproni Ca.113 was an advanced Trainer (aircraft), training biplane produced in Italy and Bulgaria in the early 1930s. Designed as a follow-on to the Caproni Ca.100, Ca.100, it was a more powerful and robust aircraft capable of aerobatics. It ...

– Advanced trainer * Caproni Ca.114 – Biplane fighter * Caproni Ca.115 - twin-engined sesquiplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.116 - sports biplane project * Caproni Ca.117 - experimental high-altitude monoplane project * Caproni Ca.118 - twin-engine monoplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.119 - reconnaissance biplane project * Caproni Ca.121 - fast monoplane bomber project * Caproni Ca.122 – Prototype bomber and transport * Caproni Ca.123 – Proposed airliner version of Ca.122 * Caproni Ca.124 – Reconnaissance and bomber floatplane * Caproni Ca.125 – Two-seat touring biplane * Caproni Ca.126 - monoplane sports aircraft project * Caproni Ca.128 - low-wing metal monoplane 1+4 feederliner project * Caproni Ca.129 - low-wing metal monoplane 1+4 feederliner project * Caproni Ca.130 - trimotor transport, precursor of Caproni Ca.133 * Caproni Ca.132 – Prototype bomber and airliner * Caproni Ca.134 – Reconnaissance biplane * Caproni Ca.150 - twin-boom attack fighter * Caproni Ca.153 - monoplane heavy fighter project * Caproni Ca.154 - twin-engine monoplane heavy fighter project * Caproni Ca.155 - twin-engine monoplane heavy fighter project * Caproni Ca.156 - twin-engined heavy fighter project * Caproni Ca.161 – High-altitude experimental aircraft * Caproni Ca.162 - recce-fighter project * Caproni Ca.163 – Prototype of Ca.164 * Caproni Ca.165 – Prototype fighter of 1938 * Caproni Ca.204 - long-range bomber project * Caproni Ca.211 - three-engine long-range bomber project * Caproni Ca.201 - high altitude bomber project * Caproni Ca.205 - long-range bomber project * Caproni Ca.214 - aerobatic trainer project * Caproni Ca.301 – Prototype fighter * Caproni A.P.1 – Attack aircraft derivative of Ca.301 * Caproni Ca.305 – First production version of A.P.1 * Caproni Ca.306 – Airliner prototype (1935) * Caproni Ca.307 – Second production version of A.P.1 * Caproni Ca.308 – Export version of A.P.1 for El Salvador and Paraguay * Caproni Ca. 308 ''Borea'' – Airliner * Caproni Ca.309 – military light twin * Caproni Ca.345 – recce floatplane project * Caproni Ca.350 – Fighter-bomber, reconnaissance aircraft * Caproni-Reggiane Ca.400 – Caproni- Reggiane-built version of Piaggio P.32 medium bomber * Caproni Ca.401 – twin-engine recce-fighter * Caproni Ca.405 – Caproni-built version of Piaggio P.32 medium bomber * Caproni Ca.410 – twin-engined recce-bomber floatplane project * Caproni CH.1 – Prototype fighter of 1935 * Caproni PS.1 – Sports aircraft * Caproni Bergamaschi PL.3 – Long-distance racer aircraft * Caproni-Pensuti triplane – Sports triplane of 1919 * Caproni Sauro-1 – Two-seat touring aircraft * Caproni Vizzola F.5 – Fighter of 1939 * Stipa-Caproni – Experimental ducted-fan powered prototype of 1932

World War II

* Caproni Ca.133 – Transport and bomber * Caproni Ca.135 – Medium bomber * Caproni Ca.148 – Civil-military transport version of Ca.133 * Caproni Ca.164 – Trainer and liaison and reconnaissance aircraft * Caproni Ca.309 ''Ghibli'' – Reconnaissance, ground-attack, and transport aircraft * Caproni Ca.310 ''Libeccio'' – Reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber * Caproni Ca.311 – Light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft * Caproni Ca.312 – Re-engined version of Ca.310 sold to Norway * Caproni Ca.313 – Reconnaissance bomber, trainer, and transport * Caproni Ca.314 – Ground-attack aircraft and torpedo bomber * Caproni Ca.316 – Seaplane * Caproni Ca.320 - three-engine bomber * Caproni Ca.325 – Proposed version of Ca.135 medium bomber with more powerful engines, built in mock-up form only * Caproni Ca.330 - Project * Caproni Ca.331 – Prototype tactical reconnaissance aircraft/light bomber ( Ca.331 O.A./Ca.331A) of 1940 and prototype night fighter ( Ca.331 C.N./Ca.331B) of 1942 * Caproni Ca.332 - Project; derived from Ca.330 * Caproni Ca.335 – Fighter-bomber, reconnaissance aircraft for the Belgian Air Force. * Caproni Ca.360 - Twin engine dive bomber project * Caproni Ca.365 - Twin engine bomber project * Caproni Ca.370 - twin engine combat plane project * Caproni Ca.375 - twin engine combat plane project * Caproni Ca.380 - twin-boom fighter project *

Caproni Ca.381 Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan. Founded by Giovann ...

- twin-boom fighter project *

– Experimental motorjet-powered aircraft of 1940 * Caproni Campini Ca.183bis – Proposed high-altitude fighter aircraft * Caproni Vizzola F.4 – Fighter prototype of 1940 with German-made engine * Caproni Vizzola F.5bis – Proposed version of F.4 with Italian-made engine * Caproni Vizzola F.6 – Fighter prototype of 1941 ( F.6M) and 1943 ( F.6Z)

Post-World War II

* Caproni Ca.193 – Twin-engined six-seat monoplane * Caproni Ca.195 - jet trainer project * Caproni Trento F-5 – Lightweight two-seat jet trainer * Caproni Vizzola Calif – Family of gliders (sailplanes) (A-10, A-12, A-14, A-15, A-20, A-21) * Caproni Vizzola C22 Ventura – Light jet trainer

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * Golly, John. ''Jet: Frank Whittle and the Invention of the Jet Engine.'' Datum Publishing, 1996. . * * Mark, Harrison. ''The Economics Of Coercion And Conflict.'' World Scientific, 2014. . * * Pavelec, Sterling Michael. ''The jet race and the Second World War.'' Praeger Security International: Westport, Connecticut. 2007. .

External links

{{Authority control Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Italy Manufacturing companies based in Milan Companies based in Reggio Emilia Conglomerate companies of Italy Companies based in Lombardy Companies based in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1908 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1950 Italian companies established in 1908 1950 disestablishments in Italy Agusta Italian brands