The Ro.44 is a biplane fighter found in the Italian aviation tech tree, with the peculiarity of being a hydroplane, allowing it to land and take off from water. With a low maximum speed, somewhat poor flight performance and humble armament, the Ro.44 is certainly not an easy bird to master. But once you do, you can have a surprisingly satisfactory performance and catch your enemies by surprise.
Pros and Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Can land and take off from water. | Very slow, even for a biplane. |
| Powerful machine guns with great belts available. | Lack of suspended armament and bullets with low penetration values prevent effective close air support. |
| Surprisingly short turn time. | Prone to ripping at high speed. |
| Features an engine fire system which can increase your survivability against engine fires. | No armour or self-sealing fuel tanks. |
Table of Contents:
Note: The information in this article prioritises performance of the vehicle in Realistic Battles. The vehicle’s performance may differ in Arcade or Simulator Battles.
Survivability:
The Ro.44 is not very survivable. It has no armour, the fuel tanks are not self-sealing and, just like in most biplanes, the pilot sits in an open cockpit, meaning that he is prone to enemy fire and, if killed, will result in you being instantly sent to the hangar. It should also be noted that the Ro.44 has a radial engine which the enemy can directly shoot at. Damage to the engine can cause a fire, although this can be countered with the engine fire system modification. That being said, it is not guaranteed to save you. By contrast, if the fuel tanks are set on fire, there is not much you can do other than hope that it is somehow extinguished, given how they are not self-sealing. As a whole, the Ro.44 can not really afford to suffer damage.
Flight Performance:
The flight characteristics of the Ro.44 leave a lot to be desired. For starters, it is extremely slow, not just for a fighter but also for a biplane. Even the slowest of early monoplane bombers, such as the S.81 or the TBD-1, can outrun it, while some other biplane fighters are capable of catching up with said bombers. High speeds are not recommended for this fighter, as it will start shaking at around 360-370 km/h and the game will soon urge you to reduce your speed.
The Ro.44's rate of climb is also abysmal and it loses speed very quickly in sharp turns. That being said, its turn time is actually pretty short, so you can catch enemies (in particular early monoplanes who may underestimate you) by surprise. As with other biplanes, turning and positioning yourself behind your less agile enemy is the best way to defeat opponents.
Note: It is possible to break the floats in hydroplane fighters such as the A6M2-N to obtain a much better flight performance by carefully approaching the runway/ocean surface and pulling up to avoid crashing into the ground as soon as the floats snap. However, performing this trick in the Ro.44 is not worth the risk. While you can break this fighter’s floats as well, your performance is pretty much the same with or without them — not great.
Armament:
The Ro.44 is equipped with two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns with a total of 440 rounds of ammunition, meaning that trigger discipline is needed. These machine guns are among the best for biplane and early monoplane fighters thanks to their large calibre, good rate of fire and a variety of belts with focus on incendiary bullets, perfect for shooting down other aircraft.
The best belts to use are the Air targets and Stealth belts. If you are new to the game, however, then the Tracer belt is probably the best choice since it will help you improve your aim. Since it is made of tracer bullets, you will see every single shot you fire, so you can practice where to shoot. Once you get used to aiming, you can switch to the two aforementioned belts, both of which are made of armour-piercing incendiary bullets and high-explosive fragmentation ones. The difference between the Air targets and the Stealth belts is that the former has a tracer round, while the latter does not, allowing you to catch your enemies off guard.
Usage in Battles:
Air Battles:
In air battles, the Ro.44 takes on the role of a fighter. Your priority should be to climb and secure an altitude advantage over your enemies. Due to the Ro.44's rather poor rate of climb, you may have to climb away from the battle for a bit, but there is no need to go too far, since most clashes at this Battle Rating happen below 2000 metres of altitude. It is also important to choose when and who to engage carefully, given the plane’s low speed.
Should you be engaged by a monoplane fighter, use your superior maneuverability and turn, positioning yourself behind them. Just be careful to not turn sharply too many times, as doing so will severely reduce your speed. If they run away, don’t follow them as you will never catch up. Instead, just gain speed and prepare for a possible second attack coming from the same enemy.
Against enemy biplanes, it is recommended to attack them when they are distracted and avoid engaging them in a turnfight if they can turn faster than you. Running away is often not an option since most of your enemies are much faster than you, so they can reach you just fine.
Mixed Battles:
In ground battles, the Ro.44 has basically no use. Lacking bombs, rockets or any sort of suspended armament, it can not provide close air support other than strafing open top vehicles such as the GAZ-AAA (4M) or the roofs of very light tanks such as the M22. It can, however, dedicate itself to intercepting enemy aircraft, thus saving its allies on the ground. But truth be told, the Ro.44 is so slow that most strike aircraft will be able to outrun it and there are better choices for a fighter to bring to ground battles, such as the CR.42.
Naval battles, however, are a different story. Here, the Ro.44 can be a very valuable plane. Thanks to its floats, effectively making it a hydroplane, it can capture control points on the water, meaning that you can change the outcome of a battle if you play your cards right. And just like in ground battles, you can use it to shoot down other aircraft. In this case, your priority targets will be enemy scout planes who can also capture points. Make sure to pay attention to enemy vessels, who will try to shoot you down. Use islands, rocks, and other map features to avoid being hit.
