Q&A ยท 1:14:40-1:17:14

C.200 and C.202 as Italian carrier fighters

The Macchi C.200 and C.202 offered performance but needed major structural changes for carrier landings.

Question

Would the C.200 and C.202 suit a carrier converted from a Caracciolo-class hull or built using a Littorio hull?

Short answer

Only after substantial strengthening; their fragile landing gear and airframes made them poor direct carrier conversions.

Notes

The Macchi C.200 and C.202 offered speed and maneuverability, with firepower as a major compromise. The C.200's pair of 12.7 mm machine guns illustrates the limited armament. Their wide, spindly landing gear and airframe structure are the more immediate obstacles to carrier service, because deck landings would require substantial strengthening. The CR.42 and Re.2000 are proposed as more likely starting points for a carrier fighter. The Re.2000 is connected with Italian shipboard experiments, while the initial suggestion that the CR.42 had served aboard ship is immediately corrected.