Macchi M.26

Back in 1924 the Italian Regia Marina was in need of a replacement for their aging M.7ter flying boat fighters so they issued a requirement for a new one.

As SIAI presented their candidature with their SIAI S.58 model, Macchi company presented the Macchi M.26 designed by their chief engineer, Mario Castoldi. It was a single seat biplane armed with two forward firing 0.303in Vickers Machine guns and was entirely made out of wood. It featured plywood and fabric skinning and had wings of equal span and unstaggered. It was powered by a single 296hp Hispano-Suiza HS.42 in a pusher configuration which was mounted on struts placed above the hull and below the upper ring. It was aerodynamically very clean.

It was completed in 1924 and made its first maiden flight that very same year. It showed good performance and Macchi built two prototypes, but the Regia Marina opted for re-engining the older M.7ter in order to save money. Therefore neither Macchi nor SIAI received production orders for their prototypes. However, it served as the basis for the more advanced Macchi M.41 which will be covered in a future post.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.26
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters