Reggiane Re.2000
The Reggiane Re.2000 was a series of fighter aircraft developed and produced by Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SA and used during World War II. It first flew in 1940, entered service with the Hungarian Army’s air branch in 1940, and saw combat action with this force on the Easter Front against Soviet fighters. It s Re.2000 fighters were supplied also to Sweden, being operated until 1945 by the Flygvapen under the designation J 20. The Reggiane Re.2000 was a single-seat, single-engine aircraft fitted with low wings and retractable landing gear. This Italian fighter was a fast and reliable aircraft, which had shown itself to be superior in maneuverability when compared with other Axis and Allied fighters. Nevertheless, it was not built in sufficient number and it lacked logistical support and maintenance.
In late 1941, the Re.2001 Falco II was introduced, fitted with a Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1 engine; with a total production of 252 aircraft, it was first used operationally by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) over Malta in 1942. About 50 Re.2002 Ariete (ram) fighter-bombers followed for service with the Reqia Aeronautica, these being powered by the 1,175-hp Piaggio P. XIX RC 45 radial engine mounted in a slightly lengthened and strengthened fuselage. The last of this related family of fighters, and one of the best produced in Italy during World War II, was the Re.2005 Sagittario (archer), which had the same general configuration as its predecessors; it was powered by a Fiat RA. 1050 RC 58 Tifone 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine, delivering 1475 horsepower.
Specifications
Type: fighter aircraft
Country of origin: Italy
Manufacturer: Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SA
Power plant: one 1475 hp, Fiat RA. 1050 RC 58 Tifone 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine
Maximum speed: 630 km/h (391 mph) at 6950 m
Range: 1265 km (786 miles)
Ceiling: 12,200 m
Weapons: three 20mm cannons and two 12.7-mm (.50in) machine-guns, all forward-firing, plus up to 630 kg ( 1,389 lb) of bombs when operated as a fighter-bomber
Wing span: 11.00 m (36 ft 1,1 in)
Wing area: 20.40 m2 (219.59 sq ft)
Length: 8.73 m (28 ft 7.7 in)
Crew: 1
