Ro.44
Contents
Description
The Ro.44 was an Italian fighter floatplane developed by IMAM as a single seat variant of the IMAM Ro.43 reconnaissance plane. It underwent its first flight in October 1936. Unlike the Ro.43, the main armament was changed from two 7.7 mm machine guns to two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the nose. The tail as well as the rear fuselage where the observer was stationed previously were redesigned. The Ro.44 shared the same issues of the Ro.43 it was developed from, such as problems with buoyancy and sea-handling issues due to the lightweight design and structure. Out of 51 ordered, only 35 were built, and they were used solely in the Aegean Sea with 161 Squadriglia. It was retired from frontlines and sent to seaplane schools shortly after the start of WWII.
The Ro.44 was introduced in Update "Sky Guardians", finally equipping all the naval nations with at least 1 seaplane to use, although many are not regular tree units. Its ability to capture naval points makes it invaluable for naval players. The plane itself is no match for other reserve biplanes such as He-51, or I-15 that outperform the Ro.44 in both speed and manoeuvrability.
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 2,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 287 | 277 | 7500 | 14.8 | 15.4 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 200 |
| Upgraded | 318 | 303 | 13.3 | 14.0 | 14.7 | 11.0 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | X | X | X | ✓ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 400 | 400 | - | - | - | ~10 | ~10 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 180 | < 300 | < 250 | > 420 |
Survivability and armour
The Ro.44 is reasonably durable, being able to take a fair amount of rife-calibre machine gun fire before the flight performance is crippled. The large radial engine too, although vulnerable to being hit due to its size, tends to keep running even with a fair amount of battle damage. The aircraft has no armour protection for the pilot.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Ro.44 is armed with:
- 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (220 rpg = 440 total)
Usage in battles
The Ro.44 fulfils the role of a dogfighter in battles, boasting fantastic low speed handling (down to as low as 130 km/h) which often gives it the edge in low-rank dogfights. Its powerful armament of twin 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns (a rare armament at such a low BR) usually means it can quickly dispose of enemy aircraft. Against faster monoplane enemies such as the P-36, P-400 or MiG-3, you'll want to enter the fight with an altitude advantage and convert that to speed, giving you enough time to cripple the enemy aircraft even if they choose to use their speed advantage and extend.
In Simulator battles, the Ro.44 currently uses an identical cockpit model to the CR.32, so there are discrepancies between the cockpit model and the actual layout of the aircraft. The Italian floatplane also handles terribly in Simulator mode, having a constant pitch up attitude analogous to having full flaps extended on any other aircraft. Combined with having no trim, the Ro.44 is tiresome to fly in simulator battles, and currently also has poor forward-facing visibility from the cockpit.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent low speed handling
- Reasonably durable
- Acceptable climb rate
- Excellent weaponry for its BR, mounted on the centreline
- Good amount of ammunition
- Can capture points in naval battles
Cons:
- Fairly slow
- Radial engine is a large target
- Loses energy rapidly in vertical manoeuvres
- Low dive speed
History
The IMAM Ro.44 was a single seat fighter seaplane derivative of the Ro.43 and first flew in October 1936. By taking out the rear gunners positions and all the extra equipment and radios, the much lighter aircraft gained in manoeuvrability but barely any speed increase. At a distance, both the Ro.44 and Ro.43 are practically indistinguishable due to the copied design. It also did not improve on its predecessor for seaworthiness, being too difficult to land in open ocean. In the end it was a disappointment, with its order reduced from 50 to 35 and being soon used as trainer for advanced pilots.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Southern Mechanical and Aeronautical Industries (IMAM) | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Ro.57 Quadriarma |
| Floatplanes | Ro.43 · Ro.44 |
| Italy fighters | |
|---|---|
| Fiat | CR.32 · CR.32 bis · CR.32 quater · CR.42 · Marcolin's C.R.42 CN |
| G.50 serie 2 · G.50 AS serie 7 | |
| G.55 sottoserie 0 · G.55 serie 1 · G.55S · G.56 | |
| Reggiane | Re.2000 G.A. · Re.2000 serie 1 |
| Re.2001 serie 1 · Re.2001 gruppo 22 · Re.2001 CB · Re.2001 CN | |
| Re.2002 Early | |
| Re.2005 serie 0 | |
| Macchi | C. 200 serie 3 · C. 200 serie 7 |
| C. 202 · C. 202D · C. 202EC | |
| C. 205 serie 1 · C. 205 serie 3 · C. 205N2 | |
| IMAM | Ro.44 |
| Foreign: | |
| Germany | ▄Bf 109 G-14/AS |
| USA | ▄P-47D-30 |
| Britain | ▄Spitfire Mk Vb/trop |
| Hungary | ◐Bf 109 F-4 · ◐Bf 109 G-2 · ◔Yak-9P |
| Romania | He 112 B-1/U2 · IAR-81C |
