SIAI S.52

SIAI · Italy · first flew 1924 · fighter

The SIAI S.52 was an Italian single-seat all-metal biplane fighter prototype of 1924, designed by Alessandro Marchetti.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, elliptical
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — FuselageSingle-seat all-metal biplane with the fuselage suspended between the upper and lower wings
T — TailConventional

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

Spot it by:

A thin-winged all-metal biplane with its fuselage slung between the wings. It has two synchronised Vickers machine guns firing through the propeller.

Specifications

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

History

It was derived from the S.50 but powered by the Hispano-Suiza HS 42 engine required by the 1923 fighter contest. It was too late for the contest and first flew in 1924.

Variants

Two prototypes, MM.3 and MM.4, were built. A proposal to re-engine one with a Fiat A 20 engine was never carried out.

Where you'll see it

No Italian production order followed. One prototype was sold to Paraguay in 1927 and was used as a fighter trainer until it was destroyed in an accident on 8 May 1933.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.