CR.32

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This page is about the Italian fighter CR.32. For other versions, see CR.32 (Family).
CR.32
cr_32.png
GarageImage CR.32.jpg
ArtImage CR.32.png
360://https://wiki.warthunder.com/images/7/74/Cockpit_cr_32.jpg
CR.32
AB RB SB
1.0 1.0 1.0
Class:
Research:Free
Purchase:Free
Show in game

Description

The CR.32 is a biplane fighter designed by the aeronautical engineer Celestino Rosatelli, as a modification of the CR.30: the structure around the engine was modified, and the armament was improved with two Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm. It was given the serial number MM 201, tested at Montecelio and consequently renamed to CR.32. The biplane was appreciated by the Regia Aeronautica for its balanced manoeuvrability and armament and was used in several units and various campaigns.

Introduced in Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica", the CR.32 is the first aircraft available in the Italian tech tree. It is a very good fighter with very powerful 12.7 mm machine guns, particularly when using the "Air targets" belt, very manoeuvrable even at low speeds, and is in practice a turn fighter. It can withstand few shots before being destroyed, but in the end as a reserve is an excellent aircraft.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 3 100 m372 km/h
Turn time14 s
Max altitude9 000 m
EngineFiat A30
TypeInline
Cooling systemWater
Take-off weight2 t
Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 3,100 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 363 349 9000 14.2 15.1 7.3 7.3 150
Upgraded 381 372 13.9 14.0 13.1 9.6

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X X X X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
590 590 N/A N/A N/A ~15 ~7
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 200 < 300 < 300 > 190
Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
2,600 m 591 hp N/A

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural590 km/h
Gear590 km/h
  • No armour plates or bulletproof glass
  • Self-sealing fuel tank located between engine and pilot

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
ABfree
RBfree
SBfree
Total cost of modifications3 270 Rp icon.png
148 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost190 Ge icon.png
Crew trainingfree
Experts1 000 Sl icon.png
Aces10 Ge icon.png
Research Aces80 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
10 / 10 / 50 % Sl icon.png
100 / 100 / 100 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Research:
440 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 Sl icon.png
35 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
750 Rp icon.png
Cost:
35 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Mods engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
50 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
safat12_belt_pack
Research:
440 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 Sl icon.png
35 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods weapon.png
safat12_new_gun
Research:
540 Rp icon.png
Cost:
25 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Offensive armament

Ammunition700 rounds
Fire rate700 shots/min
Main article: Breda-SAFAT (12.7 mm)

The CR.32 is armed with:

  • 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)

The two machine guns are clustered in the nose of the aircraft, just in front of the pilot. Each is armed with the same amount of ammunition.

Usage in battles

The best way to use the CR.32 is by playing as a support. As a biplane, you can easily outturn most opponents. However, the most deadly thing about the CR.32 is its twin 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns. Equipped with air targets belt, it can easily set other planes on fire. The only downsides of the plane are the lack of protection and speed. The recommended tactic is to always have an altitude advantage over your enemies. Do not turn too much and fire your machine gun in bursts as you have limited ammo, this means you have to be more careful when engaging targets. With a top level speed of only 380 km/h, the CR.32 will be usually outrun by most opponents it faces. Instead, climb to much higher altitude, then use its surprisingly fast dive speed to execute boom-and-zoom attack to kill an unsuspecting opponents. While it can dogfight against monoplanes to some extent, the CR.32's poor energy retention will eventually catch up and slow down the plane significantly, be decisive and strike at enemy weak points (engines, pilot, etc.) to finish them off as fast as possible.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer Pitch Radiator Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type
Controllable Not controllable
Not auto controlled
Not controllable
Not auto controlled
Controllable
Not auto controlled
Combined Not controllable
1 gear
Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 12.7 mm MGs are great for knocking out pilots and penetrating enemy armour plates
  • Nose-mounted MGs mean little convergence work is needed
  • Excellent dive speed
  • Surprisingly good turning against bigger fighters
  • Fixed gear makes it easy to land
  • Great all-round vision provided by the open cockpit especially towards the rear, giving the pilot enough situational awareness in simulator
  • In Simulator it almost never spins, allowing some really tight manoeuvres to be performed without danger

Cons:

  • Turns worse than some biplanes it faces (e.g. I-15)
  • Has a relatively small ammo pool, firing in short bursts is recommended
  • Very poor roll rate
  • No protection for the pilot
  • Uses a telescopic gunsight which is extremely hard to use in simulator
  • Upper wing greatly obstructs the upward-forward view, a disadvantage in a simulator dogfight
  • Fixed gear increases drag

History

Development

The FIAT CR.32 fighter biplane was developed by the Celestino Rosatelli, an Italian aeronautic engineer, who designed various planes, such as the CR.32, CR.32 quater, CR.32 bis, CR.42, CR.42 CN, B.R.20DR, B.R.20M M1, and many more. After the development of the CR.30, Rosatelli modified it, changing the structure around the engine, the fuselage was the same as the CR.30 but without the supplementary tank, the armament constituted of 2 SAFAT 12.7 mm, and a transmitter, bomb thrower, or camera could be added. This plane was designated with serial number MM 201.Tested at Montecelio, the CR.30 (MM 201), later named CR.32, demonstrated as a perfect fighter and was the perfect conception of Italian fighter biplanes with a balance of manoeuvrability, performance, and military efficiency. In the mid thirties, the CR.32 was ordered by Regia Aeronautica, quickly replacing the CR.30, after which it was ordered by other nations. When the Second World War broke out, the CR.32 was already obsolete (and eventually replaced by the CR.42) but, in spite of that, it still equipped several fighter units. By 10 June 1940 the CR.32 was equipped for the following Gruppi Caccia (Fighters Groups): 24°Gruppo (52°Stormo) at Sarzana, 2°Gruppo at Grottaglie, 157°Gruppo (1°Stormo) at Trapani, 9°Gruppo at Monserrato, 160° at Tirana, 13°Gruppo (Partly) at Castelbenito (Libya), 8°Gruppo at Tobruk, 10°Gruppo at Benina and 163° Squadron at Rhodes. The first CR.32 to have been involved in military operations were those stationed in Libya, forty-odd machines being used mostly in ground attack missions together with the 50°Stormo's Breda 65s. The other front where the machine was used to the last example was Eastern Africa, fighting highly superior machines, such as Blenheims and Hurricanes. The old biplane closely followed the alternate phases of the campaign, from Italian advance into Egypt to the loss of Cyrenaica, they were widely used fairly successfully with various bomb types until January 1941. After the conquest of Crete in May 1941, CR.32s were relegated to fighting training duties. The CR.32 was used by Italy, China, Spain, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Venezuela and Paraguay. After the CR.32, other variants were created: CR.32 Bis, CR.32 ter, CR.32 Quater, CR.32 Quater CN, CR.32 Quater AS, CR.32 Serie 2. The CR.32 also had amazing characteristics which allowed the aircraft to be used by Aerobatic Teams from 1936 to 1939 in various aeronautic events.The 4°Stormo was first in exhibiting in 1936 in Rome with a ten-machine patrol. 1936 also marked the rebirth of 6°Stormo Caccia, equipped with CR.32s, which soon established an aerobatic patrol of its own at its bases at Campoformido and Gorizia.From 1937 to 1939 the Aerobatic Teams did aeronautic events in Budapest, Zurich, Perù, Chile, Argentine, Brazil, and finally Berlin.

Spanish Civil War

The CR.32 had its baptism of fire in the Spanish skies, the first twelve machines arrived by steamer at Melilla, Morocco, on 14 August 1936 and, together with the nine SIAI SM.81 arrived on 28 July, were incorporated into l'Aviacion de el Tercio. At the end of August, after further batches of CR.32s had arrived, the "Cucaracha" squadron was established at Cacéres, late to became the XVI Gruppo Caccia. In April 1937, the XVI Gruppo were joined by XXIII Gruppo "Asso di Bastoni" and VI Gruppo "Gamba di Ferro", after CR.32 was used by X Gruppo Caccia "Baleari" and the Squadron "Frecce". Thanks to the CR.32, the Legion's fighters quickly established supremacy over the red air forces, but in November a new fighter, the Polikarpov I-15, appeared and the battles with CR.32 were harder to win. After came the I-16, much faster than the CR.32, and the pilots of CR.32 were unable to fully exploit all the capabilities of their mounts and to follow the dog-fighting manoeuvres imposed by the nimbler FIAT biplane.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the aircraft;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


Fiat Aviation (Fiat Aviazione)
Fighters  CR.32 · CR.32 bis · CR.32 quater
  CR.42 · Marcolin's C.R.42 CN · ▀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
Jet fighters  G.91 pre-serie · G.91 R/1 · G.91 Y · G.91 YS
  ▄F-86K*
  ▄F-104G* · F-104S* · F-104S.ASA* · ▄F-104S TAF*
Strike aircraft  F.C.20 Bis
Bombers  B.R.20DR · B.R.20M M1
Export/Captured  J11 · ▀CR.42
  ▀G.50 serie 2 · ▀G.50 AS serie 7
  ◄G.91 R/3 · ◄G.91 R/4 · G.91 R/4
  *Licensed
See also  North American Aviation · Lockheed Martin

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