The CANSA FC.12 was a single engine

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

ground attack In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

aircraft developed in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

around 1940. A crew of two were seated in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

. Only ten production aircraft were built.

Design and development

The CANSA FC.12 was originally designed as a fighter and

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that Dive (aviation), dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the Aerial bomb, bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to ...

trainer but the few machines produced were configured for the operational ground attack role. It was a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

low wing monoplane with wings of straight tapered plan and with rounded tips. The undersides of the wings carried short span dive brakes outside of the full

chord Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ( ...

, narrow baths into which the main undercarriage retracted backwards, leaving the wheels partly exposed. In addition there were mid span, mid chord spoilers. The FC.12 was powered by a 450 kW (600 hp)

FIAT A.30 R.A. The Fiat A.30 R.A. was an Italian water-cooled aircraft engine from the 1920s, built in large numbers and serving with several air forces up to the beginning of World War II. It produced 447 kW (600 hp). Design and development During ...

liquid-cooled V-12 engine, fitted with a chin radiator. The two crew had tandem seats, the aft one behind the wing

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...

, under a multi-framed

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

. The horizontal tail was elliptical in plan and mounted on top of the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

Fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw a ...

were similarly shaped, with the rudder ending at the upper fuselage. All the rear control surfaces were

horn balanced Horn most often refers to: * Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments * Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

and the

elevators An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

carried tabs. There was a small, faired tailwheel on the extreme fuselage. Four fixed, forward firing 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns provided the main attack armament. The rear cockpit was provided with a fifth, swivel-mounted gun.

Operational history

Ten ground attack production FC.12s were delivered, though they probably did not see combat.

Operators

; *

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the mon ...

Specifications

References

{{Gabardini/CANSA aircraft 1940s Italian attack aircraft FC.12 Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1940