what is it?
The Fiat CR.32 was an Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. Designed by the aeronautical engineer Celestino Rosatelli, it was a compact, robust and highly manoeuvrable aircraft for its era, leading to it being a relatively popular fighter during the 1930s. The CR.32 fought in North and East Africa, in Albania, and in the Mediterranean theatre.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 9.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 93 years ago, in 1933.
- Top speed is 2.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 9.5 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1933-04-28
- introduced
- 1935
- retired
- 1953
- status
- retired
- number built
- 1,312
- role
- fighter
- makers
- Turin, Fiat Aviazione
- engines
- 1× Fiat A.30 R.A.bis / A.30 R.A.
- crew
- 1
- passengers
- 1
- length
- 7.5 m
- wingspan
- 9.5 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,975 kg
- top speed
- 360 km/h
- range
- 781 km
- ceiling
- 8,800 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q696588, Wikipedia: Fiat CR.32 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.