SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology indust ...

primarily active during the interwar period.

History

The original company was founded during 1915 as SIAI (''Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia'' -

Seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

Company of Upper Italy). As suggested by its name, the firm initially specialised in the manufacture of seaplanes, the vast majority of which were intended for the Italian armed forces. Perhaps its most prominent early aircraft was the SIAI S.16, a seaplane that had been configured to perform both

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of i ...

and

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

roles, but also proved itself quite capable of long-distance flights. During 1925, Italian aviator Francesco de Pinedo of the '' Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Royal Air Force) used an SIAI S.16''ter'' he named ''Genariello'' for a record-setting flight from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to Australia and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

to demonstrate his idea that seaplanes were superior to landplanes for long-distance flights. Having departed Rome on 21 April, Pinedo and his mechanic, Ernesto Campanelli, visited dozens of countries, often stopping for multiple weeks at a time, particularly in Australia, before successfully arriving in Tokyo on 26 September 1925.italystl.com De Pinedo’s Milestone Flights Australia - Japan - America
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''Flight'', 1 October 1925, p. 644.[http://www.flightglobal.com%2FFlightPDFArchive%2F1925%2F1925%2520-%25200756.PDF&usg=AFQjCNGAjxLdvh8rMqo4jsBR3rq5aLF8jw&sig2=odTGJ0rWSqY1qNjRuPA6xw Anonymous, "Rome-Tokyo-Rome: Marquis de Pinedo's Grand Air Tour Successfully Concluded."] ''Flight'', 12 November 1925, p. 756. Shortly following the end of the First World War, the company was rebranded as Savoia following its acquisition of the ''Società Anonima Costruzioni Aeronautiche Savoia'', an Italian aircraft company founded by

Umberto Savoia Umberto is a masculine Italian given name. It is the Italian form of Humbert. People with the name include: * King Umberto I of Italy (1844–1900) * King Umberto II of Italy (1904–1983) * Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi (1889–1918) * Umberto I ...

in 1915. The name Marchetti was added to the company's name shortly following the recruitment of its long-serving chief designer, Alessandro Marchetti, during 1922. Savoia-Marchetti gained prominence with the innovative S.55 flying boat. During 1926, the S.55P prototype successfully established 14 separate world records in categories including speed, altitude, and distance with a payload. Production models were produced for both civilian and military export customers; numerous S.55s were used during the Second World War and for a number of years beyond the conflict, despite the arrival of many newer types. Savoia-Marchetti became relatively well known for its flying boats and seaplanes, aided by the numerous endurance and speed records that had been set by its products. The company earned the favour of numerous Italian officials, including Air Marshal

Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young a ...

. Accordingly, the company was involved in the rapid development and prototyping of a wide portfolio of aircraft types during the 1930s. One such aircraft was the SM.75

trimotor A trimotor is an aircraft powered by three engines and represents a compromise between complexity and safety and was often a result of the limited power of the engines available to the designer. Many trimotors were designed and built in the 1920s ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

transport aircraft, which was developed in response to an enquiry by the Italian

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

Ala Littoria Ala Littoria S.A. was the Italian national airline that operated during the fascist regime in the 1930s and 1940s. History ''Ala Littoria'' was formed by a merger of Società Aerea Mediterranea (SAM), Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea (SANA) ...

for a modern, middle- to long-range airliner and

cargo aircraft A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of cargo rather than passengers. Such aircraft usually do not incorporate passenger ...

; it featured an early implementation of retractable main

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

and was capable of long-range missions, such as transporting up to 24 passengers over 1,000 miles.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 207.Rosselli, p. 20. Another was the SM.81 ''Pipistrello'', which became the first three-engine

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

aircraft to be adopted by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

'' Regia Aeronautica'';Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 188. furthermore, it would be one of the most flexible, reliable, and important aircraft operated by the service through the Second World War, transitioning from a front-line bomber to various second-line duties towards the conflict's latter years.Sutherland 2009, p. 31.Neulen 2000, pp. 85-86. The company became increasingly focused on the construction of military aircraft during the lead-up to, and throughout the majority of, World War II. In particular, the SM.79 ''Sparviero'' trimotor Italian

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized bombloads over medium range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers. Mediums generally carrie ...

has been claimed by aviation authors Enzo Angelucci and Paolo Matricardi as being the best-known Italian aeroplane of the conflict.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 198. Performing its first flight on 28 September 1934, early examples of the type established 26 separate world records between 1937 and 1939, qualifying the SM.79 for some time as being the fastest medium bomber in the world.Arena et al. 1994, p. 7. It was operated in various capacities during the war, initially focusing on its transport and medium-bomber duties. The SM.79 was developed into an effective

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

, in which capacity it achieved numerous successes against Allied shipping in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

theater.Arena et al. 1994, p. 9. During 1943, the company was rebranded as SIAI-Marchetti. As the conflict turned in favour of the Allies, the company's manufacturing facilities were a particularly high-priority target for enemy bombers, leading to their virtual destruction by the final months of WWII. The firm continued to make efforts to design and produce new aircraft, such as the SM-93 dive bomber during 1944, but the economic consequences of the costly war made such ambitions unrealistic at best. During the immediate

postwar In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period ...

era, SIAI-Marchetti endeavoured to survive within the commercially inhospitable climate by diversifying into the manufacture of various items of railway equipment and

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s. The company was relatively insolvent, operating as such for roughly six years following the conflict's end before being compelled to declare bankruptcy in September 1951. During the firm's bankruptcy, all of its staff were dismissed, although more than half were re-employed by the liquidator to complete outstanding orders. During 1953, the company re-emerged from the bankruptcy process, and quickly began to focus its development efforts on the emerging market for

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

s. Largely as a result of its investment into helicopters, SIAI-Marchetti was acquired by Italian helicopter specialist Agusta during 1983. Its remaining fixed-wing assets were subsequently absorbed by the aircraft manufacturing interest

Aermacchi Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Formerly known as Aeronautica Macchi, the company was founded in 1912 by Giulio Macchi at Varese in north-western Lombardy as Nieuport-Macchi, to build Nieuport monoplanes under licence for the Ita ...

during 1997.

Aircraft

* SIAI S.8 - two-seat reconnaissance flying boat (1917) * SIAI S.9 - two-seat flying boat (1918) * SIAI S.12 - two-seat reconnaissance flying boat (1918) and racing seaplane (as Savoia S.12, 1920) * SIAI S.13 - two-seat reconnaissance flying boat (ca. 1919) * SIAI S.16 - flying boat (1919) * SIAI S.17 - racing flying boat (1920) * SIAI S.19 - racing flying boat (1920) * SIAI S.21 - racing flying boat (1921) * SIAI S.22 - racing flying boat (1921) * SIAI S.23 - biplane flying boat trainer (1922) * SIAI S.50 - 1922 redesignation of Marchetti MVT fighter prototype (1919) *

SIAI S.51 The SIAI S.51, Savoia Marchetti S.51 or Savoia S.51 was an Italian racing flying boat built by SIAI for the 1922 Schneider Trophy race. Design and development The S.51 was a single-seat sesquiplane flying boat. Its 224- kilowatt (300-horsepow ...

- racing flying boat (1922) * SIAI S.52 - fighter prototype (1924) * Savoia-Marchetti S.55 - double-hulled flying boat (1924) * Savoia-Marchetti S.56 - three-seat trainer/touring flying boat (1924) * Savoia-Marchetti S.57 - reconnaissance flying boat (1923) * SIAI S.58 - single-seat flying boat fighter prototype (1924) * Savoia-Marchetti S.59 - reconnaissance/bomber flying boat (1925) * Savoia-Marchetti S.60 - high-speed monoplane bomber project (1925) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.62 - bomber/reconnaissance flying boat (1926) * Savoia-Marchetti S.63 - flying boat airliner, single-hull version of S.55 (1927) *

Savoia-Marchetti S.64 The Savoia-Marchetti S.64 was a monoplane developed in Italy in 1928 specifically to contest the world duration and distance records. Design The S.64 was an unusual pod-and-boom design, with the empennage carried on two open truss structures t ...

- record breaking aircraft (1928) * Savoia-Marchetti S.65 - twin engined push/pull racing seaplane (1929) * Savoia-Marchetti S.66 - 22-passenger flying boat (1931) * SIAI S.67 - single-seat flying boat fighter (1930) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.70 - high-speed attack/bomber project (1930s) * Savoia-Marchetti S.71 - eight-passenger light transport (1930) * Savoia-Marchetti S.72 - bomber/transport (1934) * Savoia-Marchetti S.73 - 18-passenger airliner/transport (1934) * Savoia-Marchetti S.74 - airliner (1934) *

Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 ''Marsupiale'' (Italian: marsupial) was an Italian passenger and military transport aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. It was a low-wing, trimotor monoplane of mixed metal and wood construction with a retractable tailwhe ...

- airliner/transport (1937) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.76 (I) - projected four-engined version of SM.75 (1937); redesignated as SM.95 in 1939 * Savoia-Marchetti SM.76 (II) - SM.75 for LATI (1940) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.77 - flying boat airliner (1937) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.78 - bomber/reconnaissance flying boat (1932) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 ''Sparviero'' - medium bomber (1934) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.80 - touring amphibian (1933) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 ''Pipistrello'' - bomber/transport (1935) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 ''Marsupiale'' - heavy bomber/transport (1939) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.83 - 10-passenger transport, civilized version of SM.79 (1937) * Savoia-Marchetti S.84 - prototype airliner developed from the S.73 (1936) *

Savoia-Marchetti SM.84 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.84, not to be confused with the Savoia-Marchetti S.84 airliner prototype, was an Italian bomber aircraft of World War II. It was designed by Savoia-Marchetti as a replacement for its successful SM.79, and shared its thr ...

- medium bomber/torpedo bomber (1940) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.85 - dive bomber (1936) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.86 - dive bomber (1940) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.87 - floatplane version of SM.75 (1940) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.88 - twin-engined heavy fighter prototype (1939) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.89 - ground attack (1941) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.90 - prototype transport developed from the SM.75 * Savoia-Marchetti SM.91 - prototype twin-engine long-range fighter-bomber (1943) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.92 - prototype twin-engine heavy fighter/bomber (1943) *

Savoia-Marchetti SM.93 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.93 was an Italian dive bomber designed and produced in Italy from 1943. Design The SM-93 was an all-wood single-engined low-wing monoplane with retractable undercarriage. The fuselage had a monocoque structure, with a si ...

- dive bomber (1943) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.94 * Savoia-Marchetti SM.95 - transport/airliner (1943) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.96 (I) - projected cargo version of SM.95 (1942) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.96 (II) - projected single-seat monoplane fighter (1940s) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.96 (III) - projected twin-tail assault transport (1940s) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.97 - four engine airliner study (1943?) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.99 - two or three engine transport study (1940s) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.101 - single-engine transport aircraft (1947) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.102 - twin-engine transport aircraft (1949) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.103 - low-wing fighter-trainer project * SIAI-Marchetti SM.104 - twin engine, twin boom transport project (1946) * Savoia-Marchetti SM.105 ''Canguro'' - projected military/civil transport aircraft (1947) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.106 - four engine high-wing transport project * SIAI-Marchetti SM.107 - twin-engine low-wing transport project * SIAI-Marchetti SM.10X - low-wing twin-engine jet fighter project (1949) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.109 - four engine high-wing cargo transport project * SIAI-Marchetti SM.110 ''Chimera II'' - four engine jet airliner project (1950) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.112 - twin-turboprop airliner project (1953-1957) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.115 - transport aircraft project (1950s) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.122 - twin-turboprop airliner project (1953-1957) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.132 - twin-engine low-wing jetliner project (1953-1954) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.133 - twin-engine interceptor/fighter project * SIAI-Marchetti SM.155 - twin-hull transatlantic flying boat project (1944) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.166 - twin-hull flying boat project * SIAI-Marchetti FN.333 Riviera - luxury touring amphibian flying boat (1952) * SIAI-Marchetti S.201 - V/STOL transport project * SIAI-Marchetti S.202 - two-seat trainer, project sold to FFA *

SIAI-Marchetti S.204 SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian aircraft manufacturer primarily active during the interwar period. History The original company was founded during 1915 as SIAI (''Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia'' - Seaplane Company of Upper Italy). As suggested ...

- twin turboprop light transport project (1960s) * SIAI-Marchetti S.205 - four-seat liaison aircraft (1965) *

SIAI-Marchetti S.206 SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian aircraft manufacturer primarily active during the interwar period. History The original company was founded during 1915 as SIAI (''Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia'' - Seaplane Company of Upper Italy). As suggested ...

- projected 5-6 seat version of S.205 (1967?) * SIAI-Marchetti S.208 - 5-seat version of S.205 (1967) * SIAI-Marchetti S.210 - twin-engined cabin aircraft (1970) * SIAI-Marchetti S.211 - two-seat jet trainer, light attack aircraft (1981) * SIAI-Marchetti S.226 - 22 passenger business jet project (1980s) * SIAI-Marchetti S.229 - swept-wing canard twin engine jet aircraft project, enlarged version of S.226 (1980s) * SIAI Marchetti SF.260 - aerobatics plane and a military trainer (1964) * SIAI-Marchetti SM.1019 - STOL liaison, observation aircraft (1969) * SIAI Marchetti SF.600 Canguro - feederliner aircraft (1978) * SIAI-Marchetti S.700 - general purpose amphibian aircraft (not built) *

FFA AS-202 Bravo The AS/SA 202 Bravo is a two to three-seat civil light aircraft jointly designed and manufactured by the Swiss company Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) and the Italian company Savoia-Marchetti. The aircraft was designated the AS 202 in S ...

- two/three-seat light civil aircraft (1969)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. ''World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I'' (Sampson Low Guides). Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. . * * * Neulen, Hans Werner. ''In the skies of Europe - Air Forces allied to the Luftwaffe 1939–1945''. Ramsbury, Marlborough, THE CROWOOD PRESS, 2000. . * Rosselli, Alberto. "In the Summer of 1942, a Savoia-Marchetti Cargo Plane Made a Secret Flight to Japan." ''Aviation History''. January 2004. * Sutherland, Jon & Diane Canwell: ''Air War East Africa 1940–41 The RAF versus the Italian Air Force''. Barnsley (South Yorkshire) Pen and Sword Aviation, 2009. .

External links