Savoia-Marchetti SM.62

infobox Aircraft
name =SM.62
type =Reconnaissance flying boat
manufacturer =Savoia-Marchetti



caption = SM.62 bis
designer =
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variants with their own articles =The Savoia-Marchetti SM.62 was an Italian single-engined maritime reconnaissance flying boat produced from 1926. It served with the "Regia Aeronautica" and with a number of foreign users, and was licence-produced in Spain and the Soviet Union. Some of the Spanish aircraft were still in service during the Spanish Civil War

Design and development

The SM.62 flying boat was one of the main successes of Savoia-Marchetti, evolved from the SM.59 which first flew in 1925.

The single-engined, single-spar wing, wooden biplane aircraft was powered by a single Isotta-Fraschini Asso 500RI, 500 hp engine mounted between the upper and the lower wings, and drove a thruster-propeller. It had a wingspan of 15.5 m, a maximum takeoff weight of 3,000 kg including fuel, bombs and four crew, and entered production in 1926.

Apart from the two machine guns in the aft and forward fuselage, both mounted in uncovered positions, the possibility of fitting an Oerlikon 20 mm cannon was explored, but never put into service.

The progress of the project was almost continuous, and the following year saw the SM.62bis development that had a more powerful engine. This aircraft, with a 16 m wingspan, formed the basis of the future SM.78. The new 750 hp Isotta Fraschini Asso engine produced 50% more power, which allowed a maximum take-off weight of 4,000 kg with a maximum speed of 220 km/h, while the range was 1,200 km. For those times, these were respectable performance figures for a single-engine aircraft.

The SM.62 was one of the first Italian racing- and world-record attempting aircraft, competing in the 1926 New-York to Buenos Aires air-race and the 10,000 km air-race in northern Europe, in addition to setting the speed records of 190.537 km/h averaged over 500 km in 1926 – later augmented to 194.237 km/h – and the world records flying 500 km while carrying 500 kg, and finally 100 and 500 km with 1,000 kg.

This was the most successful Italian flying boat outside Italy, with at least one being acquired by Japan for its naval aviation service, several by Romania, and 40 by Spain, some of which were license-built. The USSR acquired the license to construct the SM.62bis in Tananrog plants as the MRB.4, with many examples built.

Despite their obsolescence, several Spanish examples fought in the Spanish Civil War. Since the aircraft of those times were not capable of great speeds, several were used at the Desenzano "high-speed flying-school" in Italy, as well as continuing to serve as reconnaissance-bombers. The next derivative, the SM.78, with over a ton more weight and 20% more power; could carry a greater fuel-load, effectively doubling the range; and was slightly faster than the SM.62bis.

Variants

The succession of models is as follows:

SM.59, 1925

SM.59bis

; SM.59P"' : Civil version.

SM.62, 1926

;SM.62P : Civil version.

SM.62bis, 1927

SM.62ter

SM.78, 1932

MBR-4

There were no SM.78bis; the succession was interrupted by the introduction of the CANT Z.501.

Operators

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pecifications (SM.62)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft cite book
author=Donald, David (Editor)
title = The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft
year = 1997
publisher = Aerospace Publishing
isbn = 1-85605-375-X]
crew=Four
capacity=
length main= 12.26 m
length alt= 40 ft 2¾ in
span main= 16.66 m
span alt= 54 ft 8 in
height main= 4.19 m
height alt= 13 ft 9 in
area main= 69.5 m²
area alt= 748 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 2,630 kg
empty weight alt= 5,798 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 5,030 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 11,089 lb
more general=
engine (prop)=Isotta Fraschini Asso 750
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main= 634 kW
power alt= 850 hp
power original=
max speed main= 220 km/h
max speed alt= 119 knots, 137 mph
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 2,000 km
range alt= 1,081 nm, 1,243 mi
ceiling main= 4,900 m
ceiling alt= 16,075 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
*Four 7.7 mm machine guns, two each in the nose and midships gunners cockpits
*600 kg (1,323 lb) of bombs.
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
see also=
related=
*Savoia-Marchetti S.59
similar aircraft=
sequence=
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*List of seaplanes and flying boats

References

Lembo, Daniele "SM.78", Storia Militare N.19, Westward editions, pagg. 43-49.

External links

* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/italy/savoia_s-62.php Virtual Aviation Museum]