- Yes
- No
Description: In the 1950s, various air forces were projecting and building various trainer aircraft, and Italy did the same. The MB326 was projected by the engineer Ermanno Bazzocchi to give the Italian Air Force a new trainer aircraft that could also be used as a ground attack. After various changes to the starting project requested by the Aereonautica Militare, the two prototypes were started in 1956, and the first one flew for the first time at Lonate di Pozzolo on December 10, 1957, with the pilot Guido Carestiato. It was produced in a very large number of variants and exported to a lot of countries. The E version was a military trainer used only by the Italian Air Force. In the 1960s, the Italian Air Force, after the experience gained with the two MB326G, ordered a total of 12 new MB326. Those new aircraft were designed as MB326E, and they mainly incorporated all upgrades of the MB326G. The new variant was a base MB326 fitted with the modified MB326G wings, a gunsight, a gun camera, and improved avionics. The 12 aircraft were divided into two categories: the first was reconverted from a normal MB326 and the second was made of new aircraft. The MB326E remained in service until the nineties, when the aircraft was put into service as a second-line trainer because the aircraft was becoming old. But despite that, the aircraft was still used for training until 2000. Some of the remaining units were given to museums, and others were used as monuments (gate guardians). Talking about the weapons, the aircraft had a total of 6 pilons, and since it carried the same pilons as the MB326G, it can carry the same weapons.
Why it should be in the game: The Italian attacker line is very small and empty, aircraft like this and the other MB326 version will be the solution of this problem.
Specifications
Spoiler
Length: 10.65 m (34 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.85 m (35 ft 7 in) with tip-tanks
Height: 3.72 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 19.35 m2 (208.3 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: NACA 64A114; type: NACA 64A212[66]
Gross weight: 2,685 kg (5,919 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,577 kg (10,091 lb) full internal fuel, wing-tip and underwing tanks
Fuel capacity: internals and tip-tanks: 1,392 L (368 US gal; 306 imp gal); internal fuel, wing-tip and underwing tanks: 2,056 L (543 US gal; 452 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Siddeley Viper 20 turbojet engine, 15.2 kN (3,410 lbf) thrust
Performance
Maximum speed: 871 km/h (539 mph, 468 kn)
Cruise speed: 797 km/h (495 mph, 430 kn)
Never exceed speed: 871 km/h (541 mph, 470 kn) / M0.82 maximum diving speed
Range: 1,850 km (1,150 mi, 1,000 nmi)
Fuselage and tip-tanks with 113 L (30 US gal; 25 imp gal) reserve
Ferry range: 2,445 km (1,519 mi, 1,320 nmi)
Fuselage, under-wing and tip-tanks with 113 L (30 US gal; 25 imp gal) reserve
Service ceiling: 14.325 m (46.998 ft)
Rate of climb: 30.733 m/s (6,049.8 ft/min) at sea level
Time to altitude: 6,100 m (20,000 ft) in four minutes and ten seconds
12,200 m (40,000 ft) in 13 minutes and five seconds
Armaments
Spoiler
2x 30 mm Cannon Pod
2x 12.7 mm Machinegun pod
6x SUU-11 A/A 7.62 Minigun pod
6x 68 mm Matra roket launchers
6x Matra LR-155 roket launcher
6x Mk-82 bombs
6x SAMP-250 bombs
6x SAMP-250 re-tareded bombs
12x 127 mm HVAR Rokets
6x 127 mm Matra roket launchers
6x SNEI low drag bombs
36x BAP-100 bombs
6x Durandal (Blu-107)
24x Zuni mk-32 rokets launcher
2x 300 liters feul tank
6x LR-25 rokets launcher
Sources
Spoiler
Aermacchi MB-326 & MB-339
MB 326 E armato della Scuola Volo Basico Iniziale Aviogetti - A.M. 1979 da kit Italeri 1/48
Aermacchi MB 326 E di Volafenice
MB326 - Un mito italiano - CAP
Hag Italy
https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/2023/05/26/mb-326/
https://xoomer.virgilio.it/f5avipatches/mb326%20page.html
walk-around photos of Aermacchi MB-326
Pictures
