The Fiat RS14 was designed
to respond to a request from the Italian Navy in 1937. The latter
indeed wants to acquire a sea reconnaissance seaplane with a large
range of action. to replace the old Cant Z501 in service. The new
aircraft must, among other things, be able to reach a significant
maximum speed, and conversely, be able to fly slowly to allow good
recognition at sea
The aircraft, studied under
the responsibility of engineers Manilio Stiavelli and Lucio Lazzarino,
is entirely metallic in design. It is a monoplane with low wings,
equipped with two floats. It is powered by 2 Fiat A-74 R.C. 38 star
840 hp. Its defensive armament was provided by two 7.7mm machine
guns and a 12.7mm machine gun. He could also carry 400 kg of bombs
for anti-submarine warfare. The aircraft, selected by the Italian
Navy, will be built in the workshops of the company CMASA, a subsidiary
of Fiat, located in De Marina Di Pisa,
The prototype made its first
flight in May 1939. It quickly revealed excellent performance, with
a maximum speed of 406km / h, much higher than expected. The aircraft
is also very handy. But this very favorable assessment will be tarnished
by a structural weakness detected at the level of the structure
connecting the floats to the aircraft. This defect and the necessary
modifications will delay the commissioning of the Fiat RS14 by almost
3 years ... The first aircraft will be delivered in 1941.
The Fiat RS14s were assigned
to convoy escort or maritime reconnaissance missions. between Libya
and Italy. However, the aircraft, suffering from instability in
heavy seas, could not be used for rescue at sea.
At the time of the Allied
landing in Italy, in July 1943, all Fiat RS14s were based in Sicily.
Many of them were destroyed by the Italians, so that they did not
fall into the hands of the Allies. However, after the Armistice
signed on September 3, 1943, 28 of them were used by pro-Allied
Italian forces (Aeronautica Cobelligerante Italiana) and participated
in operations until the end of the conflict.
After the war, 9 copies will
still be used in the new Italian Air Force and will not be reformed
until 1950. In total, 152 Fiat RS14 will have been built since its
entry into service.
