Monoplane

Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 Canguro

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The S.M.82 of 1938 was a development of the S.M.75, from which it differed by having a deeper fuselage, greater loaded weight, redesigned fin and rudder, and the addition of a hydraulically operated retractable gun turret on top of the fuselage to the rear of the pilot’s cockpit. Initially powered by three 633kW Alfa Romeo 128 engines, it could accommodate up to 40 fully armed troops or be used as a long-range heavy bomber. It was widely used by the Regia Aeronautica and some were operated by the Luftwaffe from 1943.

In their 1941 battles against the advancing British and their allies in East Africa, the numbers of Italian fighter planes equipped to ward off bombing raids was melting away day by day. The dense sea and land blockade surrounding Italian East Africa made it impossible for the Italians to supply their troops with fresh aircraft from Italy. Soon they had no fighters left except for a dozen Fiat CR.42 Falco biplanes which although they had outstanding flight characteristics were powerless against superior numbers oft the British Gladiator fighters. In this desperate situation they seized on an inspiration of Colonel Galante, and transported the needed fighter planes in dissembled pieces inside the fuselage of Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 Canguro (Kangaroo) transport planes whose range made it possible for them to ferry their cargo to East Africa from Libya. By the Spring of 1941, over 50 Falco fighters had landed in Ethiopia by this method.

Fiat CR.42 inside a Savoia Marchetti SM.82 on the way to East Africa

Engines: 3 x Alfa Romeo 128 RC.21, 708kW / 937 hp
Wingspan: 29.68 m / 97 ft 5 in
Length: 22.9 m / 75 ft 2 in
Height: 6.0 m / 20 ft 8 in
Wing area: 118.6 sq.m / 1276.60 sq ft
Max take-off weight: 18020 kg / 39728 lb
Loaded weight: 10550 kg / 23259 lb
Wing loading: 31.16 lbs/sq.ft / 152.0 kg/sq.m
Max. speed: 200 kts / 370 km/h / 230 mph
Cruising speed: 162 kts / 300 km/h
Service ceiling: 19685 ft / 6000 m
Range: 1620 nm / 3000 km / 1864 miles
Armament: 1 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 4 x 7.7mm machine-guns
Bombload: 4000kg
Crew: 5-6

Savoia-Marchetti S.M.82 Canguro

Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello

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The Savoia-Marchetti S.M.81 Pipistrello (Bat) had originally been designed as a bomber, by Alessandro Marchetti, and saw service in both the Spanish and Abyssinian wars.

Based on the S.M.73, it also had a fixed landing gear arrangement.
Dating from 1935, the S.M.81 was already a degree of obsolescent when Italy entered World War II. Despite the robust mixed construction which proved capable of absorbing much battle damage, it was replaced as a bomber by the S.M.79.

Production ceased in March 1938 after 534 had been delivered. The 304 which remained on the strength of the Regia Aeronautica were converted to troop carriers (18 men) after withdrawal from front-line squadriglie.
In this capacity, the S.M.81 was relegated to service on the African and Eastern fronts, where it proved sufficiently useful for production to be resumed in 1943 of the S.M.81/T. At the armistice in September 1943 only about 80 of these additional aircraft were built, and only four remained in the south by this time although at least two complete transport units were still equipped with the type in the ‘Salo’ Republic of Italy (Fascist-controlled northern Italy).

An interesting historical fact is that one transport model of the S.M.81 was later used as the personal transport of Mussolini, and received the name Taratuga (Tortoise).

A variety of different radial motors was fitted, including the 485kW or 507kW Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35 or 126 RC.34 respectively, the 485kW Gnome- Rhone 14K or the 500kW Piaggio P.X RC.35.

Around 70 were delivered to Spain during the Civil War and 40 were still in service as transports in March 1940.

Gallery

Savoia Marchetti SM 81 Pipistrello
Engines: 3 x Piaggio P. X RC.35, 690 hp / 522kW
Max take-off weight: 9300 kg / 20503 lb
Empty weight: 6300 kg / 13889 lb
Wing loading: 20.50 lb/sq.ft / 100.0 kg/sq.m
Wingspan: 24 m / 78 ft 9 in
Length: 17.8 m / 58 ft 5 in
Height: 4.45 m / 15 ft 7 in
Wing area: 93 sq.m / 1001.04 sq ft
Max speed: 184 kt / 340 km/h / 211 mph
Service Ceiling: 7000 m / 22950 ft
Range: 1080 nm / 2000 km / 1243 miles
Armament: 5 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1000kg of bombs

Savoia-Marchetti S.M.81 Pipistrello

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

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Developed from an eight-seat commercial airliner of 1934, the three-engine Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 Sparviero entered service as a conventional medium bomber with the Regia Aeronautica in 1937, and served operationally with the Aviacion del Tercio alongside the Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 Sparviero Article

In 1937 the S.M.79 embarked on trials at Gorizia as a torpedo bomber, being equipped to launch a single 450mm naval torpedo from an offset rack under the fuselage. The following year trials with paired torpedoes led to the adoption of the S.M.79-II aircraft as standard torpedo bomber equipment. Following Italy’s entry into the war in June 1940, when Sparvieri (Sparrowhawks) equipped 14 stormi based in Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and Libya, the aircraft was constantly in action in the anti-shipping role, its first action being an attack by 19 S.M.79s of the 9° and 46° Stormi on French shipping off the Riviera coast on 13/14 June.

During the invasion of Crete S.M.79s of the 92° Gruppo and the 28la Squadriglia were active against Allied shipping in the Aegean, after which most aircraft were redeployed to Libya for operations against British naval forces and convoys in the Central Mediterranean as well as the naval base at Malta. Among the ships of the Royal Navy sunk by S.M.79s in the Mediterranean were the destroyers HMS Husky, HMS Jaguar, HMS Legion, and HMS Southwall, while the battleship HMS Malaya and the carriers HMS Indomitable and HMS Victorious were all struck by torpedoes launched by the Italian torpedo bombers; the majority of these ships were hit during the attacks on the Operation ‘Pedestal’ convoy which sailed with 14 merchant ships and heavy escort for the relief of Malta. Among the famous Italian pilots of the Sparviero were men such as Capitani Buscaglia, Cimicchi, di Bella and Melley, An improved version was the S.M.79-III without the ventral gondola but with a forward-firing 20mm cannon.

Savoia Marchetti SM.79 10 October 1942

The SM.79 was blooded in the Spanish Civil War as a level bomber with four gruppi of the Italians’ Aviazione Legionaria and 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-G-28 of the Nationalists’ Agrupacion Espanola. Total deliveries to Spain were some 135 SM.79-ls, and as they pulled out at the end of the war the Italians donated 80 of their surviving aircraft to the victorious Nationalists. In the war the SM.79-ls had proved decisive, for they comprised one of the few homogeneous forces able to undertake an effective offensive role, in this instance long-range bombing without the need for fighter escort because of their performance and good defensive firepower. The Sparviero also proved reliable, and remained in service with the Spanish air force for many years after World War II.

The aircraft suffered from poor servicing facilities, and it was unusual for even as much as half the available strength of Sparvieri to be fit for operations at any given time. Nevertheless the S.M.79 was acknowledged as being among the best torpedo aircraft to serve in the Mediterranean theatre during World War II.

Gallery

Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero
Engines: 3 x Piaggio P XI R C 40, 986 hp
Length: 53.15 ft / 16.2 m
Height: 13.451 ft / 4.1 m
Wingspan: 69.554 ft / 21.2 m
Wing area: 664.139 sq.ft / 61.7 sq.m
Max take off weight: 24916.5 lb / 11300.0 kg
Weight empty: 16758.0 lb / 7600.0 kg
Max. weight carried: 8158.5 lb / 3700.0 kg
Max. speed: 234 kt / 434 km/h
Cruising speed: 173 kt / 320 km/h
Service ceiling: 22966 ft / 7000 m
Wing loading: 37.52 lb/sq.ft / 183.0 kg/sq.m
Range: 1890 nm / 3500 km
Range (max. weight): 1075 nm / 1990 km
Crew: 5
Armament: 4x MG
Bombload: 2200kg

SM.79-l Sparviero
Type: four/five-seat medium bomber
Powerplant: 3 x Alfa Romeo 126 RC 34, 582 kW (780 hp)
Span: 21.2m (69ft 6.7 in)
Length: 15.80m (51ft l0in)
Height: 4.3 m / 14 ft 1 in
Wing area: 61.7 sq.m / 664.13 sq ft
Empty weight: 6800 kg / 14992 lb
Max T/O weight: 10480 kg (23,100 lb)
Max speed: 267 mph at 13,125 ft
Ceiling: 6500 m / 21350 ft
Operational range: 1,180 miles
Armament: 1 x 7.7-mm (0.303-in) and 3 x 12.7-mm 0.5-in) m¬g
Bombload: 1250 kg (2,756 lb) internally
Crew: 5

Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 Sparviero

Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Marsupiale

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A twenty-four-seat passenger transport powered by three 559kW Alfa-Romeo 126RC.34 radial engines. The S.M.75 prototype flew in November 1937. Production for military and civil use continued until 1943, 90 machines being delivered to the Italian authorities and five exported to Hungary. The latter were finally converted for military use with dorsal and ventral gun turrets. A number of Italian S.M.75s were also militarised.

SM.75
Max take-off weight: 13000 kg / 28660 lb
Loaded weight: 9500 kg / 20944 lb
Wingspan: 29.68 m / 97 ft 5 in
Length: 21.6 m / 71 ft 10 in
Height: 5.1 m / 17 ft 9 in
Wing area: 118.6 sq.m / 1276.60 sq ft
Max. speed: 363 km/h / 226 mph
Ceiling: 6250 m / 20500 ft
Range: 1720 km / 1069 miles

Savoia-Marchetti S.74

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The Savoia–Marshetti S.74 designed and constructed for the Italian airline Ala Littoria. The S.74 could carry between 20 and 27 passengers in the lower compartment with panoramic windows, while the cockpit crew were five metres up. Navigator and radio man were seated in the enclosed nose.

The prototype, I-URBE, was first flown in November of 1934. Only three were built and they saw service from 1935.

Savoia-Marchetti S.73

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First flown in 1934, the S.73P was a long-range commercial transport powered by three 522kW Piaggio Stella IXRC or other engines of similar output. Accommodation provided for 18 passengers. Deliveries to commercial operators began in 1935.

Savoia-Marchetti S.73 Article

Many were impressed by the Regia Aeronautica as troop transports during World War II, although a specific military version was produced as the S.73M.

Sabena relied on a fleet of Fokker F.VIIb/3ms until they were replaced by Savoia-Marchetti S.73s.

Gallery

Engine: 3 x Alfa Romeo 126 RC.10, 597kW
Max take-off weight: 10800 kg / 23810 lb
Loaded weight: 7300 kg / 16094 lb
Wingspan: 24.0 m / 79 ft 9 in
Length: 18.37 m / 60 ft 3 in
Height: 4.45 m / 15 ft 7 in
Wing area: 92.2 sq.m / 992.43 sq ft
Max. speed: 325 km/h / 202 mph
Ceiling: 7000 m / 22950 ft
Range: 1000 km / 621 miles
Crew: 4
Passengers: 18

Savoia-Marchetti S.73

Savoia-Marchetti S.72

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The S.72 prototype bomber/transport flew in 1932. Powered by three 410kW Pegasus II radials, it followed the popular high-wing, fixed landing-gear formula of the time. An altitude record with 5,000kg payload was established in June 1934.

The Nanking Chinese government bought 20 production aircraft with defensive dorsal turret and ventral step machine-gun posts, but nothing was heard of them in action against the Japanese.

Max take-off weight: 12800 kg / 28219 lb
Loaded weight: 6800 kg / 14992 lb
Wingspan: 29.68 m / 97 ft 5 in
Length: 19.95 m / 65 ft 5 in
Height: 5.5 m / 18 ft 1 in
Wing area: 118.5 sq.m / 1275.52 sq ft
Max. speed: 295 km/h / 183 mph
Ceiling: 8000 m / 26250 ft
Range: 2000 km / 1243 miles
Armament: 1 x 20mm cannon, 6 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1000kg of bombs

Savoia-Marchetti S.71

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Eight-passenger commercial monoplane of 1930 powered by three 179kW Walter Castor, 253kW Walter Pollux II, or 276kW Piaggio Stella VII engines. Several were produced.

Max take-off weight: 4600 kg / 10141 lb
Loaded weight: 2900 kg / 6393 lb
Wingspan: 21.2 m / 70 ft 7 in
Length: 14 m / 46 ft 11 in
Height: 4.1 m / 13 ft 5 in
Wing area: 60 sq.m / 645.83 sq ft
Max. speed: 235 km/h / 146 mph
Ceiling: 6000 m / 19700 ft
Range: 1600 km / 994 miles

Savoia-Marchetti SM.66

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First appearing in 1931, the S.66 prototype was a larger development of the S.55 accommodating 14 passengers and powered by three A.22R engines. The Savoia-Marchetti S.66 was powered by three 750 h.p. FiatA 24R engines. Each of its twin hulls could seat up to nine passengers, while the cockpit was in the wing centre section.

Production aircraft were fitted with 522kW Fiat A.24R engines, raising accommodation to 18. S.66s entered commercial service and at least one was taken on charge by the Regia Aeronautica.

Around 25 were built.

Max take-off weight: 10950 kg / 24141 lb
Loaded weight: 7450 kg / 16425 lb
Wingspan: 33 m / 108 ft 3 in
Length: 16.65 m / 55 ft 8 in
Height: 4.9 m / 16 ft 1 in
Wing area: 126.7 sq.m / 1363.79 sq ft
Max. speed: 238 km/h / 148 mph
Ceiling: 5350 m / 17550 ft
Range: 1200 km / 746 miles

Savoia-Marchetti S.55

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The S.55 prototype flew in 1925, in an era still committed to the biplane flying-boat, it had a cantilever shoulder-wing monoplane with twin hulls and delicate booms supporting a twin-fin triple-rudder tail assembly. Side-by-side pilots’ cockpits were located in the leading edge of the wing centre-section. Twin tandem engines were carried on struts over the wing.

Savoia-Marchetti SM.55 Article

The S 55 was basically a torpedo bomber, pow¬ered by two 700 hp Fiat A 24R engines in tandem, but the 1933 version, designated S 55X was specially cleaned up and fitted with 559kW / 800 hp Isotta¬Fraschini Asso 750 engines. The two pilots sat side¬by side in the centre section, under the engines. The S 55 had open gun positions in the front and rear of each hull, but these were faired over in the S 55X.

Total production exceeded 200. The type formed the main equipment of Italy’s maritime-bombing squadriglie for many years, 13 remaining on charge (but in reserve) in 1939. The S.55C and S.55P civil passenger versions operated Mediterranean routes for a decade.

The S.55 achieved great fame through spectacular long-distance flights: Lieut-Col the Marchese de Pinedo flew the Santa Maria from Sardinia to Buenos Aires and then through South America and the USA in 1927.

General Italo Balbo conceived in 1930 the idea of making a mass flight in formation over the Atlantic, at a time when transatlantic flying was still a hazardous adventure. A fleet of twin hull flying boats was ordered from the Savoia-Marchetti company for the attempt, and the first began in December 1930 when specially modified S.55As covered 10,400km between Italy and Brazil.

Balbo led twelve of these in person across the South Atlantic from Rome to Rio de Janeiro. In 1933, he led an even greater armada of 24 similar machines across the North Atlantic, from Rome to Chicago by way of Iceland, Greenland and Labrador, and back again to Rome via New York, the Azores and Lisbon. The 24 S.55X machines overflew the Alps and continued in stages via Iceland, Greenland and Labrador to Chicago for the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition. The international press coined the phrase ‘Aerial Armada’ to describe the flights. Neither flight was achieved without loss of life, but from that moment the idea of an airline service across the Atlantic no longer seemed such a remote possibility.

American Aeronautical Corp built the S-55 in 1927. Poweerd by two 515hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso (ATC 2-27 in 1930), optional engines were 500hp Wright Cyclone or Curtiss Conqueror 525hp (ATC 2-206). The price was $57,000. Three were built (NC20K, NC105H, NC175M). Savoia planes were more often called American Marchetti to disguise their Italian origin of design although they were built in the US under license.

American Aeronautical Corp S-55 NC175M

Alaska Airways operated NC290K until 1932.

American Marchetti S-55

Gallery

Engines: 2 x 700 hp Fiat A 24R
Span 79 ft. 11 in
Length 54 ft. 2 in
Height 16 ft. 5 in
Wing area 990 sq. ft
Weight empty 11,440 lb
Loaded weight 16,940 lb
Max. speed 147 mph
Ceiling 13,776 ft
Max. range 2,174 miles

S.55X
Engine: 2 x Isotta-Fraschini Asso 750R, 656kW
Max take-off weight: 8260 kg / 18210 lb
Loaded weight: 5750 kg / 12677 lb
Wingspan: 24.0 m / 79 ft 9 in
Length: 16.75 m / 55 ft 11 in
Height: 5.0 m / 16 ft 5 in
Wing area: 93.0 sq.m / 1001.04 sq ft
Max. speed: 279 km/h / 173 mph
Cruise speed: 233 km/h / 145 mph
Ceiling: 5000 m / 16400 ft
Range w/max.fuel: 4500 km / 2796 miles
Range w/max.payload: 2000 km / 1243 miles
Armament: 4 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1 torpedo or 2000kg of bombs
Crew: 5-6

American Aeronautical Corp S-55
Engines: 2 x Isotta-Fraschina Asso, 515 hp
Props: 2 blade wooden fixed pitch
Wingspan: 79’11”
Wing area: 1001 sq.ft
Length: 54’2″
Useful load: 5250 lb
Max speed: 128 mph
Cruise speed: 110 mph
Stall: 68 mph
Ceiling: 16,400 ft
Range: 650 mi
Passenger capacity: 17

Savoia-Marchetti S.55