Now that an Australian squadron is. ready for action in the Middle East, it is interesting to, note that the: Italian- Air Force has no fighter equal: to either the Hawker Hurricane دہ the Supermarine: Spitfire in speed: or: fire power, says a. British correspondent:
In the twin-engined bomber class the Italian Air Force is also behind RAF. standard types in speed and range with a full service load.
it can therefore be expected that an attempt will be made to streng then the Regia Aeronautica with German fighters and bombers as well pilots.
The fastest Italian fighter is the C200, witha top. speed of-about. 320 miles an hour, and it is followed by the Fiat G.50, with a maximum speed of 300 miles" an: hour at its best operational height, and the Fiat CR42, a biplane limited to less than 280 miles an hour.
In comparison, the Hawker Hurricane has a top speed in level flight of more than 350 milles an hour, and the Supermarine Spitfire a speed. of The Itillan' fighters are poorly armed in comparison to the British. The majority are fitted with two heavy-bore machine-guns firing through thie' propeller, and' therefore are slowed down by the interrupter gear. Some carry four light machineguns—two in the wings and two firing through ther propeller.
The Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfite Have eight 1250 rounds-a-minute guns in the wings, and a newly designed' British fighter soon to be placed' itt service has 12 Browning guns in the wings.
Three-motor Bomber The Savoia-Marchetti SIN. 79 is probably Italy's most formidable bomber. It is a three-motored machine, and when fitted with three British. Bristol Pegasus engines (built under licence) ithas top speed of 270 miles an hour. The top speed of the Bristol Blenheim bomber, with which squadrons: in: the Middle East are equipped, is 295 miles an hour, and it has not only already demonstrated its superiority over Italian bombers. but also has been able to deal, with fighters sent against' it; Other Italian. bombers include: the S.M.81, with a top speed of 211 miles an: hoúr from three. 700 horse-power Piaggio Stella X engines, and the twin-engined Fiat B.R20, which has a top speed of 268 miles an hour with 1,000 horse-power Fiat engines.
'The Italians are using the Breda 65 as a single-engined: bomber for purposes similar to those for which the British Fairey Battle and Well-wesley were designed. The Breda's top speed' i#î 254 miles an hour—considerably less than. that of the latest version of the Fairey Battle and Wellesle;
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.