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Log inSavoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
by rokassan on Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:32 pm
"The Damned Hunchback"
Born as a transport aircraft, the Savoia Marchetti S.79 was one of the fastest planes of its time, with a maximum speed of over 260 mph. The prototype, coded I-MAGO, made its first flight in October 1934 and after that, over 1,200 S.79s were produced. The plane, with its three-engine layout, was almost immediately adapted for military use, being not only the fastest multi-engined plane in Italy, but also faster than many contemporary fighters. And, notwithstanding the problems caused by the reduced size of the fuselage (the bombs had to be installed in vertical position), with the addition of the characteristic "hump" behind the cockpit to accomodate a pair of defensive 12.7 machine-guns, and a ventral gondola to accomodate both the bombardier and another defensive 7.7 MGs, the "Sparviero" begun its career in the Regia Aeronautica. The first S.79s were delivered to 12° Stormo B.T. in October 1936. It was a completely new machine for Regia Aeronautica standards, the first bomber to have a retractable undercarriage, for instance. Transition was slow but steady. Some of the defects of the plane were "dampened" by using fighter pilots at first, and by the trust many aircrews developed for it. Meanwhile, between 1937 and 1938, a few examples of the S.79 were modified to establish new world speed records in its category. Such records were repeatedly set, with the last on December 1938, at the incredible speed of over 320 mph! On February 1937 the S.79 "blooded" its wings in the Spanish Civil War, where an Italian expeditionary corps had been sent. Out of one hundred S.79s, only two were lost in two years of operations, a further proof of the soundness of the project. The Spanish success, however, was more a disgrace than an advantage for the Regia Aeronautica - high ranks convinced themselves that Italy had planes capable of facing any enemy, while evolution of aircraft design was instead experiencing a new boost. On June 10, 1940, when Italy entered World War II, the bomber version of the S.79 equipped fourteen Gruppi of the air force, for a total of 612 aircraft (built by SIAI and, under licence, by Macchi, Reggiane and Aeronautica Umbra).
The "Sparviero" bomber (soon to be nicknamed by the English "The Damned Hunchback", due both to the bulbous upper fuselage and to the capacity it had to absorb punishment) was deployed on the North African, Balkan, Mediterranean fronts and against Malta. It performed exceedingly well, considering its shortcomings
Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
Type 5-Seat Torpedo Bomber
Powerplant (3) 1,000 hp engines
Performance 435 Km/h
Range 2,000 Km
Ceiling 7,000 meters
Armament 4 machine guns/2 Torpedos or 2,755 lbs of bomb
Born as a transport aircraft, the Savoia Marchetti S.79 was one of the fastest planes of its time, with a maximum speed of over 260 mph. The prototype, coded I-MAGO, made its first flight in October 1934 and after that, over 1,200 S.79s were produced. The plane, with its three-engine layout, was almost immediately adapted for military use, being not only the fastest multi-engined plane in Italy, but also faster than many contemporary fighters. And, notwithstanding the problems caused by the reduced size of the fuselage (the bombs had to be installed in vertical position), with the addition of the characteristic "hump" behind the cockpit to accomodate a pair of defensive 12.7 machine-guns, and a ventral gondola to accomodate both the bombardier and another defensive 7.7 MGs, the "Sparviero" begun its career in the Regia Aeronautica. The first S.79s were delivered to 12° Stormo B.T. in October 1936. It was a completely new machine for Regia Aeronautica standards, the first bomber to have a retractable undercarriage, for instance. Transition was slow but steady. Some of the defects of the plane were "dampened" by using fighter pilots at first, and by the trust many aircrews developed for it. Meanwhile, between 1937 and 1938, a few examples of the S.79 were modified to establish new world speed records in its category. Such records were repeatedly set, with the last on December 1938, at the incredible speed of over 320 mph! On February 1937 the S.79 "blooded" its wings in the Spanish Civil War, where an Italian expeditionary corps had been sent. Out of one hundred S.79s, only two were lost in two years of operations, a further proof of the soundness of the project. The Spanish success, however, was more a disgrace than an advantage for the Regia Aeronautica - high ranks convinced themselves that Italy had planes capable of facing any enemy, while evolution of aircraft design was instead experiencing a new boost. On June 10, 1940, when Italy entered World War II, the bomber version of the S.79 equipped fourteen Gruppi of the air force, for a total of 612 aircraft (built by SIAI and, under licence, by Macchi, Reggiane and Aeronautica Umbra).
The "Sparviero" bomber (soon to be nicknamed by the English "The Damned Hunchback", due both to the bulbous upper fuselage and to the capacity it had to absorb punishment) was deployed on the North African, Balkan, Mediterranean fronts and against Malta. It performed exceedingly well, considering its shortcomings
Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
Type 5-Seat Torpedo Bomber
Powerplant (3) 1,000 hp engines
Performance 435 Km/h
Range 2,000 Km
Ceiling 7,000 meters
Armament 4 machine guns/2 Torpedos or 2,755 lbs of bomb
rokassan- Internet bully
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