C. 200 serie 3

C. 200 serie 3

G.50 AS serie 7

C. 200 serie 7

C. 200 serie 3

G.50 AS serie 7

C. 200 serie 7

Italy

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.0	2.3	1.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

This page is about the Italian fighter C. 200 serie 3. For the German version, see C.200 serie 3 (Germany). For other versions, see C.200 (Family).

Description

The C. 200 Saetta serie 3 is a rank II Italian fighter with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB), 2.3 (RB), and 1.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica" along with the initial Italian aviation tree, but a variant existed in the German tech tree prior to the update.

The Macchi 200 is a standard fighter of the Italian tree. It is moderately armed for its rank, consisting of two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns firing through the propeller arcs.

The M.C 200 is a fairly typical pre-war Italian design, moderate speed combined with good rates of turning, and high speed tolerance, while maintaining good control at all speeds. Furthermore, the MC 200 is a capable climber, easily matching a lot of planes that it will regularly meet in its BR range. Further, it's fairly tough, capable of taking hits and returning to the airfield for repairs. However it does have its issues as well, most notably the poor engine power which results in poor acceleration and, much like all Italian designs, it suffers from poor armament as well, although given the lower BR then the Folgore, this is less of an issue. Furthermore, as of 1.55, its payload is not modelled, so it doesn't carry bombs, meaning it's a poor ground attacker, being only able to harm soft Ground targets.

For the guns, the same applies to all other Italian aircraft, generally you want to use Tracers, Anti-air or Stealth since they are the belts that deal the most damage. They suffer above 300 meters, so fire only at or below that range for the best effects. Furthermore, much like the other Italian fighters the armament is woefully inadequate to deal with bombers, hence it is best to avoid them entirely, or focus on taking out the engines. The only exceptions are the very early biplane bombers, such as Swordfish, Po-2 and the like.

M.C.200 vs P-36C Hawk over industrial zone in Ruhr.

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,500 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	483	466	8900	16.2	17.6	15.0	15.0	280
Upgraded	533	504		15.2	16.0	22.0	18.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
0	300	600	340	260	~15	~7

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 400	< 270	< 550	> 300

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
3,800 m	815 hp	956 hp

Survivability and armour

• No armour
• Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 behind engine, 1 under the pilot)

Armaments

Offensive armament

The C. 200 serie 3 is armed with:

• 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (370 rpg = 740 total)

Usage in battles

It's recommended to climb as much as you can before engaging, a good 4,000 meters is important, as it can be used to get some extra speed when you need it.

In combat, the C.200 can engage in a wide array of moves. The decent energy retention and high speeds it can attain, about 800 km/h, before it begins to red-line, means it can be used for Boom & Zoom, or to get away. Furthermore it's a good turn-fighter, it out-turns a lot of planes it faces, notable exceptions being biplanes and Japanese aircraft. However, take care as the engine isn't the most powerful, and accelerating is problematic, so it's important to watch your speed carefully in combat. This becomes especially important since the engine is also quite prone to overheating when WEP is engaged, and it cools down slowly.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 12 mm MGs
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good rate of turn
• Good rate of climb
• Decent energy retention
• It's sturdy
• It has very good cockpit view, lack of canopy means superb view to the sides and above, while the slim head rest ensures a good view to the rear as well
• Good control at most speeds
• Can dive well

Cons:

• Acceleration leaves something to be desired
• The guns aren't exceptional, low rate of fire and ineffective above 300 meters.
• Engine is prone to overheating
• Its speed in level flight is nothing exceptional.

History

The M.C.200 is a pre-war Italian monoplane manufactured by the Macchi aircraft company, its name is derived from its chief designer, Mario Castoldi, designer of the famous M.39 and M.C.72 racing planes.

The M.C.200 was a design put forward for the Regia Aeronautica's Series 0 tender set in 1934, a specification for a modern mono-wing interceptor. Of the Italian aeronautical industry, three firms submitted a prototype, the G.50 by Fiat, the Re 2000 by Reggiane and the M.C 200 by Macchi. Of the three designs, the M.C 200 won the tender, being the fastest and most advanced aircraft, although it did have issues that needed fixing before it could enter service, most notable its issues with auto-rotation and sudden, violent stalls. For this reason, the Fiat G.50, while inferior to the M.C 200, was chosen for production as well, as it would be able to enter service on short notice, the G.50 went on and served in the Spanish civil war, and for a time, alongside the M.C.200, which started production a few months after its former competitor, in the summer of 1939. At the start of the war, 144 were in service.

The best fighter Italy had at the start of the war, it remained the top-of-the-line front-line Italian fighter until the arrival of the M.C. 202 in 1941. Used on all Italian fronts, it was agile and sturdy but slow and poorly armed. A total of 1,151 were built before July, 1942. It performed well in the Greek campaign against RAF Hurricanes, and also fought in Africa and Russia. The arrival of the M.C. 202 pushed the M.C. 200 to attack, escort and homeland interceptor roles. 52 were still in service when Italy surrendered.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
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