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Question: What fighter, pound for pound, is better in-game; the FIAT or the CHATO?

Each of them are the workhorse fighter for each side, especially the CR 32 and all it's variants (Republic does get quite a few I-16 Moscas as well).

In WITP-AE, SPEED was king, and the most important characteristic. (This tracks with RL; the Luftwaffe and most observers in Spain felt Speed was winning over Maneuverability). MVR is probably second, and Firepower also important, since you have to kill what you can hit. I think this is all also ture in WiS, though not 100% sure.

First, the CHATO. It's a bit slower than the base FIAT model (229 mph vs. 233 mph), but has more MVR, and more firepower (4xMGSs). Personally, I think losing a bit of speed is worth it, with the higher MVR and firepower:
Big issue though with the Chato: It only has a 20-hex range at normal loadout. That's pretty short, and is a limitation on this plane as an escort.

For the FIATs, the initial batch of fighters are the base version, the CR 32; very early, producution switches over the CR 32bis model, which I am not 100% sure is an upgrade.

The base model is 5 mph faster than the Chato, with a bit less MVR and Firepower. Overall, very roughly equivalent.

A big advantage is the 32 Hex Combat Range.....much more reach than the Chato
The -bis version loses 16 mph in speed, a bit of MVR, and a bit of range. This is all to get more armament on the plane, as it does have alot of firepower, and adds some bombs. This is clearly a FB version, and much better at Ground Attack, but I think as a fighter it's inferior to the Chato.
Are others finding the same thing?