S.M.79 serie 4 (Germany)
| This page is about the gift bomber S.M.79 serie 4 (Germany). For other versions, see S.M.79 (Family). |
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Contents
Description
The ▀S.M.79 Sparviero serie 4 (1937) is a gift rank II German bomber with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). Though initially in the game pre-1.27, this plane was removed upon Update 1.37 due to redundancy.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 416 | 403 | 6800 | 32.6 | 33.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 450 |
| Upgraded | 444 | 430 | 30.8 | 31.6 | 7.4 | 5.9 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 530 | 300 | 313 | 298 | 220 | ~4 | ~2 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 260 | < 270 | < 270 | > 290 |
Survivability and armour
- No armour protection
- Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 below dorsal gunner, 4 in each wing)
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The S.M.79 serie 4 (Germany) is armed with:
- 1 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun, dorsal-mounted (350 rpg)
Suspended armament
The S.M.79 serie 4 (Germany) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 12 x 50 kg GP 50 bombs (600 kg total)
- 12 x 100 kg GP 100T bombs (1,200 kg total)
- 5 x 250 kg GP 250 bombs (1,250 kg total)
- 2 x 500 kg GP 500 bombs (1,000 kg total)
Defensive armament
The S.M.79 serie 4 (Germany) is defended by:
- 1 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun, dorsal turret (500 rpg)
- 1 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun, ventral turret (500 rpg)
- 1 x 7.7 mm Lewis machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (485 rpg)
Usage in battles
Due to its relatively low battle rating, the three-engined S.M.79 enjoys a relatively high speed for a bomber against most of the lower ranked opposition it faces. This aids its survivability, particularly in a shallow dive. Unfortunately, it is rather lacking in bombload options compared to the He 111s and Ju 88s and also has rather poor defensive fire arcs. Unlike the German bombers, however, it is armed with 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns which can pack quite a punch against the flimsier aircraft it faces. The pilot also controls a fixed forward-firing 12.7 mm Breda, which is otherwise uncovered by any defensive armament. This gun can be useful for strafing light vehicles and trucks that will be encountered frequently in low-rank battles and can be used to shoot down other aircraft. It is somewhat more manoeuvrable than the He 111 H-3, but the Sparviero is by no means a fighter and will rapidly lose energy in turns. With the ability to carry 500 kg bombs, the S.M.79 can use these to more easily take out pillboxes and heavier tanks, although this reduces the total bombload to only 1,000 kg as opposed to 1,250 kg with 250 kg bombs.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Hard-hitting 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT defensive machine guns
- Pilot-controlled fixed forward-firing 12.7 mm Breda, which can be equipped with IAI (explosive) ammunition
- High speed
- Middle engine provides some level of protection for the pilot against head-on attacks
- Capable of carrying 500 kg bombs, unlike the He 111 H-3 or Do 17 Z-1
Cons:
- Poor total bomb load
- Poor defensive fire arcs, including a dead zone in the rear where neither of the rearward facing 12.7 mm machine guns can cover
- No frontal defensive gun covering the frontal aspect
- Lacks armour protection for the crew
- Forced to choose between less total bomb load but individually more powerful bombs or higher total bomb load with less powerful bombs
History
| Archive of the in-game description | |
|---|---|
|
Three-engine SIAI Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 "Sparviero" medium bomber, second series, issued 1937. Beginning with the 2nd production series, the S.M.79's dorsal "hump" was shortened (previously it had reached almost to the front door), and the teardrop-shaped fairings were removed. On each side of the hump, a couple of windows were added to better illuminate the radio operator's and mechanic's workspaces. The bomber's gondola located under the fuselage was elongated, the engine's exhaust pipes were twisted to direct them away from the engine nacelles, and additional extensions were added to the stabilizer fin. The side-switching 7.7 mm Lewis machine gun from the World War I period, which had been installed inside the fuselage on a mobile track, was replaced by two fixed 7.7 mm Breda SAFAT machine guns, though before the war S.M.79s usually flew without onboard guns. In this form, without virtually any changes, the S.M.79 underwent mass production and was delivered to Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) combat units for about seven years. As a modification of a passenger aircraft, the S.M.79 had many related flaws: inconvenient bomb sight positioning, a relatively small bomb bay in a rather large fuselage, and primitive defensive weapons installed in half-open units with no mechanization. All of this understandably drew criticism from the Regia Aeronautica. But there was no other choice, and in February 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the S.M.79 saw its first combat. S.M.79s with Italian crews and Spanish insignia operated around Seville and Bilbao, participating in the battles of Brunete and Teruel. The S.M.79's speed allowed it to fly long-range daytime operations without escort. Of all the Republican fighters, only the I-16 could successfully intercept the S.M.79, and not many I-16s were available. Therefore, the bomber's losses were relatively small. Combat experience showed that the plane's survivability was high. Franco only lost 4 S.M.79s during the entire war. The Italians lost 12. Beginning in January 1938, the S.M.79 was used as a night bomber. The "Sparviero" played an increasingly bigger role as the civil war progressed. After the war, the surviving Italian S.M.79s were transferred into Franco's Air Force. There they survived World War II, and the last of them were used in the Spanish colonies in North Africa until the early 1960s. In 1943, one "Sparviero" was converted by the Spanish company AISA into a staff plane, used to command the Spanish army. | |
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Savoia-Marchetti | |
|---|---|
| Bombers | S.M.79 serie 1 · S.M.79 serie 8 · S.M.79 AS · S.M.79 bis/T.M |
| S.81 | |
| Attackers | SM.91 · SM.92 |
| Export | S.M.79 B |
| Captured | ▀S.M.79 serie 1 · ▀S.M.79 serie 4 · ▀S.M.79 serie 8 |
| ▀S.M.79 AS · ▀S.M.79 bis/N · ▀S.M.79 bis/T.M · ▀S.M.79 B | |
| Germany bombers | |
|---|---|
| Arado | Ar 196 A-3 |
| Blohm & Voss | BV 138 C-1 · BV 238 |
| Dornier | Do 17 E-1 · Do 17 Z-2 · Do 217 E-2 · Do 217 E-4 · Do 217 K-1 · Do 217 M-1 |
| Focke-Wulf | Fw 189 A-1 · Fw 200 C-1 |
| Henschel | Hs 123 A-1 |
| Heinkel | He 111 H-3 · He 111 H-6 · He 111 H-16 · He 115 C-1 · He 177 A-3 · He 177 A-5 |
| Junkers | Ju 87 B-2 · Ju 87 R-2 · Ju 87 R-2 Libya · Ju 87 D-3 · Ju 87 D-5 · Ju 88 A-1 · Ju 88 A-4 · Ju 188 A-2 · Ju 288 C |
| Messerschmitt | Me 264 |
| Savoia-Marchetti | ▀S.M.79 serie 1 · ▀S.M.79 B · ▀S.M.79 serie 4 · ▀S.M.79 serie 8 |
| ▀S.M.79 AS · ▀S.M.79 bis/N · ▀S.M.79 bis/T.M | |
| Trophies | ▀Wellington Mk Ic |
