Reggiane Re 2004

The following information was written by Max Cappone, who has researched Italian aircraft extensively and been kind enough to share information relevant to Reggiane aircraft. Other than converting it to HTML, no changes have been made.

RE 2004

RE 2004 was not the RE 2001 "son" but it had to had as ancestor the RE 2005. The fighters of the "Serie 5" were the FIAT G 55, the Macchi C 205 and the Reggiane RE 2005. All these aircraft had the last number of their codes from the last number of the code of the adopted powerplant: the D.B. 605 so, in spite of the model number, RE 2004 follows, from a chronological point of view, RE 2005. This is easily proved by the Relazione Mensile (Monthly Report) of Reggiane about RE 2005 and dated December 31st 1941 where is written that
"...the fact of having foreseen the technical possibility to fit on him with minor modifications the DB. 605 engine, the Isotta Fraschini I.F.Z. and the Reggiane RE 103, it ensures that it should be an excellent military aircraft...."

One of the main problem that decelerated the industrial production of these aircrafts was the slowness of FIAT production (the D.B. 605 was built under licence as R.A. 1050 R.C. 58) and the little amount of the original Daimler Benz sent by Germany. Isotta Fraschini, controlled by Gruppo Caproni, proposed to replace the german engine with the original Zeta R.C. 24/60 (24 X cilinders air cooled, 1250 cv). In 1943 a mock up of the I.F. Zeta arrived at Reggio Emilia and it was fitted at the place of the central engine in a SM 79 trimotor. The idea was to fit the Zeta engine on a RE 2005 frame; by working on the SM 79 it would have been possible to verify the best position of the X cilinder engines with 4 exhaust lines.

Meanwhile the omologation of the Zeta, due to cooling malfunctions, was getting very slowly but, in spite of this problem, Reggiane had two orders from R.A.: n. 90377 and n. 90390 for two prototypes and n. 90454 for four Serie 0 aircrafts. No Zeta engine has never been received by Reggiane: the armistice of September stopped further evolution. Just one example of Zeta was fitted on the prototype of Caproni F 6 MZ that flight for the first time in August 1943. Being never been built no picture is existing but even no drawing is known. For sure no design or drawing was in the Reggiane Achive otherwise Sergio Govi should have found it. On the other side Ing. Longhi sent a letter to Mr. Govi (dated November 6th 1984):
"....Though the order, received from the Air Force Office and from reggiane, I always refused to begin the project." ("....Benché la commessa, sia da parte del Ministero che da parte delle Reggiane, fosse aperta, io mi rifiutai di iniziare il progetto.").

Sources

Sergio Govi, I REGGIANE dall’A alla Z - Descrizione tecnica degli aerei Reggiane Gruppo Caproni, Giorgio Apostolo Editore, Milano, 1985
Sergio Govi, DAL RE 2002 AL RE 2005, Giorgio Apostolo Editore, Milano, 1984
AA.VV., Dimensione cielo - Vol. 3 Caccia assalto, Edizioni Bizzarri, Roma, 1972

In subsequent correspondence, Max elaborated further:

RE 2004, even if no drawing is known, should have had the nose completely re designed, due to the very different shape of IF Zeta; the mainframe was, in any case, the RE 2005 one. So I confirm the infos that I sent you. Today RE 2004 is still a shadow aspect of Reggiane Story and the books of Sergio Govi are the ultimate source of good infos available.

Max C.A. Cappone
- Email Message Eight

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