CONTROLS:

AG 1: Drag Chute
AG 2: Jettison External Tanks
AG 7: Activate/Deactivate Motor Cannon
AG 8: Deactivate/Activate Wing Guns
Flaps: Flaps Up/Down (Inverted). Use also for trimming.

An advanced derivative of the S.Ca. 21 Canarinho, the S.Ca. 22 Canarinho-Bis swaps out the radial engine for an inverted V of comparable power, but the increased aerdynamic efficency from the streamlined cowling resulted in a remarkable increase in performance. appearing in the late 30's, the Canarinho-Bis was capable of holding his own against most monoplanes of its time, but was mostly used in a strike capability armed with light bombs or rockets. Its powerful armament, stable firing platform and remarkable agility made it well-suited for close air support missions early on, something that changed later once anti-aircraft weapons became more capable and plentiful, making a relatively fragile biplane a very vulnerable aircraft in ground attack.

In addition to the 20mm cannons, the Canarinho-Bis is fitted with a 30mm motor-cannon passing through the propeller hub, something considered excessive by most but that proved itself a very welcome addition in ground strike missions. For these extended CAS sorties, it is usually fitted with an external drop tank and eight light rockets. The aircraft was also fitted with dive brakes for dive bombing, a secondary mission it performed with mixed results.

After being retired from service, the speed, agility and relatively cheap cost of the Canarinho made it popular in several racing series, and as such several airframes were turned into racing/aerobatic aircraft. Stripped of all weaponry and military gear, and given a polishing/wax all around, these specimens of the little canary are at the peak of their performance.

Recently, a batch of old stored airframes were refurbished and fitted with a glass cockpit and electro-optical sensors for use as a light COIN aircraft. With high endurance and a surprisingly high payload capacity, the aircraft can carry several types of guided ordnance on reinforced hardpoints. Unsurprisingly, however, it did not see much export success.

Racing variant:

Modernized COIN variant:

Also check out its older brother, with a radial engine