CANT 13

CANT

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1920s
Founder	Raffaele Conflenti
Products	Aircraft

The CANT 13 was an amphibious aircraft created to serve aboard vessels of the Regia Marina following a 1925 design competition.

Design

The CANT 13 featured a traditional amphibious configuration as a wooden-constructed, single-engine biplane accommodating two crew members. It included a retractable landing gear system operated manually by the pilot. The hull housed an open cockpit with side-by-side seating, connected internally to allow the crew member to access two defensive stations—one at the front and another at the rear—each outfitted with a machine gun. The wings, equal in span and capable of folding, were supported on each side by dual interplane struts and reinforced with steel cable tie rods; ailerons were installed on the upper wing. Power was provided by a liquid-cooled V-12 Lorraine-Dietrich 12Db engine producing 400 hp (300 kW), which drove a fixed-pitch two-blade propeller mounted centrally on a tubular steel frame between the wings above the hull.

Development

In 1925, the Ministry of Aeronautics issued requirements for a new amphibious aircraft to equip units of the Regia Marina. CANT responded with a project designed by engineer Raffaele Conflenti. Two prototypes were constructed and assessed by the Regia Aeronautica. However, alterations in strategic plans by the General Staff prevented mass production. Despite this, both aircraft remained in service with the Regia Marina for at least two subsequent years.

Further reading

• Garello, G.; Zorini, D. (2003). Le Officine aeronautiche CANT 1923 – 1945 (in Italian). Ufficio Storico Aeronautica Militare.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)