Breda Ba.75

 

The Breda Ba.75 was a Italian two-seat reconnaissance multirole airplane with ground attack capabilities. It was built by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda (Italian Society Ernesto Breda) during the late 1930s and never went beyond the prototype stage.

The project originated from a modernization requirement of the previous Breda Ba.65, the forerunner, which although having served successfully in the Spanish Civil War, it was already showing obsolescence during the late 1930s. The new project, commended again to Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri (lead designers of the Breda Ba.64 and Ba.65) was different in having a new repositioned wing, better armour and a more spacious fuselage with room for a crew of three, pilot, observer and bomber, for whom the lower part of the fuselage was equipped with large windows. The higher positioning of the wing also meant more clearance which lead to the adoption of a fixed landing gear as a retractable one was not possible because it would have been too long.

It was powered by a single Isotta-Fraschini K.14 radial engine which yielded 900 hp of power and was armed with two 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the wings. This was a step backwards, typical of the Italian aircraft of the time. For comparison, the Ba.65 was armed with two 7,7 mm machine guns, the later versions with 12,7 mm ones plus a rear turret. 

The Ba.75 could also carry up to 500 kg (1.102 lb) of bombs. This was on pair with the factual payload the Ba.65 could carry.

The only built prototype, with military registration MM.301 was completed in early 1939 and was tested soon after at Guidonia. It was deemed as obsolete, so the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) didn't show any interest at all, causing the termination of the project in early 1940. After unsuccessfully trying to sale the plane to other countries, Breda abandoned the project for good.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.75

2nd https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.75

Piaggio P.119

Most of the Italian aircraft manufacturers during World War II, such as Savoia-Marchetti and Caproni, designed and built mixed-construction aircraft (made of steel and wood) or, just like in the case of CANT, made of wood. Whilst FIAT and Macchi manufactured more advanced aircraft, they still had conventional if not obsolete, structures, even if they were made entirely of metal. Only two companies, Reggiane and Piaggio, achieved the manufacturing of all-metal structures and, of them, only Piaggio tended to explore more innovative concepts, even if Reggiane had some jet-powered fighters projected.
The project for the P.119 dates back to 1939 for an aircraft with minimum drag with the engine fitted into the mid-fuselage, in a similar layout as the Bell P-39 Airacobra. It was expected to increase manoeuvrability by placing the engine near the centre of gravity, allowing that way heavy nose-mounted armament to be carried too. One year later, in 1940, Piaggio still had to solve three major issues: power transmission, contra-rotating propellers and engine cooling.
In order to solve those, Piaggio's main designer, Giovanni Casiraghi, tried to solve them with a design that was never built, the P.118 double-engined fighter which was going to be powered by two Piaggio P.XI RC 40 radial engines, each of them connected to a propeller. The P.119 was built instead and flew for the first time in late 1942 with three configurations having been studied before one of them was chosen.
The P.119 was a cantilever monoplane made entirely of metal with a conventional wide undercarriage. It had a forward-mounted cockpit with the weapons, four 12,7 mm (0,5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted on the nose and one single 20 mm (0.78 in) Breda-SAFAT cannon firing through the propeller hub with provision to install four additional Breda-SAFAT 7.7 mm (0.3 in) in the wings, but they were never installed in the prototype. Apparently an anti-tank version with a 37 mm (1.45 in) cannon instead of the 20 mm one, was also envisioned but it never went beyond the drawing board. It had an advanced construction for the time, with many removable panels for internal inspection with the number of components reduced to a minimum and standardised to make construction as easy as possible.
It was powered by a single Piaggio P.XV RC 45 radial engine which yielded 1.500 hp of power. It was located behind the cockpit with cooling air intakes fitted under the nose. A further development was planned with a more advanced variant powered by a Piaggio P.XV RC 50 expected to yield 1.650 hp of power.
The aircraft was flight-tested, but it was found that firing all the weapons produced excessive vibration. A landing accident slightly damaged one wing on 2nd August 1943 and one month later the Italian armistice brought the project to an end.
Unlike many other Italian aircraft of the time, it was not sent to Guidonia (Regia Aeronautica's test centre) for official evaluation and that's why it has been a rather mysterious fighter.
Performance could've been very good as it solved the main flaw of the Italian fighters of the time, their feeble armament. Its performance was good enough to compete with other Italian fighters of the time and had much better endurance. However, the aircraft was not ready when the Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005 and Macchi C.205 were available and that resulted catastrophic for the programme. As we said previously the aircraft was not officially evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) and just one machine, registered as MM.496 was built. Apart from this, the range, endurance, overall visibility and armament were superior. But, with its many technical problems it was never in condition to become an operational aircraft, so the only Italian fighter with an engine mounted in the mid-fuselage section was forgotten. Unlike wikipedia claims, there was other fighter with an identical layout in the Axis side, the Yokosuka R2Y.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.119
2. https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/piaggio-p-119.47582/
3. https://www.valka.cz/Piaggio-P-119-t1325
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Caproni Campini N.1

Note: Next Saturday there won't be new post, since we're taking some days off. See you back in July!
In 1931 Italian aeronautics engineer Secondo Campini submitted a report to the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) on the potential of jet propulsion, with some proposals for its implementation. Later that year, Campini founded his own company to seek after both the development and practical applications of the jet engine. Accordingly, the next year he demonstrated a jet-powered boat in Venice, being that way the first vehicle to harness jet-propulsion and reached a speed of 28 knots during testing. This experiment attracted much attention from the Italian government, and shortly later Campini received a government-issued contract to produce a pair of engines for testing purposes.
During 1934 the Regia Aeronautica allowed the development of two prototypes together with a static testbed for the purpose of demonstrating the principle of a jet aircraft and explore its military applications. Considering that Campini's company lacked the needed industrial infrastructure for such endeavour, he reached an agreement with Caproni aviation manufacturer, under which they provided the needed material assistance for the manufacturing of the prototypes. Under this partnership Campini developed his design, which later received the official military designation of N.1.
Its development, unlike its German or British counterparts, was made totally public, because the Italian government wanted to give the impression that Italian industry was modern and sophisticated.
The Caproni Campini N.1 was an experimental aircraft, designed to demonstrate the feasibility of the jet engine. It was entirely out of duraluminium and had a monoplane layout, outfitted with an eliptical wing. The initial aircraft lacked certain elements like a pressurised cabin, however, that feature was included in the second prototype. However, after initial flight testing, it was found that the heat output generated by the pioneering propulsion system, the canopy had to be left permanently open as a heat mitigating measure.
The engine itself was different from the later jet engines. One radical difference was the compressor, a three-stage variable-incidence one, located forward of the cockpit, was driven by a conventional piston engine, which was a 900hp liquid-cooled Isotta Fraschini. The flow provided by the compressor was used to cool down the engine before being mixed with the engine's exhaust gases recovering that way most of the heat energy that in traditional piston-propelled designs would've been discharged overboard. A ring-shaped burner would then inject fuel into the gas flow and ignite it, just before the exhaust nozzle to further increase thrust.
The engine turned to be powerful enough to provide enought thrust for flight even without activating the rear burner, similar to a ducted fan coupled with an afterburner. Campini named this configuration as a "Thermojet", although with time it has been known as a "Motorjet". However, due to the small size of the duct, limited the mass flow and therefore the propulsive efficiency of the engine, resulting in relatively low pressure ratios with poor thrust and poor fuel efficiency. Ground tests of the engine yielded a thrust of around 700Kgf (1500Lbf.)
The maiden flight took place on 27th August 1940 in Taliedo, Milan at the hands of test pilot Mario De Bernardi, a veteran pilot who had previously set various aviation records. The initial flight took under 10 minutes, during which the speed was kept under 362 km/h (225mph) on purpose, due to insecurities about the untested frame. Considering that the German Heinkel He.178 had flown a year before, but it was kept as a secret, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale recorded the event as the first successful flight of a jet aircraft.
Subsequent flight tests achieved the speed of 515 km/h (320mph). Anyway, testing revealed issues with the engine as it lacked the ability to provide enought thrust to achieve high performance.
Later, on 30th November 1941 the second prototype was flown by De Bernardi and engineer Giovanni Pedace from Linate Airport in Milan to Guidonia, in Rome, as a publicity maneouver. That was the first cross-country jet flight to occur and the first mail delivery performed by a jet powered aircraft. In that flight there was a stopover at Pisa for refuel and was made entirely without using the rear burner.
The N.1 served as a pioneer and jet demonstrator. After that November 1941 flight, a total of 33 nations, some of which at war with Italy at the moment, sent their official congratulations to Italy for the achievement, making the prototype successful.
Thanks to the experience gained with the N.1, Campini, partnered this time with Reggiane (another Italian aircraft manufacturer) and aircraft designer Roberto Longhi, commenced work on a completely new design including the decission of abandoning the native Italian jet engines in favour of its German counterparts, this aircraft, which was never completed was called Reggiane Re.2007.
The N.1 was kept testing well into 1943 when, due to the outcome of the war, and the Allied bombing campaign which destroyed Caproni's factory at Taliedo, one of the prototypes was destroyed and subsequent testing was cancelled. After the war, the N.1 was transported to RAF Farnborough were it was tested and later scrapped. Another prototype was kept in storage at Caproni's facilities, where it survived the war. During the 1950s it was sent to the Italian Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) to be kept in the Italian Air Force's museum, where it's being showed today.
We've drawn also an entirely fictional single-seater fighter variant (with the cabin heat problem solved) which was armed with two 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the nose plus two additional 12,7mm ones placed in the wings.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Campini_N.1
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campini-Caproni_C.C.2 (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Savoia-Marchetti SM.91

The project of the SM.91 was born to a requirement from the Italian Air Ministry for a multi-role aircraft that could be used in the escort, fighter-bomber, ground-attack and quick reconnaissance roles.
The SM.91 was a heavily-armed, two-seater aircraft powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 605A rated each of them at 1475hp of power. It was one of the first all-metal aircraft manufactured by Savoia-Marchetti in order to achieve the best performance regardless of the cost. The central nacelle held the crew of two, and wings and tails were similar to the ones of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.88. It had a fuel capacity of 1600L (422.67 US Gal) that could be raised up to 1800L (475.5 US Gal) with external fuel tanks. It had a stimated range of 1600Km (900 milles). It achieved a top speed of 585km/h (363mph), which was better than the SM.88, the aircraft whose development was killed by the development of the SM.91.
It was armed with five 20mm MG 151 cannons, three of them placed in the nose and two of them in the wings, close the fuselage plus another two Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm machine guns, placed at the extreme of each wing. There was an extra MG 151 facing backwards which was operated by the rear gunner. It could carry a payload of 1640Kg (3620lb) of bombs placed under the wings or a torpedo.
The prototype, flew for the first time on 11th March 1943 at the hands of Aldo Moggi and the results were satisfactory. In fact, a second prototype was made from a modified SM.88.
Tests followed at the next month in Vergiate achieving a total of 27 flight hours. It was an advanced design which reminds to the American P-38 Lightning which served as inspiration as the Italian managed to capture one. However, it didn't pass official tests in Guidonia due to the Italian armistice in September 1943 because by that month, it was still undergoing testing. The first prototype was captured and sent to Germany in October 1943, after which its fate is unknown but it was most likely destroyed. The second prototype was captured incomplete by the Germans when they occupied Northern Italy in September 1943. It was tested on 10th July 1944 but it was destroyed shortly later that year.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.91
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_S.M.91 (translated)
3. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/52645
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Piaggio P.133

The Piaggio P.133 was a development of the P.108 which its first prototype was almost complete by the Italian armistice on 8th September 1943.
It was a single-wing monoplane made entirely out of metal in alliminium alloy with a very high horizontal fletching and double rudder.
It had a conventional retractable mechanical landing gear which, when retracted it went back to the nacelles together with the tail one which retracted into the middle fuselage.
Flaps were placed in the middle, front and backward of the wings together with the ailerons.
The design was heavily influenced by a captured B-24 Liberator and had therefore a very heavy defensive configuration. It was, indeed armed with 4 frontal 12,7 Breda-SAFAT machine guns, two of them aiming to each side of the frontal part of the fuselage, manned probably by the navigator, two 20mm Ikaria MG-FF (manufactured in Germany) placed in two dorsal turrets, another two placed one in each side. Both ventral and tail positions were armed with two 20mm MG.151 each, however we considered that the tail section would've been probably upgraded to hold four MG.151 just like the Avro Lancaster. It had a payload of 4800Kg (10600lb) of bombs.
It was going to be powered by four Piaggio P.XV radial engines delivering each of them 1700hp of power which we took the liberty of borrowing them from the Breda BZ.303 as they look more 'Italianised' than the 'standard' drawing that was running around the internet.
Overall, it looked like a big step forward on Italian bombers, specially considering the defensive armament configuration and there are little doubts that, if it had been produced, it would've been an excellent bomber.
Work on the first prototype was started on 1st June 1943 after a captured B-24 was taken to Guidonia (the Italian Regia Aeronautica's test centre) where it was deeply examined. Six heavy bombers were ordered, and production started in July. However when just the wings and fuselage were complete, the project was cancelled due to the Italian armistice.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.108#P.133
2. https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/366680-piaggio-p133/
3. https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/265595-p133-heavy-bomber-prototype/

Macchi M.C.91

The Macchi M.C.91 was a project of a medium bomber loosely based on the American Martin B-10 that, at the time, was a revolutionary design as it was the first bomber in the world with a completely sealed canopy.
Unlike the Martin B-10 which was made entirely out of metal, this was going to be made completely out of wood. The engine imposed by the Italian Regia Aeronautica was the Piaggio P.IX RC.40 radial engine rated at 630hp each of them which was an Italian version of the British-built Bristol Jupiter with a two-speed compressor which was expected to rate the engine at that horsepower we wrote earlier.
As the power of the engines was expected to be really low, engineer Mario Castaldi would have to cope with a wooden structure as light as possible and make that structure as aerodynamic as possible which, apparently, this design was the most aerodynamic of all his designs for the project. However, in order to achieve that goal, the payload had to be reduced with the payload hanging partially from outside of the fuselage. Therefore the configuration of the defensive armament, which was going to be of two 7,7mm Breda-SAFAT in a turret in the nose, another two 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT in a dorsal turret plus another 12,7mm one placed in a ventral hatch, was really complicated, as the front gunner and the dorsal one, were extremelly bulky and broke the aerodynamics and, furthermore, the position of the front gunner broke pilot's vision making take-offs and landing harder than usual.
Those so many problems leaded to the cancellation of the project.

Sources:
1. http://italianaircraftwwii.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/macchi-mc.html
2. https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,12121.msg118179.html#msg118179
3. http://www.aereimilitari.org/forum/topic/15374-concorso-1934-un-bombardiere-per-la-regia/ (translated)

Piaggio P.16

The Piaggio P.16 was an Italian heavy bomber that was designed by a team leaded by engineer Corradino D'Ascanio who designed a three-engined shoulder-wing monoplane made mostly out of metal with inverted gull-wings.
The wing was semi-elliptical and was mounted high on the fuselage. Landing gear was retractable and had a spatted, non-retractable tailwheel. It had a payload of 1000Kg (2205lb) and an armament of two fixed 7,62mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the leading edge of the wing and two defensive ones. One of them was placed in a dorsal retractable turret and another one in the rear fuselage mounted beneath the tail.
It was powered by three Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40 9 cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine rated at 700hp (520Kw) each of them which drove each of them a two-bladed wooden variable-pitch propeller, the first Italian aircraft to feature that. The bomb-aimer manned a compartment set behind the nose engine on the underside of the fuselage.
It was officially ordered on 4th July 1933, however construction had already started before that date. The only prototype beared the serial number of MM 226 and flew for the first time in November 1934 at Villanova d'Albenga Airport with test pilot Mario Gama at the controls. In February 1935 the bomber was evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) and in October of that same year it was presented to the public at the first Salone Internazionale Aeronautica (International Aviation Display) in Milan, where it attracted a lot of attention and interest.
Twelve machines were ordered by the Regia Aeronautica but the order was cancelled shortly after in favour of the more promising and conventional Piaggio P.32 bomber, designed in 1935. Even with just one P.16 built, it helped Piaggio to learn the skills required to build large all-metal aircrafts which eventually ended in the Piaggio P.108.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.16
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.16 (translated)
3. https://oldmachinepress.com/2015/11/29/piaggio-p-16-bomber/
4. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108

Piaggio P.50, part two

The Piaggio P.50-II was a four-engined bomber of mixed wood and metal construction with a single tail and made of welded steel tube. It had a trycicle undercarriage with the main frontal wheels partially retracting into the engines' nacelles and the back smaller wheel was retractable as well. It was designed not by Giovanni Penna, the one who designed the original P.50-I, but by Giovanni Casiraghi, who started the design works on the P.50-II back in April 1936.
It was powered by four Piaggio P.XI radial engines yielding each of them 1000hp of power placed all of them in a conventional puller configuration, driving each of them a three-bladed propeller. Defensive armament consisted on five 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, one in the front, another one in a spinal retractable turret, two in each laterals and another one in a retractable spinal turret that was never installed. Payload was 2500kg (5512lb) of bombs.
On 24th February 1938 the second prototype flew for the first time, piloted by Angelo Tondi, the same pilot as the P.50-I. Initially, it flew without defensive armament, but since the first trials at Guidonia test centre, close to Rome, on 30th January 1939, it was decided that the best defensive weaponry configuration would be the five machine guns listed before. However, after further tests, it couldn't achieve the expected performance requested by the order of the Regia Aeronautica due to the excessive weight of the fuselage. It also proved to be underpowered and remained unused at Guidonia.
A third prototype was built, made entirely out of metal, known in internal documents as P.50 Metallico (Metallic), which flew for the first time on 23rd November 1938 in the city of Pontedera, province of Pisa, with test-pilot Niccolò Lana at the commands. The performance of this third prototype was delayed until 1941 and it wasn't better than the second prototype, but by that time, the development of the model was abandoned in favour of the more promising Piaggio P.108B.

Sources:
1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50 (translated)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50
3. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108

Piaggio P.50, part one

Now, it's time for something completely different. The project of a heavy bomber traces back to July 1935. Originating from the Piaggio P.23M, developed after the loss of the prototype of this last one. It was initially designed by Giovanni Pegna and was a shoulder-wing monoplane with a single tail and powered by four Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC.40 yielding each of them 700hp of power at sea level mounted in tandem in a pusher-puller configuration. That engine configuration which, even if seems odd nowadays, wasn't rare back during that years, as there were some other aircraft with the same configuration like the Savoia-Marchetti S.55, the French Latécoère 300, the Fokker F.32 or the Farman F.222, among others.
It was presented to the "Programma R" (Programme R) issued by the Regia Aeronautica for a four engined heavy bomber during the year 1937 and it was expected the adquisition of 12 pre-series after the first flight of the prototype, designated as P.50-I and armed with three Breda-SAFAT 12.7mm machine guns, at Milan-Malpensa airfield on 24th February 1938 piloted by test pilot Angelo Tondi.
However, shortly after, the prototype was damaged in a landing accident at Malpensa. Once repaired, it remained unusable, after the request of four Isotta-Fraschini L.121 RC.40 engines by Piaggio was denied so it remained grounded for two years, when it was dismantled.

Sources:
1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50 (translated)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.50
3. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108 (translated)

Ambrosini SS.4

The Ambrosini SS.4, AKA SAI-Ambrosini SS.4, was an Italian fighter prototype that featured a canard-style wing configuration and a pusher type engine.
It was designed by Sergio Stefanutti and was based on his previous SS.2 and SS.3 light airplanes that were tested in Guidonia, the test centre of the Regia Aeronautica.
The SS.4 was an all-metal single-seat fighter with a canard configuration wing with mounted twin fins on the wing trailing edges. It had also retractable trycicle undercarriage and short fuselage with an Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC.40 V-12 engine that delivered 960hp of power and was cooled by two radiators placed in either side of the fuselage in ducts just behind the cockpit and the fuel was storaged in two fuel tanks located at mid-fuselage together with another oil tank.
The pilot sat in the cockpit placed in the centre of the fuselage forward of the two fuel tanks and aft of the armament in the nose. The place of the cockpit gave the pilot an excellent visibility specially on the sides and front. The prototype was unarmed, however the expected armament to be installed was to be two 20mm cannons and another one of 30mm calibre clustered in the nose. Trully a very well armoured airplane for the time and for being an Italian one, specially when compared to another Italian fighter of the time.
The prototype was built by SAI-Ambrosini at their factory of Pasignano sul Trasimeno and then sent to the Eleuteri Airfield, located all of them in the Trasimeno region in central Italy. There, the aircraft was successfully flown on 7th March 1939. On next day, the prototype was going to be transported to Aviano airbase, in North-Eastern Italy, to be furtherly tested, however, the test pilot, Ambrogio Colombo, wanted a second test flight. After 45 minutes in the air, an aileron malfunctioned just 2km away from Eleuteri airfield. Colombo tried to land but he couldn't reach the runway and crashed near Campagna hitting a tree and, unfortunatelly, killing the pilot. The investigation of the accident concluded that the accident was caused by a faulty installation of the aileron and that the engine transmitted excessive vibration to the wing.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosini_SS.4
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Macchi C.200ter

The Macchi C.200ter (which is an unofficial denomination given by us) was a projected version of the Macchi C.200 powered by a Fiat A.80 R.C.41 engine rated at 1100hp of power. It would've been armed with the usual Italian Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm machine guns placed in the upper side of the nose and it would've had the same enclosed cockpit of the early versions of the Macchi C.200 Saetta. The project started in the late 1930s but it was discarded as the Regia Aeronautica's decided that they didn't need another fighter as they already had the Fiat G.50, Macchi C.200 and the Fiat Cr.42.
There was also another projected two-seater variant intended to fullfil the recon-assault role. It would've had the enclosed cabin too, but opened at the back with a defensive 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun plus the original two 12.7mm ones located at the front and provision for three 50kg bombs, two under the wings and another one under the fuselage.

Sources:
1. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 8 - Macchi C.200 (translated)
2. http://www.aereimilitari.org/forum/topic/10831-aermacchi-c200-saetta/ (translated)

Macchi C.204

Today we bring you another never-built Italian fighter from the World War 2.
The Macchi C.204 was another design from engineer Mario Castaldi that never materialized. It was basically the fuselage of the C.202 Folgore prototype attached to an Isotta-Fraschini Asso L121 RC.40 that could deliver between 900 to 1000hp of power. However, in the previous studies that engine was deemed unappropiated  for an interceptor.
The fuselage was identical to the prototype of the C.202 except for the nose which was modified to host the Italian engine instead of the Daimler Benz which powered the original C.202 prototype. The expected armament was a pair of 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the nose, and, apparently initally it was expected to have a four-bladed propeller, however it was considered excessive for the ordinary power of the engine, that couldn't pass from the 1000hp of power.

Sources:
1. Ali Antiche Magazine - 106 (translated)

Macchi C.203

Today it's the turn for the Macchi C.203, a never-built Italian floatplane heavy fighter.
The Macchi C.203 was a project for a twin-engined seaplane fighter that never left the desing board. It was presented to compete in an Italian Air Ministry specification in 1937 for a fast reconnaissance seaplane where, together with this one, the Caproni Ca.124, the Caproni Ca.410, the IMAM Ro.55, the FIAT-CMASA Rs.14 and the CRDA CANT Z.510 were also competitors. It was won by the FIAT-CMASA Rs.14 which was mass produced.
It was designed by Mario Castoldi, who had experience with seaplane designs, and it was intended to be twin-engined, armed with three machine guns (one Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm in the nose, and another 7,7mm defensive ones in ventral and dorsal retractable positions) and would've had provision for four 100kg bombs under the wings. It would've been powered by, most probably, the FIAT A.74 engines as they were the only radial engines available for the Regia Aeronautica back then.

Sources:
1. Ali Antiche Magazine 109 - Macchi C.203 - Un intruso tra i caccia della serie '200 (translated)
2. http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=27144.0

Macchi M.C.72

When in 1926 Macchi won the Schneider trophy with the Macchi M.39, the following airplanes they designed couldn't achieve the victory again, until this airplane came out.
It was a single-seat two floater airplane with a single fuselage partly made out of metal up to the cockpit and a wood monocoque bolted to the front tubular portion by four bolts. There was a frontal oil tank in the nose with its outside wall exposed to the airstream. It had many water radiators, two in the wings, another two in the pontoons, other one in the nose and another in the floaters that ran from cockpit to tail.
It was completed in 1931 with the idea of having it ready for the Schneider trophy, that eventually it was the last one, but because of engine problems, it couldn't compete that year, so instead of halting the project, Macchi got Benito Mussolini's attention who directed state funds to the company to finish the project.
Its engine was trobulesome for two years and two test pilots, Monti and Bellini, died when trying to achieve the world speed record, so the firm decided to re-engine it with a supercharged FIAT A.S.6 V24 that could generate from 2500 to 3100hp of power and contra-rotating propellers.
After 35 trials, the engine was ready for the world record attempt and it achieved it on 10th April 1933 when achieved a speed of 682km/h (423.5mph) with the Warrant Officer Francesco Agello at the controls (who was the last of the test pilots).
However, Macchi wasn't satisfied because Macchi's aim was to break the 700km/h (434.7mph) barrier, and it was achieved shortly after when also with Agello at the controls, on 23rd October 1934 it achieved the average speed of 709.2km/h (440.7mph). This record remains unbeaten today for the fastest speed ever achieved by a piston-engined floatplane. After that success it was never flown again.
It hold the absolute world speed record until 1939 when the German prototype for the Heinkel He.100 broke by reaching the average speed of 746km/h (463mph) and by the very first prototype of the Messerschmitt Me.209 which achieved a record of 756km/h (469mph) in August 1939. Currently, the fastest land based piston airplane is a heavily modified Grumman F8F Bearcat that in 1989 reached the speed of 850.26km/h (528.33mph).
Apparently there were some projects to turn it into a floatplane fighter but they were discarded as there were better models available back in the early-mid 1930s for that role.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.C.72
2. http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-articles/macchi-castoldi-m-c-72-worlds-fastest-piston-powered-seaplane.html

AUSA MB.901 & MB.902

The AUSA MB.901 and AUSA MB.902 were a project dating back from 1939, later modified in 1941 of a heavy fighter project made entirely out of metal and twin-engined. It was designed by the Captain Engineer Andrea Bellomo and built by Aeronautica Umbra SA, based in the city of Foligno and with only one incompleted prototype built.

The first prototype of the MB.901 (which we left it undrawn as we couldn't find a trustable pic or drawing of how it looked like) was born from a request made by the Italian Air Ministry for a multi-role airplane which could be used as an escort fighter, fighter-bomber, attack airplane and fast reconnaissance airplane. It was required in the request to be powered by two engines placed in tandem behind the cockpit. The wings were placed low at the cockpit sides.

The peculiarity of the MB.901 project was the placement of the two engines which initiall they were expected to be the Isotta Fraschini L.180, placed in tandem inside the fuselage which powered two pairs of counter-rotating propellers mounted in nacelles placed on the wings with the radiators placed also in the wings by the fuel tank hatch. The expected propellers were two metalic pair of co-axial propellers at variable pitch with two propellers on each axis. Such system was designed by Bellomo himself, together with the complex mechanical transmission mechanism at 90º in order to connect the axis with the engines placed inside the fuselage.
Given the tehcnological difficulty of such mechanism, was rarely employed, even if it offered certain advantages like a significant reduction of the weight, with the possibility of including the inversion of the propellers, something very important for the piloting during the dive bombing maneouver, and during landing. It also gave more in-flight stability.
The MB.902 prototype was powered by two Alfa-Romeo RA 1000 RC.41 delivering each of them 1050hp of power. That engine was a Italian version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601, however, other sources claim that the installed engines were the Italian FIAT 1050 RC.581. The expected armament, as it was never installed on the prototype, were four 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT caliber machine guns, placed at the wings and fuselage plus two 20mm MG151/20 cannons. Most probably it also had some bomb delivering capability.

On 7th September 1939, a non flyable model was requested to the designer, having working engines, in order to check the effectivity of them.
Later in 1941, the designer reached an agreement with AUSA for building the first prototype, which it's maiden flight was expected for the summer of 1943. At this stage some radical designs were made to the original design of the MB.901, which is therefore known as the MB.902. The wings were modified which were placed high in the fuselage and was built with a trycicle undercarriage, but the most important modification were the place of the propellers which were placed on the wings, behind the cockpit in order to improve the visibility of the pilot.
Of the two expected prototypes, only the first wind tunnel one, made out of wood, was built. On 8th September 1943, the date of the Italian armistice, the project was cancelled and the prototype model was destroyed.

Sources:
1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/AUSA_MB.902 (translated)

AERFER Leone

With this never-built airplane, we open a new sub-section at the right, dedicated to the unbuilt airplanes throughout history.

The Aerfer Leone was an Italian supersonic interceptor project. Designed by the designer Sergio Stefanutti it was initially born as an evolution of the Ariete. It was, however cancelled due to various political decisions when the prototype was at 80% of being completed.

After the experience of having an airplane powered by two jet engines like the Ariete, Stefanutti decided to use a more powerful auxiliary engine, in a similar manner that the British Saunders-Roe Sr.53 did.

The new interceptor, fully supersonic (it was intended to reach the speed of 2115 Km/h) was going to represent the last evolution of the prototype series started with the Sagittario. It featured many changes with respect to both Sagittario and Ariete, in fact it had a longer fuselage, a larger fuel tank, a new canopy, 50º angled wings and a single air intake for both engines (unlike the Ariete where each engine had it's own air intake) that could acommodate a radar, in fact this was going to be the first native Italian airplane design which would feature a radar.

The prototype was almost fully completed, but the Italian government decided to invert the funds into buying the newer American land-to-air Hawks missiles and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighters.

Technical data:

• Crew: 1 (Pilot)
• Length: 11,20m
• Wingspan: 6,93m
• Wing Degree: 50º
• Wing Area: 17,6 Square meters
• Empty Weight: 3605Kg
• Maximum take-off weight: 7890Kg.
• Engines: 1 Bristol-Siddeley Orpheus B.Or.12 & 1 De Havilland Spectre
• Thrust/Weight: 3090Kg plus 4550 auxiliary
• Max. Speed: 2115 Km/h
• Service Ceiling: 24500m
• Armament: Two missiles (underwings, probably Sidewinders or Firestreak)

Sources: 1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerfer_Leone
2. http://xoomer.virgilio.it/aviostoria/A/AERFER/leone.htm
3.http://www.aerei-italiani.net/Home_Page_-_Aerei_Italiani_-_Brevi_pagine_della_Storia_dellAviazione_Italiana.html

AERFER Sagittario I - Fictional users

We've been feeling creative, so we decided to draw some fictional profiles for the Sagittario I. Enjoy!

• Regia Aeronautica: Considering that the Sagittario I is based on an airplane designed back in 1939, we thought that it would be interesting to see it in Italian World War 2 colours.
• Spain: If Spain needed some jet interceptors, this would've been a good afordable choice back in the early 1950s.