Alfa Romeo 125 Explained

Alfa Romeo built/designed a range of aircraft engines based on the Bristol Jupiter and Bristol Pegasus designs, designated Alfa 125, Alfa 126, Alfa 127, Alfa 128, Alfa 129 and Alfa 131. All these essentially similar engines were mainly fitted to Italian bombers in World War II, Alfa Romeo building around 11,000 units between 1934 and 1944^[1]

Design and development

Alfa Romeo adapted the Jupiter / Pegasus (which are very closely related) to metric measurements, local materials and indigenous equipment.

Variants

(The Italian engine designation system includes a suffix indicating major components or attributes. The most common were R for Riduttore - reduction gear and C for Compressore - compressor/supercharger, followed by a number indicating the rated altitude in hundreds of metres, two speed superchargers were indicated by a double figure such as 10/34).

Alfa Romeo Jupiter:

See main article: Bristol Jupiter.

The standard 313kW Jupiter engine built under licence from the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Alfa 125 R.C.10: rated at 1000m (3,000feet)

Alfa 125 R.C.35: 1934 — 485kW rated at 3500m (11,500feet)

Alfa 126 R.C.10: 1935 — Civilian version of 126 R.C.34 559- rated at 1000m (3,000feet)

Alfa 126 R.C.32: rated at 3200m (10,500feet)

Alfa 126 R.C.34: 1935 — 507- rated at 3400m (11,200feet)

Alfa 127 R.C.50: rated at 5000m (16,000feet)

Alfa 127 R.C.55: 1937 — 560kW rated at 5500m (18,000feet)

Alfa 128 R.C.18: 641- rated at 1800m (5,900feet)

Alfa 128 R.C.21: 1938 — 708kW rated at 2100m (6,900feet)

Alfa 129 R.C.32: rated at 3200m (10,500feet)

Alfa 131 R.C.14/50 :1943 — Two speed supercharger, rated at 1400m (4,600feet) in low gear and 5000m (16,000feet) in high gear.

Applications

• Breda Ba.64 (Alfa125 R.C.35)
• CANT Z.506A Airone (Alfa 126 R.C.10)
• CANT Z.506B Airone (Alfa 126 R.C.34 / Alfa 127 R.C.50 / Alfa 127 R.C.55)
• CANT Z.506C Airone (Alfa 126 R.C.10)
• Caproni Bergamaschi AP.1 (Alfa126 R.C.34)
• Caproni Ca.97 (AlfaJupiter)^[2]
• DAR-10A (prototype) (Alfa126 R.C.34)
• Fiat G.12 (Alfa 128 R.C.18)
• Junkers Ju 52 (Alfa126 R.C.34)^[3]
• Macchi M.C.94 (Alfa 126 R.C.10)
• Macchi M.C.100 (Alfa 126 R.C.10)^[4]
• Savoia-Marchetti S.73 (Alfa 126 R.C.10 / Alfa 126 R.C.34)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.74 (Alfa126 R.C.34)
• Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Marsupiale (Alfa 128 R.C.18 / Alfa 128 R.C.21)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.77 (Alfa 126 R.C.10)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 Sparviero (Alfa 128 R.C.18 / Alfa 125 R.C.35 / Alfa126 R.C.34)^[5]
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79-II Sparviero (Alfa 126 R.C.34)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79B Sparviero (Alfa 128 R.C.18)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.81 Pipistrello (Alfa 125 R.C.35 / Alfa 126 R.C.34)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.82 Canguru (Alfa 128 R.C.18 / Alfa 128 R.C.21 / Alfa 129 R.C.32)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.83 (Alfa126 R.C.34)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.84 (Alfa 128 R.C.21)
• Savoia-Marchetti S.M.95 (Alfa 128 R.C.18 / Alfa 131 R.C.14/50)

References

NotesBibliography

• Book: Wilkinson, Paul H. . Aircraft engines of the World 1945 . 1945 . Paul H. Wilkinson . New York . 288–289 . 2nd.
• Archivio Storico Alfa Romeo - Volume II. Torino, November 1998

Notes and References

1. Web site: STORY OF THE ALFA ROMEO FACTORY AND PLANTS page 12 . PDF . 2007-08-25 . enzociliberto.it . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929010114/http://www.enzociliberto.it/aisastoryauto/articolieriviste/galleryItaliano2006-2/Alfa_Romeo_factory_1933-45.pdf . 2007-09-29 . dead .
2. Web site: CAPRONI CA.97. 2007-09-20. alatricolore.it.
3. Web site: AlfaAEREI Collezione Modelli di Marco Rigoni Settembre 2005. PDF. 2007-04-25. aerei-italiani.net. https://web.archive.org/web/20070605150251/http://www.aerei-italiani.net/Marco_Rigoni/Alfa%20Romeo_Album%20Modelli%20Aerei_Nov.05.pdf. 5 June 2007. dead.
4. Web site: Macchi M.C.100 - 1939. 2007-09-20. Angelfire. https://web.archive.org/web/20071031074858/http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/aecl/Fichier_histoire/1930_macchimc100.htm. 31 October 2007 . live.
5. Web site: The Savoia-Marchetti S.M. 79 Sparviero. 2007-08-27. xs4all.nl/~fbonne/warbirds. https://web.archive.org/web/20070717225015/http://www.xs4all.nl/~fbonne/warbirds/ww2htmls/savosm79.html. 17 July 2007. dead.