The first ‘new’ vehicle of the autonomous Italian tech tree, oh boy…
The CR.32 is an Italian biplane fighter and was the most widely used aircraft in the Spanish Civil War. 1,211 vehicles were produced, and this nippy “cricket”was exported to China, Hungary, Austria, Paraguay, and Venezuela, was licensed for production in Spain, and also formed the core of Italy’s armed air force in the latter half of the 1930s.
In the game, the CR.32 will take its rightful place at the very roots of the Italian aviation tech tree. This fighter will have the excellent horizontal maneuverability typical of all biplanes. On the other hand, it’s best to avoid vertical maneuvers in this aircraft, as you will quickly lose speed and render the plane virtually useless. Compared to its main historical rival, the Soviet Polikarpov I-15, the CR.32 can’t compete in maneuverability, but it does have a higher low-altitude speed and can dive well. When comparing the CR.32 with the earlier I-16 monoplane, the situation is reversed: the I-16 is certainly the faster aircraft, while the Italian plane is the favorite when it comes to maneuvers.
The frontal armament – two large-caliber Breda-SAFAT machine guns – will be a compelling show of force in the hands of the player, since even a short burst of 12.7 mm explosive rounds can detach an opponent’s wing or set fire to their fuel tank. The ability to carry several small bombs when necessary allows you to temporarily recast the CR.32quater as a light attacker and suppress anti-air resistance.
The aircraft’s entire load-carrying structure is made of metal, which means that it can withstand serious damage and still make it back to the airfield in cases when virtually all similar fighter aircraft would have long dropped out of the sky.
The CR.32 will appear in the War Thunder skies in the forthcoming update 1.69. It will be a reserve aircraft in the Italian aviation tech tree. All pilots are advised to bring their sunscreen, as they’ll soon be in the sweltering skies of Spain, battling it out in fiery and furious turning engagements.
