Comments by "" (@neutronalchemist3241) on "Italian Whirlwind; The IMAM Ro.57" video.

  1. They did. Piaggio P.XII approved for aeronautical use in 1939 (and fitted the same year on the Cant Z. 1018 Leone prototype), rated at 1500hp. It was top class for that year. Practically no engine using 87 octane fuel could match its performances. At 3500m (critical altitude) it was even a bit more powerful than the 100 octane fuel burning BMW 801D. The 97 octane fuel burning version, the Piaggio P.XV, was rated at 1700hp. When comparing Allied and Axis engines, you have to mind that the Allies had high octane fuel available, up to 100/130 octane (that stand for "100 octane fuel that performs like 130 octane"). That way it was easy to enhance the power just changing the settings of the compressor. IE, no RR Merlin version ever obtained more than 1100 hp on 87 octane fuel. Axis had 97 octane fuel at best, and not much of it. So, if they wanted more power, they had to manufacture new, bigger and heavier engines, that required new, bigger and heavier fuselages.
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  2. Every twin multi-engined italian aircraft had counter-rotating engines.
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  3. I never understood why, while for every other engine of WWII is given the EMERGENCY output, for the Fiat A.74 is always given the MAXIMUM CONTINUOUS output. The EMERGENCY output of the Fiat A.74 was 960 HP, and it could keep it for a pretty long time, half an hour (while, IE, the DB601 could keep the emergency power for five minutes).
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  4. No. The most powerful Italian production engine of the war had been the Piaggio P. XV, rated at 1700 hp. That was a 97 octane fuel burning version of the Piaggio P.XII, that was rated at 1500 hp with 87 octane fuel, that was still more powerful than the licence produced DB 605. When comparing Allied and Axis engines, you have to mind that the Allies had high octane fuel available, up to 100/130 octane (that stand for "100 octane fuel that performs like 130 octane"). That way it was easy to enhance the power just changing the settings of the compressor. IE, no RR Merlin version ever obtained more than 1100 hp on 87 octane fuel. Axis had 97 octane fuel at best, and not much of it. So, if they wanted more power, they had to manufacture new and bigger engines, that required new and bigger fuselages.
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  5. There was also the Regia Aeronautica conception to use "small engines for fighters" instead of "powerful engines for fighters" (the RAF almost made the same mistake with the Peregrine). The Piaggio P.XII was available in 1939, but was considered a "bomber's engine". The P.XII and P.XV had the same diameter of a Bristol Centaurus. So, If a Sea Fury could do 740km/h with 2480hp, it could do at least 645km/h with a P.XV and 625km/h with a P.XII. Not bad for 1943 and 1941 respectively.
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  6. Italy had better engines than the Jumo 210.
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