IMAM Ro.51

IMAM

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1930s
Headquarters	Italy

Template:Infobox aircraft

The IMAM Ro.51 was an Italian fighter plane that made its maiden flight in 1937. It was developed as part of the 1936 competition to supply the Regia Aeronautica with a new fighter, involving nearly all Italian aircraft manufacturers.

Design

Conceived by engineer Galasso, this single-seat monoplane fighter featured mixed materials in its construction, with wooden wings, and was initially equipped with a fixed landing gear.

Its propulsion came from a typical powerplant for the era: an 840 hp (630 kW) Fiat A.74 RC 38 radial engine driving a three-blade propeller.

The presence of a fixed undercarriage restricted the aircraft’s top speed to just 467 km/h. Armament consisted of two Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm machine guns.

Development

Testing of the first prototype in June 1938, which had an unusually small tail, revealed it to be inferior to contemporaries such as the Macchi C.200 and Fiat G.50. Overall, the aircraft was deemed unsatisfactory. Attempts to redesign the wing were initiated too late, resulting in no production orders.

The second prototype, designated Ro.51/1, incorporated retractable landing gear that increased its maximum speed to 489 km/h. This model was subsequently modified into a floatplane fighter, similar to the Ro.44, featuring one large central float and two smaller wing-mounted floats. Although its top speed decreased to 430 km/h, its operational range extended to 1,200 km.

During a test flight, one wing abruptly submerged in water, causing the entire aircraft to sink rapidly. The destruction of this prototype marked the termination of the project. Despite relatively decent performance, the program was largely unsuccessful, particularly at the outset, even if it bore some resemblance to the Fokker D.XXI. Given the presence of more advanced competitors, addressing the Ro.51’s issues was not considered worthwhile.

Operators

Template:Country data Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Aeronautica

Further reading

• Lembo, Daniele Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali IMAM, Aerei nella Storia magazine no.34 Nov–Dec 2003, Delta editions, Parma. (in Italian)

External links

• Ro.51 on italiankits.it Archived 2021-06-15 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
• Technical drawings