Fiat A.82

Fiat

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1899
Headquarters	Turin , Italy

Template:Infobox aero engine

The Fiat A.82 was an air-cooled radial engine featuring 18 cylinders, engineered by the Italian firm Fiat and manufactured in limited quantities during World War II. Representing one of Italy's most powerful aircraft engines, it marked the peak of a progressive series of increasingly larger powerplants evolving from the A.74. Its primary application was as the propulsion unit for the operational Fiat BR.20bis bomber.

Design and development

Completed and run for the first time in 1938, the A.82 was an enhanced, higher-output variant of the A.80, itself a derivative of the earlier A.74, which powered aircraft such as the Breda Ba.65 and the original Fiat BR.20. The engine was reported to deliver approximately 50% more power than its predecessors, ranking among Italy’s most potent aero engines at that period. It also stood as the largest Italian-designed engine of its era.

This 18-cylinder radial configuration consisted of two rows with nine cylinders each, arranged in a double star formation and incorporating a triple-throw crankcase constructed from aluminium alloy. Each cylinder retained the bore dimension of 140 mm (5.5 in) consistent with the A.40 but featured an extended stroke measuring 170 mm (6.7 in). Cylinders included steel barrels paired with aluminium alloy heads. Fuel delivery was managed via a Zenith-Stromberg downdraught carburettor.

Production encompassed two versions: the RC.40 rated at 1,250 hp (932 kW) and the RC.42 delivering 1,400 hp (1,044 kW); both saw restricted operational deployment. Beyond powering fifteen Fiat BR.20bis units operated by the Regia Aeronautica, Fiat also installed this engine in conceptual designs such as their BR.26 torpedo bomber.

Variants

A.82 R.C.40

Equipped with reduction gearing and a supercharger, optimized for an altitude of 4,000 m (13,000 ft).

A.82 R.C.42

Featuring reduction gearing and supercharger, rated for operation at 4,200 m (13,800 ft) altitude.

Applications

• Fiat BR.20bis (R.C.42)