CANT Z.1007 Bomber

CANT Z.1007bis Torpedo Bomber "Alcione"

The Z.1007bis Alcione (Kingfisher) was Italy's finest three-engine medium bomber of the war. It started life from the Z.506 Airone floatplane prior to the Spanish civil war. In 1938, the initial test aircraft for the Alcione was flown with dissappointing results from the engines. In the course of redesigning the engines, the entire aircraft was widened and enlarged to hold a larger bomb load. By 1940 the aircraft went into production. It was used on all fronts and proved to be an effective aircraft despite structural problems in extreme climates due to its being made entirely from wood. The tough English channel front showed the limitations of the aircraft, primarily in speed and defensive armament. Thereafter, it was used only in the Italian fronts, especially in North Africa, East Africa, the Balkans and Greece. A total of 560 were built.

Technical Details
The Alcione carried a crew of 5, these being pilot, co-pilot, gunner in operate either the turret over the co-pilot or act as a rear-facing ventral gunner, radio operator/bomb aimer and tail gunner. The CANT Z.1007 bis model was powered by three 1,000 hp Piaggio P.XI RC 40 radial air-cooled engines. The aircraft was capable of 283 mph (456 km/h), with a ceiling of 26,500 ft (8,100 m) and a reasonably good range of 1,242 mi (2,000 km).

The final production version of 1943, the Z.1007 ter, reached a top speed of 304 mph and a ceiling of 32,890 ft due to the installation of three Piaggio P.XIX radial engines.

Armament in all models consisted of 4 machine guns; one 12.7 mm gun in a dorsal turrent firing front and back, one in the belly firing backwards and one firing at an oblique from the belly. It carried 2,430 lb (1,100 kg) of bombs.

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