Sagittario 2 | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Prototype fighter |
Manufacturer | Aerfer |
Primary user | Italian Air Force |
Number built | 2 |
History | |
First flight | 19 May 1956 |
Developed from | Ambrosini Sagittario |
Developed into | Aerfer Ariete |
The Aerfer Sagittario 2 (Italian for sagittarius ) was a prototype all-metal single-seat lightweight fighter aircraft built in Italy by Aerfer, intended to serve as an interceptor or light tactical support aircraft. First flown in 1956, it became the first Italian aircraft to break the sound barrier in controlled flight when it reached Mach 1.1 during a dive from 13,725 m (45,000 ft).
The Sagittario 2 was based on the earlier Sagittario, which was itself a development of the S.7 piston-engined training aircraft that went into service with the Italian Air Force in small numbers.
A small all-metal aircraft, the Sagittario 2 had its jet engine mounted in the nose, with the exhaust underneath the mid-fuselage. The wing and tail surfaces were highly-swept. The cockpit was moved forward of its position on the Sagittario's predecessors, and equipped with a bubble canopy. A tricycle undercarriage was fitted, with the nose gear retracting under the engine.
Development continued as the Ariete.
Data fromJane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59 [2]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
The Bell XP-83 was a United States prototype jet escort fighter designed by Bell Aircraft during World War II. It first flew in 1945. As with most early first generation jet fighters, the design was hampered by a relative lack of power. With the rapid advancements in jet technology post-WWII, the XP-83 was soon eclipsed by more advanced designs and it never entered production.
The Aermacchi AM.3 was the result of a joint venture between Aermacchi and Aeritalia in response to an Italian Army requirement for an aircraft to replace the Cessna L-19, and was initially designated the MB-335.
Aerfer was an Italian manufacturing company created in 1955 by the merger of IMAM and Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali. The name is a contraction of Costruzioni Aeronautiche e Ferroviarie.
The Aerfer Ariete was a prototype fighter aircraft built in Italy in 1958. It was a refined derivative of the Aerfer Sagittario 2, and was an attempt to bring that aircraft up to a standard where it could be mass-produced as a viable combat aircraft.
The Yakovlev Yak-15 is a first-generation Soviet turbojet fighter developed by the Yakovlev design bureau (OKB) immediately after World War II. The main fuselage was that of Yakovlev Yak-3 piston-engine fighter modified to mount a reverse-engineered German Junkers Jumo 004 engine. The Yak-15 and the Swedish Saab 21R were the only two jets to be successfully converted from piston-power to enter production. 280 aircraft were built in 1947. Although nominally a fighter, it was mainly used to qualify piston-engine-experienced pilots to fly jets.
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello was the first three-engine bomber/transport aircraft serving in the Italian Regia Aeronautica. When it appeared in 1935, it represented a real step ahead in Italian military aviation: it was fast, well armed and had a long range. It proved effective during the war with Ethiopia and the Spanish Civil War. Despite being too slow to remain competitive as a bomber in the later years of World War II, 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.
The Scaled Composites ARES is a demonstrator aircraft built by Scaled Composites. ARES is an acronym for Agile Responsive Effective Support.
The Yakovlev Yak-25 was a Soviet military aircraft, an early turbojet-powered fighter aircraft designed by the Yakovlev OKB. The designation was later reused for a different interceptor design. Tasked by the Council of Ministers in a directive issued on 11 March 1947, with producing a straight winged fighter similar to the earlier Yak-19, but powered by a Rolls-Royce Derwent V, OKB-115 swiftly produced the Yak-25, which blazed several trails as the first Soviet fighter with a fully pressurised cockpit, air conditioning, jettisonable canopy, and hydraulic airbrakes on the fuselage amongst other innovations.
The Rockwell XFV-12 was a prototype supersonic United States Navy fighter which was built in 1977. The XFV-12 design attempted to combine the Mach 2 speed and AIM-7 Sparrow armament of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in a VTOL fighter for the small Sea Control Ship which was under study at the time. On paper, it looked superior to the subsonic Hawker Siddeley Harrier attack fighter. However, it was unable to demonstrate an untethered vertical takeoff and its inability to meet performance requirements resulted in the program's termination.
The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario was an Italian monoplane fighter and fighter-bomber produced for the Regia Aeronautica during the later years of World War II. Along with the Macchi C.202/C.205 and Fiat G.55, the Reggiane Re.2005 was one of the three Serie 5 Italian fighters. The lines of the fuselage were aerodynamically efficient, and the design was intended to exploit the famous Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The only drawback was a certain structural weakness in the rear section of the fuselage. Only 48 examples had been delivered before the Armistice, and these fighters took part in the defence of Naples, Rome and Sicily, with the survivors battling above the crumbling ruins of Berlin, in German insignia. British ace and military observer, Group Captain Duncan Smith, DSO DFC, said that "The Re.2005 was altogether a superb, potent aeroplane".
The Ambrosini Sagittario was an Italian aerodynamic research aircraft based on the manufacturer's S.7.
The Ambrosini SAI.7 was an Italian racing aircraft flown before World War II that entered production as a military trainer after the war. It was of conventional configuration, constructed of wood, with a tail-wheel undercarriage. Power was provided by an air-cooled, inverted inline engine, the Alfa-Romeo model 115 with 225 horsepower.
The Ambrosini SAI.403 Dardo ("Dart") was a light fighter aircraft built in Italy during World War II.
The Piaggio P.166 is an Italian twin-engine pusher-type utility aircraft developed by Piaggio Aero. The aircraft model name was Portofino, and is also known as Albatross in South African military service.
The Bréguet Br.1001 Taon was a 1950s French prototype single-seat jet strike fighter aircraft built by Bréguet.
The Reggiane Re.2002 Ariete ("Ram") is an Italian fighter-bomber developed during World War II. The aircraft was a further development of the Re.2000, with some of the modifications that already had been introduced in the Re.2001. The aircraft was mainly used by the Regia Aeronautica, but it also saw limited use with the German Luftwaffe, who used it against the French resistance.
The Caproni Ca.101 was a three-engine Italian airliner which later saw military use as a transport and bomber. It was designed in 1927 and first flown in 1928.
The Fokker T.IV was a Dutch torpedo bomber/maritime reconnaissance floatplane of the 1920s and 1930s. First flying in 1927, it served with the Dutch Naval Aviation Service in the Dutch East Indies until the remaining aircraft were destroyed during the Japanese invasion in 1942.
The Ambrosini Rondone is an Italian-designed two/three-seat light touring monoplane of the early 1950s.
The Procaer Cobra was a two-seat turbojet powered light aircraft designed and built in Italy and flown in the early 1960s. Only one was completed.