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Designed by the engineer Alessandro Marchetti to replace the famous S.79 Sparviero, the Siai Marchetti SM.84 triple engine is he was one of the protagonists of the war missions on Malta and, above all, of the anti - ship struggle against the English fleet in Mediterranean, inextricably linked to glorious departments such as the 36th Wing and the 282nd Aero Torpedo Squadron. It is an Italian bomber that was used extensively in the Second World War and shared a three-engine layout very similar to its predecessor, Savoia Marchetti SM 79. The main objective of the SM project. 84 was improving the characteristics of the SM 79. The engines were more powerful and there have been improvements made on the fuselage thus making it a better version of its predecessor. It also had a more spacious bomb compartment which allowed the bombs to be housed horizontally, unlike the previous Savoia-Marchetti models where the bombs were stowed vertically. The latter solution seriously affected the accuracy of the launch, as the air flow due to the aircraft’s motion hit the bombs out of the hold laterally, dispersing them over a larger area. The special gondola for the pointer, mandatory due to the trimotor formula that prevented the use of the front of the fuselage to arrange this position, was more aerodynamic in shape than that of the old S.M. 79. The remarkable structural and aerodynamic improvements made it a decidedly more modern device than the previous one, thanks also to the adoption of more powerful 1,000 HP Piaggio P.XI RC.40. Maneuverability, in particular, was a fundamental requirement for a torpedo bomb because it was indispensable in the abrupt evasive maneuvers that took place after the torpedo was launched to escape the anti-aircraft fire of enemy warships. From the autumn of 1942 the planes were progressively removed from the aerosiluramento and passed to the bombing. The still efficient specimens in 1943 were relegated to secondary uses. To the original order of 246 specimens were added others for a total of 309 actually delivered to the Italian Royal Air Force in various versions.
Specifications - Performance:
Crew: 6 (1 Pilot, 1 Co-Pilot, 4 Machine Gunner)
Length: 17,93 m
Wingspan: 21,1 m
Height: 4,59 m
Wing area: 61 m2
Empty weight: 8,846 kg
Gross weight: 13,228 kg
Powerplant: 3 x Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 746 kW (1,000 hp) each engine
Performance
Maximum speed: 467 km/h (252 kn) at 4600 m
Stall speed: 140 km / h
Cruise speed: 346 km
Ascent rate: at 4 000 m in 11 min 20 s
Range: 1,830 km
Service ceiling: 7,900 m
Armament:
Guns: 4 x 12,7 mm Isotta Frashini mod. Scotti machine guns (1 in dorsal turret (350 rpg), 1 in ventral position (350 pg) and 2 in waist positions (400 rpg)
Bombs: 2,000 kg of bombs (50 kg, 100 kg, 250 kg, 500 kg, 800 kg) or 2 x 860 kg torpedoes
Sources:
Nomenclator Catalog
Assembly manual
https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/2022/12/22/sm-84/
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bww2/sm84.html