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The Fiat B.R. 1/4 was a
The Fiat B.R. 1/4 was a light bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...
series, 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 re ...
shortly after World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Design and development
The B.R was a development of theSIA 9
The SIA.9 was an Italian reconnaissance-bomber built by Società Italiana Aviazione, a division of Fiat.
Development
The 9B began as the SIA.7B2 fitted with a much larger engine, the Fiat A.14. The larger engine increased the aircraft's speed, ...
reconnaissance aircraft
A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...
, incorporating major strengthening of that design. Its general layout was identical to its predecessor: a two-bay biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
with tandem, open cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft.
The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
s for pilot and observer, and tailskid undercarriage. Shortly after entering service with the ''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 Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...
'', however, Rosatelli developed an improved version using the Warren truss
Warren Errol Truss, (born 8 October 1948) is a former Australian politician who served as the 16th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in the Abbott Government and the Turnbull Governm ...
-style bracing that would become a hallmark of his designs over the next decade.
The B.R. was evolved into a number of increasingly capable variants; however, by the time the later members of the family were produced, 15 years had passed since the initial design, and the type was already obsolete. At its peak, the BR equipped 15 light bomber squadrons of the ''Regia Aeronautica''. Two examples were also exported to Sweden, and one to Hungary.
In 1922, a specially modified BR designated the R.700 was used to set the absolute world airspeed record at 336 km/h (210 mph). The same aircraft was used to contest the ''Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe
The Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe was an international aeronautical speed competition instituted on 25 August 1909 by the French oil magnate Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. The race was reinstated three times through the years at the initiative of the ...
'' in September that year.
Variants
* B.R. - initial production version withFiat A.14
The Fiat A.14 was an Italian 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled, V aero engine of World War I. The A.14 held the distinction at the end of World War I of being the largest and most powerful aircraft engine in the world. First produced in 1917, 500 were ...
engine and conventional struts
* B.R.1 - improved version with new radiator and landing gear, and Warren truss struts (150 built)
* B.R.2 - strengthened structure, new landing gear, and Fiat A.25
The Fiat A.25 was an Italian water-cooled aircraft engine from the 1920s. It produced 708 kW (950 hp) and was used by the Regia Aeronautica for fifteen years to power their Fiat BR.2 and BR.3 bombers.
Design and development
During t ...
engine
**R.22 - reconnaissance aircraft of which two prototypes and 23 production versions were built. Although resembling the BR.2 it was of smaller dimensions and the wing and fuselage structures were all-metal. All examples flown by Regia Aeronautica with Fiat A.22
The Fiat A.22 was an Italian water-cooled aircraft engine from the 1920s. It produced 425 kW (570 hp) and powered several absolute world distance records as well as commercial passenger flights.
Design and development
During the secon ...
engine
* B.R.3 - new landing gear, fitted with radio and panoramic camera and (in later versions) Handley Page-type slats
Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) or Tsubame was a JAXA satellite intended to demonstrate operations in very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 200 km), using ion engines to counteract aerodynamic drag from the Earth's atmosphere which i ...
(100 built)
* B.R.4 - substantial redesign with revised aerodynamics, new landing gear, and new radiator arrangement (one built)
* R.700 - racer for world airspeed record attempt
Operators
; *Royal Hungarian Air Force
The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are organised into a single ...
;
*Corpo Aeronautico Militare
The Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aviation Corps) was formed as part of the Regio Esercito (Royal Army) on 7 January 1915, incorporating the Aviators Flights Battalion (airplanes), the Specialists Battalion (airships) and the Ballon ...
;
*Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...
As the B 1 and B 2.
;
*Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
Operated the BR.3
Specifications (B.R.2)
See also
References
* * * * {{Swedish military aircraft designations Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes 1910s Italian bomber aircraft BR Military aircraft of World War I Aircraft first flown in 1919