Savoia-Marchetti SM.79

With full power available and flaps set for takeoff, the SM.79 could be airborne within 300 m (980 ft) then climb to:

• 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in 3 minutes
  
• 2,000 m (6,650 ft) in 6 minutes 30 seconds
  
• 3,000 m (9,840 ft) in 9 minutes 34 seconds
  
• 4,000 m (13,120 ft) in 13 minutes 2 seconds
  
• 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 17 minutes 43 seconds^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}
  

The bomber version had 10 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (3,460 L/910 US gal). The endurance at full load averaging 360 km/h (220 mph) was 4 hours 30 minutes.

The maximum ferry range, at best cruise speed, was unconfirmed; in order to reach [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] with non-stop flights from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], aircraft specially modified to carry more fuel were able to fly over 2,000 km (1,243 mi). The range (not endurance) with 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) payload was around 800–900 km (500-560 mi).[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

It had a crew of five, or six in the bomber version with cockpit accommodation for two pilots, sitting side-by-side.

Instrumentation in the central panel included oil and fuel gauges, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for low and high altitude (1,000 m/3,280 ft and 8,000 m/26,250 ft), clock, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and throttles.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}The SM.79 was a good performer^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}, its wooden structure being light enough to allow it to stay afloat for up to half an hour in case of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] giving the crew ample time to escape, and the front engine giving some protection against [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] fire.


It was also capable of a relatively quick climb, had a good turn-of-speed for its time, and its rugged structure and responsiveness allowed the aircraft be to looped (with care).

Effective torpedo bombing range was between 500 and 1,000 m (1,640 and 3,280 ft)from the target.

SM.79s often flew at low level above the ships before the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was launched, and so were targeted by every weapon available, from infantry small arms to the heavy artillery.

The Sparviero had several advantages compared to British torpedo bombers, including a higher top speed and greater range.

Neither the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] nor [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] presented a real threat to the Sparviero, being 90 and 10 km/h (60 and 6 mph) slower, respectively.


Soon however, the Sparviero faced the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] which was faster but still quite slow in relation to other escort fighters.

Beaufighters were fast and well-armed, and as well as being effective long-range day fighters, were successful night interceptors and late in the war often chased Sparvieros in night missions.

Eventually, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] made their début in the Mediterranean, preventing Sparviero operations during the day.

Armament

The SM.79's defensive armament consisted of four and later five [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. Three were 12.7 mm (0.5 in) guns, two of which were in the "hump," with the forward one (with 300 cartridges) fixed with an elevation of 15°, and the other manoeuvrable with 60° pivotal movement in the horizontal, and 0-70° in the vertical planes with the third 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine gun, located ventrally.

Each gun except for the forward one was equipped with 500 cartridges. There was also a 7.7 mm (0.303 in) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] fitted laterally, with a mount that allowed the rapid change of side for the weapon.

This Lewis gun was later replaced by two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Bredas, which were more reliable and faster firing (900 rounds/min instead of 500), even though there was only sufficient room in the fuselage for one man to operate them.

Despite the low overall "hitting power", it was heavily armed by 1930s standards, the armament being more than a match for the fighter aircraft of the time, not usually fitted with any armour.

By World War II, however, the Sparviero's vulnerability to newer fighters was significant, and it lost its reputation of "invulnerability" gained over Spain.

No turrets were ever fitted to SM.79s, giving its guns a limited range of fire. Of all its weapons, the dorsal one was the most important: with the shift to low-level attacks, the Sparviero was attacked almost exclusively from the rear and above.

The cramped layout of the ventral gondola, with the bomb-aiming instruments located in front and the weapon in the rear, made it impossible to perform both bomb-aiming and rear defence simultaneously, so its usefulness was compromised.

Because of this, in the later versions which were used exclusively for torpedo-bombing tasks, the ventral weapon and nacelle were removed.


The fixed forward Breda, more suited to offensive tasks and aimed by the first pilot, was seldom used defensively, and was often removed or replaced with a smaller calibre gun or mock-up, with an associated gain in speed and range due to the reduction in weight.

Defensive weapons in the rear gondola and the rear hump were protected by aerodynamic shields and only opened in case of attack, however, an incoming aircraft could attack the Sparviero unseen, so the defensive positions were usually left open even though this reduced the maximum effective speed.

The bomb bay was configured to carry bombs vertically, preventing large bombs being accommodated internally.

The aircraft could hold two 500 kg (1,100 lb), five 250 kg (550 lb), 12 100 kg (220 lb) or 50 kg (110 lb) bombs, or hundreds of bomblets.


^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], with an 85° forward field of view, had a "Jozza-2" aiming system and a series of bomb-release mechanisms.


The machine gun to the rear of the gondola prevented the bombardier from lying in a prone position, and as a result, the bombardier was provided with retractable structures to support his legs while being seated.