Friday 15 September 2017

Ambrosini-SAI 7/107

The Ambrosini SAI.107 was a light fighter interceptor made entirely out of wood that was developed and produced by Italy during World War II.
It was developed from the Ambrosini S.7 that was a racing airplane which was converted into a two-seater trainer and served as the prototype for the 107. Such prototype differed from the final version in being slightly shorter (8.17m against the 8.20m of the 107) and having a different engine, a 540hp Isotta-Fraschini Gamma. It was really light, as it weighted just 1000Kg (2205lb) and was really fast for the time reaching speeds of 563km/h (350mph) with an excellent maneouvrability.
It was a single-seat low-wing monoplane with a conventional tail-wheel undercarriage powered by a 750hp Isotta-Fraschini Delta R.C.40 engine with a central cooling intake and armed with two 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT machine-guns with an impressive achievement of 560km/h in level flight and even 800km/h in a dive. Those results made the Italian Aeronautical Ministry to place an order for 2000 airplanes, however, some shortcomings were found in further tests that cannont be solved before the armistice in 1943. The only 12 pre-production airplanes served briefly with the Regia Aeronautica with three squadrons in July 1943 without any success, so they were sent to the Castiglione del Lago airfield (at the time of the Regia Aeronautica's main training centre) in order to equip one squadron, however the armistice made it impossible. Furthermore, the Italian pilots weren't impressed by the speed and its service ended just in the summer of 1943.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosini_SAI.207
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosini_S.7
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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