Piaggio P.50

Piaggio

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1884
Founder	Rinaldo Piaggio
Headquarters	Pontedera , Italy
Products	Aircraft, scooters, motorcycles

The Piaggio P.50 was an Italian prototype heavy bomber crafted by Piaggio intended for use by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force).

Design and development

The P.50 marked the inaugural design effort of Giovanni Casiraghi, building upon a concept initially outlined by Piaggio engineer Giovanni Pegna.

P.50-I

The initial variant, known as the P.50-I, featured a four-engine shoulder-wing monoplane configuration with a single, prominent vertical stabilizer and rudder. Its propulsion came from four 544-kilowatt (730-horsepower) Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI.RC V12 engines arranged in tandem pairs on the wings; each engine powered a three-bladed propeller, with two propellers operating in a pusher setup and two in a tractor arrangement. Defensive capabilities included three machine gun stations, among them a nose turret.

Piaggio constructed two P.50-I prototypes: the first, bearing the serial MM369, completed its maiden flight in 1937; the second, MM370, sustained damage during a landing mishap at Malpensa Airport in 1938.

No subsequent production contract was awarded for the P.50-I model.

P.50-II

Introduced in 1938, the P.50-II represented an updated version of the bomber. This model replaced the earlier engines with four 746-kilowatt (1,001-horsepower) Piaggio P.XI RC.40 radial engines, each driving an individual three-bladed propeller and abandoning the tandem pusher-tractor layout in favor of four separate tractor-mounted propellers. Its defensive armament was enhanced to include five 12.7-millimeter (0.5-inch) machine guns.

Only one P.50-II prototype was manufactured, designated MM371. Although no production orders followed, Piaggio utilized insights gained from all three P.50 prototypes to inform the development of their subsequent heavy bomber, the Piaggio P.108, deployed during World War II.

Variants

P-50-I

Equipped with four engines arranged in tandem push-pull nacelles; two units were produced.

P-50-II

A single, enhanced version of the P.50 featuring four engines housed individually in tractor-type nacelles.

File:Piaggio P 50 I.jpg

First iteration of the P 50, featuring four liquid-cooled engines mounted in two nacelles

File:Piaggio P 50 II.jpg

Second iteration of the P 50, fitted with four air-cooled engines each in separate nacelles

File:Piaggio P 108 (50 II metallico).jpg

Metallic variant of the P 50, designed by Casiraghi as a precursor to the P 108B

Operators

Template:Country data Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Aeronautica

References

• Donald, David. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK: Blitz Editions, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
• Thompson, Jonathan W. Italian Civil and Military Aircraft 1930–1945, New York: Aero Publishers Inc., 1963. ISBN 0-8168-6500-0.

External links

• AR Aircraft Manuals Blueprints Video Publications: Piaggio P.50