- Yes
- No
Description: The aerfer Leone was the third and last meber of the Sagittario Family of the Italian company Aerfer.While Sagittario II and Ariete were fighters, Leone was an interceptor. In fact, it didn’t carry the classic Sagittario II and Ariete very long 30 mm cannon but up to 4 air to air missiles. Like its brothers, it was all metal, agile, and very fast. After the experience with Ariete, Sergio Stefanutti decided to make a new aircraft, but this time fully supersonic. In fact, Leone represents the final evolution of the Sagittario family. It was mainly based on the Ariete Project, but it was modified to be bigger than his brother to carry the Bristol Orpheus B.Or. 12 on the front, which provided the Leone with a total of 3.089 kg of thrust. On the rear was mounted a roket propeller, the De Havilland Spectre, that provided a total of 4.100 kg of thrust. Thanks to those engines,Leone was able to reach a total of 2159 km/h of speed, and it was able to reach its maximum altitude (21000 meters) in around 5 minutes. Alongside the first engine,in the front was mounted a search radar and the dorsal air intake, which gave the Ariete some problems, was eliminated. Unfortunatly, the project was suspended in 1958 due to a lack of funds and renewed in 1960. At that time, a 1.1 scale mock up and 5 prototype were started but only one was nearly completed, reaching the 80% level of construction. Some sources report that when Sergio Stefanutti, the engineer that made the Sagittario Family heard the notice that the Leone prototypes were scrapped, he started to cry. This was the last attempt to build a full Italian interceptor before the F104 Starfighter. (I’m suggesting it as an uncomplete prototype).
Why it should be in the game:
Considering that this veichle was the last of all the Sagittario Series, it will be very good to have all the Family of this aircraft. It will have a very different gameplay compared to the Sagittario, because without the cannons it will only use the missiles, and thanks to it’s speed it will be a very good and efficient Anti bomber interceptor.
Statistics:
Riepilogo
Engines:1 Bristol Orpheus B.Or. 12kg/s. 3,089+ 1 De Havilland Specter kg/s. 4,400
Wingspan: 6.93m.
Length: 10.60m.
Height: 3.32m.
Wing surface: 16.50 m2
Empty weight: 3,375kg
Total weight: 6,400kg
Take-off wing loading: 338 kg/m²
Max horiz speed at 16,500 m: 2,490 km/h (Mach 2.34)
Thrust/weight ratio: 1.05
Ascent speed to sea level: 220m/sec.
tangency: 25,000 m
Take-off space:560 m
Crew: 1
Armament:
Riepilogo
Air to Air missiles
4x Aim 9B Sidewinder
4x Firestreak
4x Sispre C7
Gun pods
4x 7.62 mm
4x 12.7 mm
Other payloads
Unguided Bombs and rokets
4x Fuel tanks
Sources:
Riepilogo
Aerfer Leone - Wikipedia
Untitled Document
SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM: L'Aerfer Leone era un progetto di intercettore supersonico italiano, opera dell'ingegner Sergio Stefanutti.
Aerfer Leone: A pity, not even a roar. | Aviation Rapture
Итальянский истребитель Aerfer “Leone” – Военное оружие и армии Мира
Aerfer Sagittario, Ariete és Leone — az olasz repülésfejlesztés utolsó vészkiáltása. – WT Info
Book:X-Planes Of Europe II: More Secret Research Aircraft from the Golden Age Hardcover by Tony Buttle
Thanks to @Nicholas_Concu for the help!
Pictures:
