During late 1937, as the threat of war loomed over the Italian Monarchy, the Regia Aeronautica held a competition for a new interceptor. FIAT responded to the request with the C.R.35, a brand new design purpose built for the task. The new plane was a sesquiplane, which, though archaic in design, proved better than the competition from Savoia Marchetti and Caproni, boasting a higher top speed than either, though its range proved worse. Powered by a novel twin row, 10 cylinder radial engine, developed from “borrowed” Wright R-540 designs, the aircraft could rocket to 300 miles per hour in level flight, and a service ceiling of 36,000 feet, outrunning and outclimbing any other fighter available at the time, even more so the bombers that it was designed to intercept. The engine was equipped with an external oil cooler mounted on the chin of the aircraft to aid in high altitude. Fitted with oversized wheels to aid in rough field take-offs for its deployments in Italian territorial holds in Africa, the aircraft was rugged. Very few were deployed during the course of the war, mostly serving to intercept bombers in the Mediterranean in early 1941, and on the eastern front where some of its characteristics shined. Its rugged design proved to mesh well with the less prepared runways it was operating from in that theater, and its enclosed cabin and unique heating system was a relief to the C.R.42 pilots who were reequipped with the C.R.35.
This is my first plane in years, and it was a blast. Now, there is credit due, as the front gear was ripped from a C.R.32 that I’ve downloaded somewhere along the way, and the gunsight from a BF109. If anyone knows their creators let me know so I can credit them. Have fun and thanks for downloading!