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Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello (Bat)

Savoy-Marchetti SM. 81 The Story of Pipistrello (The Bat)

Savoia-Marchetti SM. The 81 Pipistrello ("The Bat") served primarily with Regia Aeronautica in the 1930s and 1940s. The aircraft served as an effective troop carrier and bomb platform during the Italian-Abyssinian War in 1935, the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the invasion of Albania in 1939 and the Axis withdrawal from Tunisia in 1943. The plane was nicknamed "The Warhead" by pilots for its slow performance by 1940s standards.

A total of 535 copies were made.

The roots of Savoia-Marchetti

The Savoia-Marchetti company was laid in 1915 during the First World War (1914-1918). At the time, the company operated under the name Societa Idrovolanti Alta Italia ("Northern Italian Seaplane Company"), with the initials "SIAI", and focused on the design and production of seaplanes.

In the post-war world, the company took over the aircraft office Societa Anonima Costruzioni Aeronautiche Savoia, founded by Umberto Savoia (also founded in 1915), and added the Savoia name. In 1922, chief designer Alessandro Marchetti joined Savoia and the company name was changed again, this time to "Savoia-Marchetti".

Savoia-Marchetti has made quite a name for herself by focusing her talents on fast aircraft that can deliver good overall performance. The company's standout product became the SM S. 55 airship in 1926, which quickly made Savoia-Marchetti a premier aircraft manufacturer. The bureau will also develop multiple platforms that will eventually set multiple world airspeed and endurance records. Before World War II, the Italian Air Force Marshal Italo Balbo approached the company and began to develop products with a wartime attitude, so the Savoia-Marchetti company responded with prototypes and evaluation models, which were eventually used in fighter and fighter production as well as large aircraft took charge during the war Much of the work of Regia Aeronautica.

By 1943, the company was again renamed SIAI-Marchetti. Most of the company's production facilities were damaged or completely destroyed during the war.

In post-war Europe, SIAI-Marchetti made a living producing civilian railways and service cars. However, this was not enough to avoid the bankruptcy that eventually led to the company's founding in 1951. The company re-emerged in 1953, focusing on the design and production of helicopters.

In the mid-1980s, the company was acquired by Italian helicopter manufacturer Agusta, and the SIAI-Marchetti name no longer exists.

Origin of SM. 81

SM. The 81 was originally a bomber designed by Alessandro Marchetti with SM roots. 73 civilian aircraft. SM. The 73 was first introduced in 1934 and was a huge commercial success in the airliner market. In general, commercial aircraft are a good starting point for bomber design because they focus on speed, weight payload, and range.

Three-engine SM. The 81 proved this and developed into a very powerful military platform in the second half of the two world wars. The first flight was recorded in 1934. Militarized SM. The 81 underwent extensive evaluation by Regia Aeronautica before entering service in 1935, and mass production began shortly thereafter.

As planned from the beginning, SM. The 81 (like the SM. 73 before it) will be able to take on a range of engines if the desired role needs to be defined in the Italian Air Force.

Savoy-Marchetti SM. 81 Travel

SM. The 81 played a very useful role, similar in many respects to the German Junkers Ju 52/3m. She has a sleek hull with a certain mid-1930s style, three engines mounted along her design, and a sleek and board-edged profile.

One engine is mounted at the very forward end of the fuselage, while the remaining pair are mounted on the leading edge of each wing. Observation windows dot the sides of the fuselage, and the canopy is glass. The wing is a large-span, high-surface-area, low-set, single-wing cantilever design. The components are well maintained by design, as is the flight deck, which is mounted slightly forward of the leading edge of the wing. Visibility is adequate in flight and low visibility when taxiing on the ground.

The fuselage tapers gradually toward the tail, with a round tail attached. There is a vertical tail with a flat leading edge and suitable stabilizers on each side. The main landing gear legs usually have a small tail wheel set at the rear to improve aerodynamics. The landing gear is fixed and cannot be retracted.

Standard staff consists of six employees.

Armed

When deployed in a militarized role, SM. Due to its design, the 81 occupied several defensive machine gun positions. This usually consists of 5 to 6 x 7.7mm Breda SAFAT machine guns.

Two were mounted in retractable ventral cannon positions, and two were mounted on the rearward deck above and aft of the cockpit. The remaining pair is split into two beam positions along the sides of the fuselage. For offensive operations, SM. The 81 is capable of deploying a variety of internal ammunition stocks, from a few 1,100-pound bombs to more than fifty 33-pound bombs.

The total bomb load was limited to 4,415 pounds of guns, while 2,000 pounds was usually the standard combat load.

Performance

SM from the beginning. The 81 will be powered by a variety of engines. Many Alfa Romeo, Gnome-Rhone and Piaggo radial piston engines were installed in large numbers until the end of their production run. Alfa Romeo delivered the 125 RC. 35 and 126 RC.

Series 34 engines range from 580 to 900 hp, and Piaggo's P. X RC. 15 and p. IX RC. 40 from 670 to 700 hp were used. Gnome-Rhone's contribution is the 14K series of engines ranging from 650 to 1,000 hp. A sure SM.

The 81bis model was even evaluated with just two 840 hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI inline engines. The aircraft's nose was appropriately redesigned to cover the missing area due to the removal of the nose engine and become a Bombardier position. This guy didn't get a promotion.

The production breakdown for each engine type is as follows: Alfa Romeo 125 RC. 35 of 192 examples; Piaggio S. IX RC. 40 of 140 examples; Gnome-Rhone 14K of 96 examples; Alfa Romeo 126RC. 34 of 58 samples; Piaggio P.X RC. 15 out of 48 examples.

When SM is established. The 81 performed very well. She can reach top speeds in excess of 200 mph, with a top speed of nearly 23,000 feet per hour, and a range of 1,200 miles.

By the time of World War II, however, those specs were woefully inadequate, and she was easy prey for a new generation of enemy hunters.

SM. 81 in action

SM. The 81 made its debut in the Second Italian-Abyssinian War of 1935-1936, which pitted the armies of the Kingdom of Italy against the armies of the Ethiopian Empire, which led to the latter conquering and annexing Italian colonies in East Africa. The platform has excelled in reconnaissance, bomber and transport missions, making it an important aspect of the Italian war machine in the near term, with more orders for production prototypes. SM. The 81 was also used by the Aviazone Legionaria during the upcoming 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War.

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini even used a modified SM. 81 As his personal transport - the plane received the unfortunate name "Taratuga" (or "Turtle").

SM's 1930s roots by the time of World War II. 81 becomes very apparent. Despite its robust internal structure and design (it was reported to withstand enemy fire well and absorb a lot of punishment), this type of bomber was significantly slower than modern bomber models and was suitable as light hunting fodder.

Hence the SM. The 81 was grounded in March 1938, and the model was relegated to second-line missions and night bombing. The emergence of the stronger Savoia-Marchetti SM. The 79 Sparrowhawks in 1936 also contributed to the failure of the SM. 81 to smaller roles.

Of the 534 aircraft that have been delivered, 304 are still in service with Regia Aeronautica, but many are outside Italy. Over time, these active services will become SMs. The 81s were quickly converted to the role of troop carriers to expand their role in warfare. Despite its age, SM.

From 1940 onwards, the 81 was still used for limited but aggressive bombing missions and is now focused on targets in East Africa.

Since then, the type has only been used on the African and Eastern fronts. Its impressive rebirth as a personnel carrier forced production to resume again in early 1943. About 80 more aircraft (designated SM.81/T) were produced before the Italians surrendered to the Allies in September 1943, but by this time almost all of the SMs were in service. 81 retired and only 4 remained in southern Italy. In parts of northern Italy controlled by the Axis powers, Italy SM.

81 still fought in some numbers, consisting of two pro-Axis Luftwaffe groups. Some SM after the war. The 81s survived for a while until the series was finally phased out completely in 1950.

SM. The 81 is only produced in two different brands - SM. Base 81 produces bombers/transports and SMs. 81/T when production resumes. SM. The 81B was a "one-off" experimental twin-engine prototype that was not considered due to poor performance figures. Beyond Italy, SM. 81 Entered inventories in Taiwan (ROC) and Spain.

The three were transported to Taiwan but disappeared in a training accident in early 1938.