Savoia-Marchetti SM.92

SIAI-Marchetti · Italy · first flew 1943 · fighter

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.92 was an Italian heavy fighter prototype of World War II, developed from the SM.88. It dispensed with the central crew nacelle, seating its two-man crew in the left fuselage, and was powered by two DB 605 engines.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	No central nacelle: two-man crew in the left fuselage
T — Tail	Twin fin

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Spot it by:

Twin-boom twin-engine Italian heavy fighter prototype
No central nacelle: two-man crew in the left fuselage
Twin tail booms supporting twin vertical stabilisers

A twin-fuselage layout without a central nacelle, the crew sitting in the left fuselage, with a DB 605 engine at the front of each fuselage and twin fins; it was once mistaken in the air for a P-38 Lightning.

Specifications

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.92 has a length of 13.7 m (45 ft).
It has a wingspan of 18.55 m (61 ft).
Its maximum speed is 615 km/h (382 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

Intended as a long-range fighter-bomber, the sole prototype MM.531 first flew in October 1943 and logged over 21 hours. In March 1944 it was mistaken for a P-38 Lightning and badly damaged by a Macchi C.205, and it was destroyed by Allied bombing later that year.

Variants

Only prototype examples were built; no production variants reached service.

Where you'll see it

The SM.92 never entered operational service, existing only as a prototype evaluated briefly before Italy's armistice halted further development.

Related aircraft

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