S.M.79 AS (Germany)

Battle Ratings/Ranks subject to change The battle ratings and/or ranks depicted on this article may be outdated due to a recent update. They will be updated soon.

▀S.M.79 AS

▀S.M.79 AS

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

Bomber

Frontline bomber

Torpedo bomber

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This page is about the gift German bomber S.M.79 AS (Germany). For other uses, see S.M.79 (Family).

Description

The ▀S.M.79 Sparviero AS (1941) is a gift rank II German bomber with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). This bomber has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27 in the German aviation tree. In Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica", the S.M.79, as well as the other Italian planes in the German tree, were moved to the new Italian tree.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
458	444	9000	32.5	33.2	2.1	3.4	400
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
507	480	9000	29.6	31.0	11.5	5.9	400

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
530	300	325	~2	~2

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 300	< 305	< 303	> 200

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
3,300 m	2,250 hp	3,020 hp

Survivability and armour

• No armour plating
• No armour glazing
• Fuel tanks located in fuselage and wing roots

Armaments

Offensive armament

The S.M.79 AS (Germany) is armed with:

• 1 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, dorsal-mounted (350 rpg)

Suspended armament

• 2 x 50 kg GP 50 bombs
• 12 x 100 kg GP 100 bombs
• 5 x 250 kg GP 250 bombs
• 1 x 905 kg F200/450x5.45 torpedo
• 2 x 500 kg GP 500 bombs

Defensive armament

• 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 turret (485 rpg = 970 total)

Usage in battles

With a significantly higher Battle Rating than the previous two Sparviero models, the 1941 Sparviero features the same bomb load-outs (but can also carry a single torpedo) and armament, with only relatively minor increases in performance. While unable to compete with the Ju 88 or the He 111 H-6 and Fw 200 C-1 Condor in terms of performance or sheer bomb-carrying capacity, respectively, the SM.79 (1941) can still perform decently if played carefully.

It is very important to avoid fighters in the SM.79, as it has a lot of defensive fire dead-zones and is not as durable as the Ju 88. If an enemy fighter is foolish enough to stay within the reach of the 12.7 mm Breda-SAFATs, they can deal a considerable amount of damage to the pursuer. However, the gunners themselves have no armour protection and can be knocked out fairly easily.

Due to the relatively light payload carried by the SM.79, it is not particularly recommended to go base bombing, even with the max load of 5 x 250 kg bombs. It is better to dive towards ground level and destroy targets like tanks or vehicles, as this will make it harder for enemies to attack you from below, where the Sparviero has very limited defensive fire coverage. The 500 kg bombs reduce your total bombload to only 1000 kg, but they are more forgiving of poor bomb aiming and can take out pillboxes with a single hit. Be wary of attacks from the sides, as only the weak 7.7 mm machine guns cover the flanks of the Sparviero.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable	Not controllable	Controllable	Combined	Not controllable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm		MCSAP100
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 12 mm MGs	Turret 7 mm	MCGP250
III	Wings Repair	Engine		Turret 12 mm		TBC-79
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 12 mm MGs (turret)	New 7 mm MGs (turret)	MCRO500

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Can carry a torpedo

Cons:

• Same bomb options and weapons as the previous aircraft, but with more unfavourable matchmaking

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

"Three-engine SIAI Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 “Sparviero” medium bomber, issued 1939.

The SM.79 gradually became the Regia Aeronautica’s main strike plane. In 1938, five regiments were re-equipped. That same year, about 150 “Sparviero” aircraft were in service in Italy. A year later, over 300 were in service.

Besides taking part in the Spanish Civil War, the SM.79 was used for landing troops during the invasion of Albania in 1939, as well as in Italy's attack on Greece.

In 1939, AUSA factories started releasing SM.79s. This series was practically unchanged from its predecessor, except that the exhaust pipe of the right engine was moved to the outside of the nacelle so that smoke from the pipe would not contact the fuselage.

When on June 10, 1940, Italy entered the Second World War, the Italian Air Force possessed 612 SM.79s in 14 regiments and one special group, distributed throughout the mainland and the colonies (the “Sparviero"" appeared in Libya in 1939). During this period, two-thirds of all Italian bombers were SM.79s.

In addition to the combat regiments, the “Sparviero"" had its own flying school. Also, about a dozen SM.79TPs (with rectangular windows and 5-6 seats in place of the bomb bay) were used as personal transport aircraft for high-ranking officers.

During the fighting, SM.79s were used day and night, attacking targets in Malta, Tunisia, France, Aden, and in North and East Africa. In North Africa, in September 1940, four regiments of SM.79s supported the Italian attack on Egypt. The “Sparviero” was even tested as a ground attack aircraft to support troops in the field and hunt for British tanks and armored cars, but high losses quickly put an end to these activities.

On the front, some of the SM.79’s shortcomings were painfully obvious. Its weak guns were located in primitive turrets which limited their field of fire, and the machine guns’ characteristics were unsatisfactory (particularly their rate of fire). This, plus weak armor and lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, sharply reduced the aircraft’s combat value. The huge one-piece wing was difficult to repair in the field. The aircraft’s speed no longer protected it from the latest fighters; the “Sparviero” was already out of date."

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.