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SAI-Ambrosini SS.4

1939 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

Even before the American Curtis XP-55 "Ascender" and the Japanese Kyushu J7W "Shinden" were proposed as "duck" configurations for WWII (1939-1945) fighters, the Italian company SAI-Ambrosini together with their SS progress. 4 Developments in 1939. In fact, the type is believed to be the first aircraft of its kind to feature a "tail-first" arrangement, or even the first with retractable nose landing gear. The SS was designed around the concept of a single-seat, single-engine fighter.

4 fails when the program's only prototype is lost in a crash.

This plane was the brainchild of Sergio Stefanutti, who championed the canard shape in his own early planes. The main wing of the new aircraft was mounted aft midship, with the tail positioned forward along the sides of the nose - hence the "tail first" description. The cockpit is slightly forward.

Because no real tail was used, the vertical tail was placed mid-span on the main wing of each wing, extending beyond the trailing edge. A fully retractable wheeled undercarriage was provided, and all-metal construction was used throughout the construction of the SS. 4.

Drives a liquid-cooled V12 inline-piston engine from the Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI RC 40 series with 960 hp. The aircraft's unique layout meant that the engines were located in the rear of the fuselage behind the cockpit, so a "push" arrangement was used, with the engines "pushing" the plane through the sky rather than "pulling" it.

Used in conjunction with a blade pitch propeller unit. The aircraft's record performance specification is a top speed of 355 mph (another source says 335 mph).

As a fighter development, the suggested weapons are 1 x 30mm gun and 2 x 20mm guns - due to the lack of a front engine, all are nose mounted, which allows the guns to be concentrated in front of the cockpit (as in American Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" fighter) - can see the target at a glance (and does not need synchronizing gear to fire through the rotating propeller blades).

The maiden flight of the completed prototype took place on March 7, 1939 - a few months before World War II officially overtook Europe's turbulent peace. The plane was built by the workers of SAI-Ambrosini ("Societa Aeronautica Italiana Ing A Ambrosini"). A second flight took place the next day, but during that time the prototype and its pilot were claimed in the crash. The starboard aileron disengaged from the aircraft, causing an uncontrollable swing of the main wing aircraft, forcing the aircraft into an irreversible dive, causing the prototype to crash and the pilot (Ambrogio Colombo under control).

The crash happened near the town of Campania due to poor craftsmanship.

The company has since done no further work on SS.4 or any similar product. Its brief time in the air and its origins in pre-war Italy undoubtedly meant that the aircraft had been overlooked in the development of wartime canard fighters.