SM.81
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 ''Pipistrello'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
:
bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...
) was the first three-engine
bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
aircraft serving in the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
'' Regia Aeronautica''.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 188. When it appeared in 1935, it was fast, well armed and had a long range. It proved effective during the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Italy against Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Ita ...
and the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. Despite being too slow to remain competitive as a bomber in the later years of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, it was one of the most flexible, reliable and important aircraft of the ''Regia Aeronautica'' from 1935 to 1944, and adapted to second-line duties in a wide range of tasks.


Design and development

The SM.81 was a militarised version of
Savoia-Marchetti 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 sugge ...
's earlier SM.73
airliner An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...
, having
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
wings, three engines and a fixed
undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...
. The origins of this version were in pursuit of the interests of
Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Italian Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian ...
, a brilliant exponent of the
Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
regime (but nevertheless "exiled" in Libya by
Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...
), who required a fast and efficient aircraft that was capable of serving the vast Italian colonies in Africa. The SM.81 had wings that were roughly similar to those of the double-
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
S.55, and identical to those of the S.73, but had a much simpler fuselage. Around six months after the SM.73s first appearance, the SM.81
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
(''MM.20099'') first flew from
Vergiate Vergiate is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km northwest of Milan and about 15 km southwest of Varese. As of 31 December 2018 it had a population of 8,716 Vergiate bo ...
, near
Varese Varese ( , ; or ; ; ; archaic ) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559. It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or exurban part ...
, on 8 February 1934, controlled by test pilot Adriano Bacula.Passingham 1977, p.182. The first ''serie'', ordered in 1935, was for 100 aircraft and was quickly put into production as a result of the international crisis and the embargo caused by the war in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. The first examples were sent to 7 Wing at
Campo della Promessa Campo may refer to: Places ;Cameroon * Campo, Cameroon, in the South Province ;Equatorial Guinea * Río Campo, in the Litoral Province ;France * Campo, Corse-du-Sud, a commune on the island of Corsica ;Italy * Campo P.G., a World War II prison ...
airbase near
Lonate Pozzolo Lonate Pozzolo is a town and ''comune'' located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Based on the last population census, it has about 11.400 residents. It is served by Ferno-Lonate Pozzolo railway station. The ai ...
. Although it was quickly superseded as a front-line bomber, the SM.81 continued to serve as a transport by virtue of its wide fuselage, which allowed it to accommodate a wide range of loads. Apart from its speed, it was generally superior to the SM.79 ''Sparviero'' as a multirole aircraft.


Overall characteristics

The SM.81 was a robust, three-engine
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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
, with a fixed
tailwheel undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...
, with the mainwheels enclosed by large spats to reduce drag, and had a crew of six.Passingham 1977, pp.182–183. The aircraft was of mixed construction: the fuselage had a framework of steel tubes with a metallic-covered aft portion, while the rest was wood- and fabric-covered. It had a relatively large fuselage, an unnecessary characteristic for a bomber, which determined its future as a transport aircraft. Since the engines were quite small, the fuselage did not blend well with the nose engine, even less so than the SM.79. Many windows were present to provide the fuselage interior with daylight, giving the impression that it was a passenger aircraft. The all-wooden wings had three spars to provide the necessary support, whereas the semi-elliptical tail surfaces were fabric-covered metal. The pilot and co-pilot were seated side-by-side in an enclosed
cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...
, with separate cabins for the flight engineer and the radio-operator/gunner behind the cockpit.Passingham 1977, p.183. The bomb bay was behind the cockpit, together with a passage which linked the mid and aft fuselage, where there were three further defensive positions. The bombardier's position was located just below the cockpit, in a semi-retractable gondola, and differed from that of the SM.79, being both larger and in a location which was more favourable for communicating with the crew, and provided excellent visibility thanks to the glazed panel. Both this position and the cockpit had escape hatches, but for normal entry and exit there was a door in the left, mid-fuselage, and one in the aft fuselage. Equipment included an RA 350I radio-transmitter, AR5 radio-receiver, and a P63N radiocompass (not always fitted), while other systems comprised an electrical generator, fire extinguishing system, and an OMI 30 camera (in the gunner's nacelle). The aircraft, having a large wing and robust undercarriage, was reliable and pleasant to fly, and could operate from all types of terrain. It was surprisingly fast for its time and, given the power of its engines, especially compared to the similar
Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...
. It was better armed than the SM.79, but the increased drag combined with the same engine power reduced the maximum speed and cruise speeds as well as the range. No armour was fitted, except for the
self-sealing fuel tank A self-sealing fuel tank (SSFT) is a type of fuel tank, typically used in aircraft fuel tanks or fuel bladders, that prevents them from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged. Typical self-sealing tanks have layers of rubber and reinfor ...
s.


Armament

The SM.81 was equipped with six machine guns providing a heavy defensive armament for a 1935 aircraft. Two powered retractable
turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
s, one dorsal (just behind the pilots' seats) and one ventral-aft, were each fitted with 7.7 mm (0.303 in)
Breda-SAFAT machine gun Breda-SAFAT (''Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche / Breda Meccanica Bresciana'' - ''Società Anonima Fabbrica Armi Torino'') was an Italian weapons manufacturer of the 1930s and 1940s that designed and produced a range of m ...
s, while single 7.7 mm (.303 in) Lewis Guns were mounted to fire through lateral hatches. The turrets were rotated by a "Riva-Calzoni" hydraulic system, while the guns' elevation was manual, and manual back-up mechanisms were provided for both the retracting and rotating systems. Once retracted, only the upper part of the turret was visible, with the gun barrels positioned vertically, one aft of the other to reduce drag, giving the impression that the aircraft had additional antennae. Given the SM.81's cruise speed of around 270 km/h (170 mph) and the presence of a massive fixed undercarriage, the aerodynamic gain was relatively small. The ventral turret was operated in a different fashion to those fitted to other aircraft where the gunner occupied the ball- or dustbin-shaped structure; instead, due to lack of space, the gunner crouched in the fuselage with his head down inside the turret. This proved not to be very effective as were most ventral turrets, and they were not fitted to further Savoias, although Piaggio fitted a dustbin-style turret accommodating the gunner to their P.108. Both flanks were covered by one single and one twin gun installation. Initially six 7.7 mm (.303 in)
Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a Water cooling, water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more me ...
s were fitted, but these were later replaced by reliable, if not very fast-firing models made by Breda, together with 500 rounds per gun. The SM.81's bomb bay was divided into two parts with a passage linking aft and mid fuselage between, and could accommodate a wide range of ordnance up to a total of 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) over short ranges, with individual bombs of up to 500 kg (1,100 lb), arranged either horizontally or vertically: *4 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) (stored horizontally) *4 × 250 kg (550 lb) (ditto) *16 × 100 kg (220 lb) (stored vertically, as all the smaller ones), true weight around 130 kg (287 lb) *28 × 50 kg (110 lb) (true weight, around 70 kg/150 lb) *56 × 31 kg (68 lb), 24 kg (53 lb), 20 kg (40 lb), or 15 kg (33 lb) *1,008 × 2 kg (4 lb) (true weight, around 1,700 kg/3,750 lb) *Incendiary bombs The bomb-release mechanism was located on the right side of the bombardier's position. The SM.81's defensive armament was better than its successor, the SM.79, and even than that of the SM.84, although of smaller calibre, but still insufficient when faced with modern enemy fighter opposition. It was also capable of carrying a greater bombload than the SM.79, due to its wide fuselage.


Propulsion

The SM.81 had a three-engine configuration, but unlike the ''Sparviero'', was fitted with a wide range of engines throughout its production: * Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35, 432–507 kW (580–680 hp). 192 built. * Gnome-Rhône 14K, 485–746 kW (650–1,000 hp).96 built. * Piaggio P.X R.C.15, 501–522 kW (670–700 hp) – 48 built. * Piaggio P.IX R.C.40, 507 kW (680 hp) – 140 built. * Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34, 582–671 kW (780–900 hp), also fitted to early versions of the SM.79. 58 built. In addition, one aircraft, the SM.81B, was built in a twin-engined configuration, powered by two 627 kW (840 hp)
Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI The Asso XI was a family of water-cooled, supercharged V12 piston aeroengines produced in the 1930s by Italian manufacturer Isotta Fraschini, and fitted to a number of aircraft types built by CANT, Caproni and others. Design and development Iso ...
inline engines and a streamlined, glazed nose. It had inferior performance to the three-engined versions and was not taken further.Passingham 1977, p.187.


Fuel

The fuel tanks, as was standard for Italian multi-engined aircraft, were metal
self-sealing fuel tank A self-sealing fuel tank (SSFT) is a type of fuel tank, typically used in aircraft fuel tanks or fuel bladders, that prevents them from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged. Typical self-sealing tanks have layers of rubber and reinfor ...
s using materials developed by SEMAPE, the specialized manufacturer. Eight tanks were fitted, with six in the centre wing (4 × 150 L/40 
US gallon The gallon is a unit of volume in British imperial units and United States customary units. The imperial gallon (imp gal) is defined as , and is or was used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including Ireland, Canada, Australia, ...
and 2 × 1,140 L/301 US gal tanks) and two 370 L (100 US gal) tanks (or 780 L/210 US gal with Gnome-Rhône 14K engines) in the outer wings. This gave an overall fuel capacity of 3,620 or 4,400 L (960 or 1,160 US gal).


Operational history

The SM.81 first saw combat during the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Italy against Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Ita ...
, where it showed itself to be versatile serving as a bomber, transport and
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...
. SM.81s also fought in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
with the ''
Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which mar ...
'' and were among the first aircraft sent by the
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
powers to airlift aid to
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
. Despite their obsolescence, by 1940, when Italy became involved in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, around 300 (290–304 depending on source) SM.81s were in service with the ''Regia Aeronautica''. The first Italian aircraft to enter action in East Africa were a pair of SM.81s. On 11 June 1940, one of them attacked
Port Sudan Port Sudan (, Beja: ) is a port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade. The population of Port Sudan was estimated in ...
and the other flew a reconnaissance flight over the
Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
. That same night, three SM.81s took off to bomb
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
, but one turned back, and one of the other two hit a hill near
Massawa Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...
while trying to land.Sutherland 2009, p. 31. A further flight was concurrently deployed against Anglo-Rhodesian defensive positions in
British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...
immediately before the decisive
Battle of Tug Argan The Battle of Tug Argan was fought between forces of the British Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from 11 to 15 August 1940 in the Somaliland Protectorate (British Somaliland, , now Somaliland). The battle determined the result of the Italian i ...
, presaging a limited role as a
tactical bomber Tactical bombing is aerial bombing aimed at targets of immediate military value, such as combatants, military installations, or military equipment. This is in contrast to strategic bombing, or attacking enemy cities and factories to cripple fut ...
. Its low speed and vulnerability to
fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...
meant that during daytime the SM.81 was restricted to second line duties, finding use as a transport. At night it was an effective bomber, particularly in the North African theatre. Anti-ship actions were also carried out, but without significant success. Most SM.81s were withdrawn by the time of the
Italian armistice The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...
of 1943, though some remained in service with both the
Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...
and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. Several examples survived the war and went on to serve with the ''
Aeronautica Militare Italiana The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force"). After World War II, when Italy be ...
'', but by 1950 these had all been retired. SM.81s serving in Ethiopia had markings applied to distinguish them in SAR missions. The normal camouflage pattern was yellow, green and brown. The all-over dark olive green scheme was introduced later, when the aircraft were used only in transport missions.


Variants

;SM.81: Three-engine bomber, transport aircraft, 535 built. ;SM.81B: Experimental twin-engine prototype, one built.


Operators

; *
Chinese Nationalist Air Force Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
. Six SM.81Bs were ordered in November 1936, to be built at the Sino-Italian National Aircraft Works (SINAW) at
Nanchang Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strate ...
,Andersson 2008, p. 233 with an additional example purchased direct to Italy. This arrived disassembled at
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
in October 1937, but could not be delivered to China because its packing cases were too large for rail travel. Two of the Nanchang-built aircraft were delivered to the Air Force, with a further example completed but destroyed when the factory was bombed in December 1937.Andersson 2008, pp. 133, 282 All were lost in training accidents in February 1938 at
Yichang Yichang ( zh, s= ), Postal Map Romanization, alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. Yichang had a population of 3.92 million people at the 2022 census, making it the third most pop ...
. ;: *'' Regia Aeronautica'' *
Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which mar ...
64 aircraft THOMAS, Hugh. ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.938 * Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force ; *''
Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana The National Republican Air Force (, ANR) was the air force of the Italian Social Republic, a World War II German puppet state in Italy. Description This air force was tasked with defending the industrial areas of the region, intercepting All ...
'' ; *''
Aeronautica Militare Italiana The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force"). After World War II, when Italy be ...
'' operated this type postwar. ; *
Spanish Air Force The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces. History Early stages Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Al ...
; *
Yugoslav Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ ...
,a few S.81 were serving in Yugoslav Air Force (1930s-1945),they are also displayed in museum of Aeronautics in Belgrade


Specifications (SM.81b with Alfa Romeo 125 R.C.35 engines)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. ''World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I'' (Sampson Low Guides). Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. . * Apostolo, Giorgio. ''The Savoia Marchetti S.M.81 (Aircraft in Profile number 146)''. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd.,1967. * Lembo, Daniele, ''SIAI 81 Pipistrello'', Aerei nella Storia, n.33. * Passingham, Malcolm. "Savoia-Marchetti SM81". ''Aircraft Illustrated'', May 1977, Vol 10 No 5. pp. 182–187. * Mondey, David. ''The Hamlyn Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II''. Chancellor Press, 2002. * * 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. . {{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation SM.081 1930s Italian bomber aircraft Trimotors Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1934