Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) was founded in 1908 by the Cousilich family The Cantieri Aeronautici e Navali Triestini (CANT) aircraft division was set up in 1923. CNT then merged with Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino in 1929 and renamed Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA) and retained the CANT division. From 1933 onwards Filippo Zappata (1894-1994) was their renowned chief aircraft designer until he joined Breda in 1942. His 500 series were all water based and the 1000 series were land based. One notable feature of their aircraft was their all-wood construction due, in part, to the ship building origins of the company. All aircraft production had ceased by 1944 but the shipbuilding continued and is now part of the Fincantieri group.

CANT Z.501 Gabbiano. This was Zappata's initial 500 series design. This large single-engined reconnaissance aircraft broke many distance records after its debut in 1934. It had a long range thanks to good fuel economy from its Isotta Fraschini Asso XI engine. Despite being slow and vulnerable, it served throughout WWII and was not retired until 1949. The 1/72 Italeri kit, which gets re-issued now and again, is a popular model although the Ali d’Italia guide does show up various errors to its shape, such as the ailerons, canopy and engine cowling. White Ensign Models produced a comprehensive etch set for this model with many structural parts for detailing its rather sparse interior.

CANT Z.504. 1934 single engined two-seat prototype built in response to a Regia Marina request for a reconnaissance seaplane. The IMAM Ro.43 was selected for this role, so no orders were placed. Choroszy Modelbud produced a decent 1/72 resin kit of this aircraft.

CANT Z.506 Airone. First built in 1935, this was Zappata's most successful seaplane design. Originally used as an airliner for Ala Littoria, it was reconfigured as a bomber, which required an all new fuselage. It was very popular with its crew for having very stable handling in rough seas and was used in a variety of other roles, such as search & rescue, hospital/ambulance duties and reconnaissance. The last known Z.506 was retired as late as 1959. There is an surviving example preserved in the air museum at Vigna di Valle. In 1986, Supermodel released a rather basic 1/72 kit which has since been upgraded by Italeri with improved internal & external details and an impressive decal sheet. Broplan also produced a vac-form conversion kit to build the original airliner variant. Now OOP, the limited run 1/48 Alphaflight Z.506B resin kit is a challenging build should you be lucky enough to track one down.

CANT Z.511. Notable for being one of the largest floatplanes ever built, this elegant 4-engined design was initiated in 1937. However, protracted development meant that its first flight did not take place until 1940. Originally designed for commercial flights to Latin America, it was adapted for long range maritime transport and patrol. Only 2 were built. Rare Bird Models have released a series of 1/72 & 1/144 scale 3-D printed kits in 'what-if' civilian & military schemes. Overall detail is outstanding but comes with some very tiny detail parts so could prove a challenge for less experienced modellers. Being a large airframe, the 1/72 scale kit will be a very impressive model indeed. The 1/144 kit is perhaps the preferred choice for those who have less room for display.

CANT Z.1007 Alcione. Perhaps Zappata's most widely known CANT aircraft design. Its all wood structure was often effected by temperature extremes but it was still considered the best bomber in Regia Aeronautica service. It also performed very well on long range reconnaissance missions. The initial trimotor design had Isotta Fraschini Asso in-line engines. The bis variant had alterations made to the fuselage and were powered by Piaggio radials. It was the most numerous type with 450 built. The twin-tail bideriva variant was introduced during the production run. A third ter variant had uprated engines and was used mainly as a night bomber.

The 1/72 Supermodel Z.1007bis (mono & bideriva) and 1/48 Alphaflight resin kits are all discontinued. The Broplan 1/72 vac-form kit of the early Asso engined version is in limited supply. Despite the rather crude moulding, it is reasonably accurate. The old Supermodel kit has many outline faults and it will be interesting to see if Italeri have corrected them in the soon to be re-issued kit. The 1/48 Alphflight resin kit is impressive when built but will be a challenge to find one let alone build one!

CANT Z.1011. This rather boxy design was the second land-based bomber designed by Zappata. Just 5 of these twin-engined aircraft were built and were used for transport duties only because the Regia Aeronautica had previously selected the Z.1007 trimotor for the bomber role. There are no known kits.

CANT Z.1012. A 1930 three-engined monoplane used by the diplomatic corps. Both Mussolini and Italo Balbo were thought to have used this aircraft. There are no kits known of this aircraft.

CANT Z.1015. A prototype of a modified Z.1007 that was initially thought to be for long distance mail delivery duties but possibly intended as a fast bomber. It had uprated Piaggio engines which gave good performance figures with a top speed of 347 mph recorded. Italian Wings produced a 1/72 resin kit in the past but it is OOP.

CANT Z.1018. An elegant twin-engined bomber that was to be Zappata's last  design for CANT. Although the project had started in 1939, it suffered a prolonged development with all kinds of engine issues and complaints about the high cockpit and narrow fuselage. In 1942, Zappatta accepted an offer to join Breda where he put forward 4 more proposals. Of these, only the BZ.301 and BZ.303 were progressed. Series production of the CANT Z.1018 wers severely hampered by repeated Allied bombing and eventually all factory remnants were demolished during 1944, with only a few pre-series aircraft ever making it into service. There is a mini Ali d'Italia guide that gives a brief outline of the rather tragic history of this fine looking aircraft but it is OOP. Only kits are known to have been produced are KPL's 1/72 vacuform kit and the Legato 1/72 resin kit but both are discontinued.

Z.501

Z.504

Z.506B

Z.511

Z.1012

Z.1018

Z.1011

Z.1015

Model images are links to a build article