Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario

Reggiane · Italy · first flew 1942 · fighter

The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario (Archer) was one of Italy's finest World War II fighters, part of the celebrated 'Serie 5' generation powered by the German Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. It offered exceptional performance competitive with contemporary Allied and German fighters.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8.73 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Among the finest Italian WWII fighters
Inline Daimler-Benz engine with long nose
One of Italy's 'Serie 5' superb fighter trio

Distinguished by a long, elegant fuselage housing the DB 605 inline engine, gracefully tapered low wings, and a more refined appearance than the earlier radial-engine Reggiane fighters.

Specifications

The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario has a length of 8.73 m (29 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11 m (36 ft).
Its maximum speed is 628 km/h (390 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in April 1942, the Re.2005 demonstrated outstanding speed and manoeuvrability but arrived too late and in too few numbers to affect the course of the war for Italy. Only about 48 were built before Italy's armistice in September 1943. They saw combat defending Sicily during the Allied invasion and later Rome. Post-armistice, surviving examples were seized by the Luftwaffe.

Variants

No major production variants; the Re.2005 remained in a single basic configuration throughout its brief production run.

Where you'll see it

Operated by the Regia Aeronautica in southern Italy and Sicily in 1943; seized examples subsequently operated by the Luftwaffe in 1943–1944.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.