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Fighter aircraft / C.202

# Macchi C.202 Folgore

The Macchi C.

![Macchi C.202 Folgore aircraft photograph](https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/macchi-c-202-folgore.webp)

Development

## History

The Macchi C.202 Folgore became one of Italy's principal fighters of the Second World War. It developed from the earlier C.200 Saetta, replacing that aircraft's radial engine with a liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601. Mario Castoldi led the design work. The C.202 prototype first flew in August 1940. Its new powerplant and more streamlined nose improved speed, but moving into large-scale production depended on engine supplies and factory capacity.

Folgore was a single-seat, low-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear. Alfa Romeo produced an Italian licensed version of the engine. Building on an existing Macchi design helped manufacturers use earlier experience, while the different powerplant still required changes to the structure and maintenance routine. Pilots valued the aircraft's handling. At the same time, the relatively light armament of early versions limited its effect against some targets. Later aircraft varied in weapons and equipment, so one fixed specification cannot accurately represent every Folgore.

Italian units began converting to the aircraft in 1941. C.202s then operated in North Africa, over the Mediterranean, in Italy, and in other theatres. These campaigns placed different demands on the aircraft. Spare parts, airfield conditions, mission distance, and the preparation of replacement pilots could affect outcomes as much as published maximum speed. The opposing aircraft present at a given place and time mattered too. An encounter with a Hurricane or P-40 cannot stand for every later combat situation.

Manufacture was shared among several Italian companies. Engine and material availability remained significant constraints during the war. After Italy's 1943 armistice, surviving aircraft appeared in different air formations, making their subsequent service difficult to summarise in one sentence. The C.202 also provided the basis for the more powerful C.205 Veltro. Its new designation reflected important changes in engine and armament rather than a simple renaming of the same fighter.

Folgore illustrates how strongly a new engine could alter an established design. Its historical place rests on operational use, substantial Italian production, and the industrial effort needed to sustain it. The C.202 should be assessed by series, theatre, and wartime period. Good flying qualities existed alongside practical limits in armament and supply, while the success of any sortie depended on the wider training and support system of its unit.

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