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Reggiane

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Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SpA
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryHeavy equipment
Founded1901; 125 years ago (1901)
Defunct2010 (2010)
HeadquartersItaly
ProductsMachinery
WebsiteReggiane Cranes and Plants S.p.A.

Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SpA—commonly known simply as Reggiane—was an Italian industrial and aviation manufacturer.

The company was established in 1904 by its parent firm, Caproni, which itself was owned by the aeronautical engineer Giovanni Battista Caproni. Throughout its operational history, Reggiane engaged in multiple industrial sectors including railways, agriculture, aeronautics, and machinery for processing.[1] In the early 20th century, Reggiane gained recognition for designing and producing aircraft. Their creation of the Re.2000, an all-metal monoplane fighter, earned them a reputation for manufacturing agile single-seat combat planes.

With the onset of the Second World War, most of Reggiane's fighter aircraft output was directed to the Regia Aeronautica, Italy’s air force. Nevertheless, the company also supplied fighters to other countries aligned with or neutral during the conflict, including Germany’s Luftwaffe, the Hungarian Air Force, and Sweden’s air force. After the war concluded, Reggiane ceased aircraft production and shifted focus toward civil industries. In the latter half of the 20th century, it specialized in producing cranes and dockside machinery.

History

Reggiane established its principal manufacturing plant in Reggio Emilia, located in present-day Emilia-Romagna, Italy. At its peak, this facility was Italy’s fourth largest factory, occupying an area comparable to the city center of Reggio Emilia and employing up to 11,000 workers.[1] This site served as the hub for Reggiane’s diverse industrial activities, including railway locomotive production and agricultural machinery manufacturing.[1]

File:Piaggio P.32 black-and-white.jpg
The Piaggio P.32

In the 1930s, Reggiane expanded into aircraft manufacturing; their initial project was producing the Piaggio P.32bis medium bomber, derived from the Caproni Ca.405C Procellaria. However, company leadership aspired to develop proprietary aircraft designs rather than solely building others’ models under license.

By 1938, Reggiane began work on a new fighter aircraft concept. The design team led by Roberto Longhi and Antonio Alessio aimed to create a plane that would not just fulfill but surpass the Italian Air Ministry’s Programme R specifications.[2][3] Given limited time for development, various possibilities were evaluated—including licensed production of an American fighter—but under Giovanni Battista Caproni’s guidance, a completely original design was quickly developed.[2] The team drew inspiration from the American Seversky P-35 fighter; as a result, their creation—the Reggiane Re.2000—bore a superficial resemblance to that aircraft.[2][4] This was Reggiane’s first model to employ aluminum stressed skin construction instead of the traditional wood or mixed wood-metal structures used in contemporary Italian planes such as the licensed-produced Savoia-Marchetti SM.79.[5]

The prototype Re.2000 made its inaugural flight on 24 May 1939 at Reggio Emilia, piloted by Mario De Bernardi.[6][5] According to Cattaneo, initial flights quickly revealed favorable flight characteristics including high speed and maneuverability. Only minor adjustments were necessary following factory testing—these included exhaust modifications, lengthening the carburetor air intake, and replacing the round windshield with a framed design.[5] During evaluation, the Re.2000 demonstrated superior performance compared to other fighters then in production.[3] In simulated dogfights, it proved competitive against slower biplanes like the Fiat CR.42[7] as well as more advanced fighters such as the Macchi C 200 and German Messerschmitt Bf 109E.[5] Nonetheless, a significant limitation was the lack of reliable inline engines with adequate power; consequently, the Re.2000 offered only incremental improvements over competitors like the Macchi C.200.[2]

Throughout World War II, Reggiane developed several enhanced variants of the Re.2000 series including models such as the Reggiane Re.2001, Reggiane Re.2002, Reggiane Re.2003, Reggiane Re.2004, Reggiane Re.2005, and Reggiane Re.2006. Some of these variants never moved beyond prototype or limited production phases. It has been suggested that during wartime development efforts included a jet-powered fighter designated as the Reggiane Re.2007; however, questions remain regarding the authenticity of related documentation.[8][9]Template:Unreliable source?

Postwar developments

After the war ended, a significant portion of Reggiane's workforce took control of the factory, during which period the facility was repurposed to manufacture products aimed at civilian markets. This form of industrial action mirrored the widespread factory occupations that occurred across Italy between 1920 and 1921.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]

Today, the company remains operational, albeit under a different name and location due to various ownership changes. It now focuses on manufacturing cranes and container lifting trolleys. Initially acquired by the Fantuzzi group (operating as Fantuzzi Reggiane), it was later purchased by the American firm Terex Corporation. The enterprise currently operates under the name Reggiane Cranes and Plants S.p.A.

Products

File:Reggiane2000 San Diego Air Space Museum 1.jpg
Re.2000
File:Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario.jpg
Re.2005

Aircraft manufactured

Locomotive models

Related topics

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ERIH
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named catt 3
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 214
  4. ↑ Cappone, Max C.A. "Reggiane RE 2000 Falco (Hawk): The Regia Aeronautica: American". Planes and Pilots of World War Two, Retrieved: 23 June 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named catt 4
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named State p.57
  7. ↑ 'L'aviazione', De Agostini, Novara 1986, vol 12. p. 156.
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Bibliography

  • Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I (Sampson Low Guides). Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. ISBN 0-562-00096-8.
  • Cattaneo, Gianni. The Reggiane Re.2000 (Aircraft in Profile Number 123). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
  • Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "RE 2000... The 'State-of-the-Art' Reggiane". Air Enthusiast, Forty-one, Midsummer 1990, pp. 54–69. Bromley, UK: Tri-Service Press. ISSN 0143-5450.

External links

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