Caproni Ca.165

The Caproni Ca.165 was an Italian biplane fighter developed just before World War II that was built only as a prototype, because the Fiat CR.42 Falco was chosen for production. It first flew in February 1938. Construction was mixed, with a steel-framed light-alloy fuselage, wooden fabric-covered wings and a metallic tail; it had a narrow fuselage with an enclosed cockpit, spatted fixed wheels and a distinctive retractable radiator. Power came from a 671 kW Isotta Fraschini L.121 R.C.40 V-12 driving a three-bladed electric propeller. In mock combat at Guidonia it outperformed the CR.42, but pilots rated it inferior because its experimental engine was less reliable, and an order for twelve placed in September 1939 was cancelled the next month.