torpedo bomber Caproni T 16B

[Wiggly_Armed_Man 2,383]

Caproni Torped 16B

A B 16A apart of the F 7 at Såtenäs.

 

Classification

Military

Long Model Designation: Torped 16B

Short Model Designation: T 16B

 

History

Purchase

In 1939 the Swedish air force had a problem. Due to the advent of World War II, export from the United States has been cut off and they couldn't purchase from either the present Tripartite Pact or the Allied powers, more specifically the United Kingdom; and they didn't have the industry in Sweden itself to support any meaningful domestic production. To rectify this they went to, at the time, the last "neutral" country left that was in close enough to be feasible. They did consider Japan and purchasing planes like the Ki-27 but that presented obvious enough problems. As such they turned to Italy and in 1940 they came to agreement. For nearly 40 million Swedish kronor they purchased 84 Ca. 313 of which 16 would become T 16Bs. This was apart of what was called the "emergency purchase", which also gained Sweden the J 11, the J20, and Italian engines to use in the B 17Cs.

 

Deployment & Service

While 16 of the Ca. 313s were meant to become T 16Bs, only 14 of them would ever arrive to Sweden as 2 of them crashed on their flight from Italy. This is where the discrepancy comes from of 84 Ca. 313s being purchased but only 82 ever serving within the Swedish air force. They were meant for the F 17 based out of Blekinge but none of the planes would ever arrive to the unit, instead landing at the F 7 based out of Såtenäs where they entered the workshop for modifications. This included lengthening the exhaust ducts, revising the fuel ducts, installing fire guards, and installing air intakes which solved the mechanical and engine issues they had faced on the way there, but their poor reputation had already been cemented and with the B 17 series entering service they were retired. Before they were, one T 16B was used during the summer of 1942 by the Försökscentralen and tested with a aerial naval mine. No test was conducted after the first one as the T 16B, along with the others, were converted to S 16Bs. The torpedo installations were taken out during the transition and would later be used in the B 3D as a transionary measure while the T 18B was being designed.

 

General
Place of Origin		Kingdom of Italy
Designer		Caproni
Builder		Caproni
Type		Bomber (B)
Service Period		1941-1942
Number Built		16
Dimensions
Weight (empty/takeoff)		4,300 kg/5,672 kg
Length		11.8 meters
Width		16.65 meters
Height		3.7 meters
Propulsion
Powerplants		Isotta Fraschini Delta RC35 piston engine	2
Output		1,120 kW
Rotor		3-bladed	2
Speed (cruise/maximum)		N/A / 445 km/h
Endurance		1,700 km
Service Ceiling		8.5 km
Rate of Climb		N/A
Protection
Armour		N/A	N/A
Crew		3
Firepower
Weapons		8 mm kulspruta m/22 Fast höger and Fast vänster or 13,2 mm automatkanon m/39A	2
		8 mm kulspruta m/22-37 Rörling	2
		Internal Bomb Bay, 400 kg capacity	1
		External Bomb Racks, 500 kg capacity	?
Ammunition		13,2x99 mm Cartridge m/39	?
		8x63 mm sk ptr m/32	1,400***
		12 kg bombs**	32
		50 kg bombs, eight internal*	12
		250 kg bombs*	2
		500 kg bomb*	1
		850 kg torpedo****	1
		400 kg / 900 kg naval mine****	1

*Aside from the internally-mounted 50 kg, these are exclusive to each other

**Exclusive with internally-mounted 50 kg

***If forward-firing ksp m/22 are equipped, this is increased to 2,500

****If 900 kg naval mine or 850 kg torpedo is fitted, nothing else can be; 400 kg mine exclusive with internally mounted bombs

 

Design

The T 16B is a streamlined plane with a large, bubbly cockpit housing either the four or the three crew members: the pilot, the radio operator/co-pilot, the bombardier, and depending on the source, a mechanic/gunner. The latter two control the flexible 8 mm guns with one mounted on a dorsal turret atop the bubbly cockpit with 800 rounds and the latter mounted on the underside facing rearward with 600 rounds. The pilot also has weaponry available to him in the former of either two 8 mm ksp m/22 or two 13,2 mm akan m/39A fixed into the wing roots with the former having 550 rounds each and the latter having an unknown amount for each.

 

The payload is also somewhat debatable. It houses an internal bomb bay with a capacity of 400 kg, either eight 50 kg bombs or thirty-two 12 kg bombs. It is said to also have external bomb racks but I haven't seen any specific data on how they were mounted with the capacity ranging from 250 kg to 500 kg and which can hold either four 50 kg bombs, two 250 kg bombs, or one 500 kg; probably centerline. The difference compared to it and the B 16A came in the torpedo installation allowing a 850 kg torpedo, more specifically the m/41. It also had the capability to carry a 400 kg or 900 kg torpedo but it's unknown exactly how that worked.

 

Implementation

The T 16B would be between the B 3C and the B 18A, having superior aerodynamics and firepower compared to the B 3C for a slightly smaller bomb load and the niche ability to carry naval mines if more information is found on them. Depending on the payload it does get, its BR could range on the low end from 1.7 to the high end on 2.3. Since the fixed armaments are interchangeable, it could start with the 8 mm ksp m/22 and then have a modification that replaces it with 13,2 mm akan m/39A; similar to how other aircraft in the game have such modifications like the Ki-43-I and the Kikka has. Due to the limited number of them made, the nearly non-existent service they had, and the special gimmick it could have, this could be a candidate for a low-tier premium.

 

Note

The name is either T 16A or T 16B, I've found references to both but can't decipher which one is actually its name.

 

Sources:

Spoiler

Bomber:

• T 16 Caproni Ca 313 (, avrosys.nu
  • B 16 - Caproni Ca 313, avrosys.nu
• Caproni Ca.313, Swedish Wikipedia
• Caproni Ca.313, Use in the Flygvapnet, Italian Wikipedia

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by Wiggly_Armed_Man

[leroyonly 4,310]

Open for discussion. 

[Borotovas 4,500]

+1

[Milocat 4,848]

+1 along with other variants of this aircraft in Swedish service.

[hienapunk 1,064]

I love the weird Swedish capronis.

[LelutooDS 9]

1+ Should've already been added imo

[SomeSkiJumps 2]

+1, IMO either version could be added, 8mm, or 13.2mm, just if the 8mm is added put it at 1.7 and if the 13.2 is added then put it at 2.0, if the modification version is implemented gaijin will probably be gaijin and add it at 2.0 even with the 8mm

[Fireraid233 4,274]

+1

[Z3r0_ 4,127]

I think this will be useful once Sweden gets a naval tree (and they could have a pretty competent one...to a degree, up to and including the Sverige-class coastal defense ships and a number of modern frigates and corvettes).

[CokeSpray 7,272]

Suggestion passed to the developers for consideration.