AERFER Sagittario 2 (Archer 2)

History

The first Italian aircraft to control the speed of sound - the "Sagittarius 2" ("Archer 2") - actually originated in an early piston-powered monoplane form. The S.7 was designed based on a racing car model and first flew in July 1939, before the official start of World War II (1939-1945).

The plane can reach speeds of nearly 370 miles per hour, and its streamlined Alfa Romeo inline engine is rated at 225 horsepower. Italy took over about 10 during the war and an additional 145 after the war.

From these rather traditional beginnings, "Sagittarius" was implemented as a technology demonstrator. Only one car was built, and it was powered by an 840-pound Turbomeca "Marbore" turbojet. The fuselage remains somewhat faithful to the original S.7, but has apparently been changed to accept jet engines - which include a main aircraft with wings swept back (45 degrees) and a nose-mounted air intake.

The first flight of the Sagittarius took place on January 5, 1953.

On this basis, the "Sagittario" 2 prototype was born, the design of which is attributed to Sergio Stefanutti. Built by Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Meridionali (AERFER), the aircraft is designed to use this model for daytime interception missions with light attack capability as a secondary function.

Engineers were able to build extremely compact jets. Power comes from a 3,600-pound Rolls-Royce "Derwent 9" turbojet engine, which is powered by a small circular air intake. The single-seat cockpit is amidships, under a largely unobstructed bubble canopy.

The wing is swept back for high-speed flight, and the fuselage is very streamlined and relatively featureless. The tail also includes a swept surface consisting of a vertical tail and low mounting level (note a V shape on the latter). A three-wheeled chassis completes the equipment list.

In every respect, the Sagittario 2's design was a very conventional jet for its time - nose air intakes were a well-received feature, as were the bubble top and tricycle landing gear. This configuration was used by many aircraft shortly after the war, especially in many test forms of Soviet origin (leading to the classic MiG-15 Mikoyan-Gurevich fighter).

All-metal construction is used for the entire structure of the aircraft. Dimensions include a barrel length of 9.5 meters and a wingspan of 7.5 meters. Curb weight is 5,070 pounds, while total weight is 7,275 pounds.

Proposed armament includes 2 x Hispano-Suiza 30mm guns and a pair of hardpoints capable of carrying conventional throwing weapons or machine gun/cannon pods up to 700-1,000 lbs. Alternatively, it is planned that the aircraft will support the launch trajectory of underwing missiles.

The Sagittarius 2 prototype flew for the first time on May 19, 1956. On December 4 of the same year, the aircraft breached the sound barrier in a controlled dive at 45,000 feet, reaching a record speed of Mach 1.1 in the process. Although the Sagittario 2 was not in service with the Italian military, it still provided valuable data on high-speed jet-powered flight and high-speed flight that relied on swept-wing mainline aircraft.

The focus shifted to a more refined version of the Sagittarius 2, which became the AERFER "Ariete" ("Aries") - despite the effort put into the program, this effort only resulted in a complete prototype.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes