Savoia-Marchetti SM.79
| Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
October 1934 |
| Commissioning: |
1937 |
| Production time: |
Spring 1943 |
| Number of pieces: |
1,236 |
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero ( Sparviero ) was a three-engined, medium-weight bomber of Italian origin during the Second World War .
history
Developed on the basis of the somewhat larger SM.81 Pipistrello , the prototype, originally intended as a civilian transport aircraft for eight people, flew at the end of 1934. After it had received more powerful engines, the machine set several world records in 1935 under the designation SM.79P ; after further improvements in engine performance in the following year, further top performances followed. The second prototype appeared as a bomber due to the recognized power reserves. After the troop trials, the Regia Aeronautica received the first specimens of the SM.79-I series in 1937 , which were also used in the Spanish Civil War. Yugoslavia ordered 45 of them. When Italy entered World War II, the Luftwaffe had around 600 Sparvieros , which were used as bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, transporters and torpedo bombers in all Italian theaters of war. The twin-engine bomber version developed in 1936 was exported to Romania , Brazil and Iraq . The attempt to use the aircraft as an unmanned aerial vehicle prepared with explosives against ships failed because of difficulties with the remote control. The SM.79 was built in around 1330 copies and was one of the best Italian bombers of the Second World War.
technical description
The SM.79 was a five - seater low -wing aircraft in composite construction . The hull was made of tubular steel; in the bow area it was planked with duralumin , otherwise covered with fabric. The normal tail was braced, the tail landing gear retractable. The "hump" above the cockpit was characteristic.
Versions
- SM.79-I : first bomber series production, differed from the prototype by a nacelle and changes to the cockpit
- SM.79-II : torpedo aircraft with more powerful engines produced from October 1939 (see technical data )
- SM.79-III : Further development of the SM.79-II without nacelle and modified armament; built in small series from the end of 1943, from which the SM.579 was derived
- SM.79B : twin-engine export version of the SM.79-I , three units delivered to Brazil, four units to Iraq and 24 units to Romania
- SM.79C : Version with Piaggio P.XI-RC.40 engines and without stomach and back machine guns, from 1937
- SM.79K : Export version for Yugoslavia, like SM.79C
- SM.79JR : Export version of the SM79B for Romania with two Junkers Jumo 211 Da engines; 24 pieces delivered, another 16 were produced under license at IAR
- SM.79T : Long-haul version of the SM.79C with Alfa-Romeo-126-RC.34 engines and larger tanks
Technical specifications
| Parameters | Data (SM.79-II) |
|---|---|
| span | 21.20 m |
| length | 16.20 m |
| height | 4.10 m |
| Wing area | 61.00 m² |
| Empty mass | 7610 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normal 11,325 kg maximum 12,500 kg |
| Engine | three 9-cylinder radial engines Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 with 746 kW (1,014 hp) each at an altitude of 4000 m |
| Top speed | 434 km / h at an altitude of 3000 m |
| Marching speed | 320 km / h |
| Rise time | 10.5 min at 4300 m altitude |
| Range | 1990 km with two torpedoes |
| Summit height | practically 7000 m |
| Armament | three 12.7 mm machine guns two 7.7 mm machine guns two 450 mm torpedoes with 200 kg warheads |
Picture gallery
SM.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre flying in formation
SM.79 in flight
SM.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre flying in formation
two SM.79 on the Sciacca airfield
SM.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre flying in formation
SM.79 in size comparison to a bomb used
SM.79 in flight
SM.79 after crash landing
SM.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre flying in formation
SM.79 at low altitude in the Mediterranean
SM.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre flying in formation
SM.79 after crash landing
In the Aviation Museum Gianni Caproni SM issued. 79
Radial engine Piaggio-P.XI
literature
- Aircraft that made history: Savoia-Marchetti SM79 . In: De Agostini (ed.): Aircraft. The new encyclopedia of aviation . No. 195 , p. 5440-5451 .
- Olaf Groehler : History of the Air War 1910 to 1980 . Military Publishing House of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1981, p. 193 .
