Macchi C.200

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_C.200

The Macchi C.200 Saetta (Italian: Arrow), or MC.200, was a fighter aircraft
developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy. It was used in
various forms by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force), and throughout the
Second World War.

The C.200 was designed by Mario Castoldi, Macchi's lead designer, to serve as
modern monoplane fighter aircraft, furnished with retractable landing gear and
powered by a radial engine. It possessed excellent maneuverability and general
flying characteristics left little to be desired. Stability in a high-speed dive
was exceptional, but it was underpowered and underarmed in comparison to its
contemporaries. Early on, there were a number of crashes caused by stability
problems, nearly resulting in the grounding of the type, which was ultimately
addressed via aerodynamic modifications performed to the wing.

From the time Italy entered the Second World War on 10 June 1940, until the
signing of the armistice of 8 September 1943, the C. 200 flew more operational
sorties during the conflict than any Italian aircraft. The Saetta ranged over
Greece, North Africa, Yugoslavia, France, across the Mediterranean and the
Soviet Union (where it obtained an excellent kill to loss ratio of 88 to 15).
Its very strong all-metal construction and air-cooled engine made the aircraft
ideal for conducting ground attack missions; accordingly, several units flew it
as a fighter-bomber. Over 1,000 aircraft had been constructed by the end of the
war.

In 1936, in the aftermath of Italy's campaigns in East Africa, a official
program was initiated with the aim of completely re-equip the Regia Aeronautica
with a new interceptor aircraft of modern design. The 10 February 1936
specifications, formulated and published by the Ministero dell'Aeronatica,
called for an aircraft powered by a single radial engine, which was to be
capable of a top speed of 500 km/h along with a climb rate of 6,000 meters of 5
minutes. This envisioned aircraft, which was to be capable of being used as an
interceptor for performing the "defence of the national security in emergency"
soon had additional requirements specified, such as a flight endurance of two
hours and an armament of a single (later increased to two) 12.7 mm (0.5 in)
machine gun.


Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Aeronautica Macchi

First flight
24 December 1937

Introduction
1939

Retired
1947

Primary user
Regia Aeronautica

Number built
1,151 + 2 Prototypes

Developed into
Macchi C.202

As a weight-saving measure, the first production C.200 series did not have
armour fitted to protect the pilots. Armour plating was incorporated when the
units were going to replace the Saettas with the new Macchi C.202 Folgore and
often in only a limited number of aircraft. After the armour was fitted, the
aircraft could become difficult to balance, and during aerobatic manoeuvres
could enter an extremely difficult to control flat spin, forcing the pilot to
bail out. On 22 July 1941, Leonardo Ferrulli, one of the top-scoring Regia
Aeronautica pilots, encountered the problem and was forced to bail out over
Sicily.

The Macchi provided an outstanding field of view, since the cockpit was
partially open and placed on the hump of the fuselage. As a result of its
ultimate load factor of 15.1, it could reach speeds as fast as 500 m.p.h (True
Air Speed) during dives. According to aviation author Jeffrey L. Ethell, upon
its entry into service, the Supermarine Spitfire was the only Allied fighter
that was capable of out-climbing the Saetta; however, this viewpoint was
erroneous.

In September 1940, the C.200s of 6° Gruppo conducted their first offensive
operations in support of wider Axis efforts against the Mediterranean island of
Malta, escorting Junkers Ju 87 dive-bombers. Only on 1 November 1940 were the
C.200s credited with their first kill. A British Sunderland on a reconnaissance
mission was sighted and attacked just outside Augusta by a flight of Saettas on
patrol. With the arrival towards the end of December 1940 of X Fliegerkorps in
Sicily, the C.200s were assigned escort duty for I/StG.1 and II/StG.2 Ju 87
bombers attacking Malta, as the Stukas did not have adequate fighter cover until
the arrival of 7./JG26's Bf 109s.

British air power in the theatre also intensified, chief amongst these being the
Hawker Hurricane fighter, which forced a redeployment of Italian forces in
response. Although considered to be inferior to the Hurricane in terms of speed,
the C.200 had the advantage in terms of manoeuvrability, turn radius, and climb
rate. According to aviation author Bill Gunston, the C.200 proved effective
against the Hurricane, delivering outstanding dogfight performance without any
vices.

While the Hurricane was faster at sea level (450 km/h/280 mph vs the C.200's 430
km/h/270 mph), the Saetta could reach more than 500 km/h (310 mph) at 4,500 m
(14,800 ft), although speed dropped off at altitude: 490 km/h (300 mph) at 6,000
m (19,700 ft) and 350 km/h (220 mph) at 7,000 m (23,000 ft) with a maximum
ceiling of 8,800 m (29,000 ft). Comparative speeds of the Hurricane Mk I was 505
km/h (314 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and 528 km/h (328 mph) at 6,000 m (19,700
ft). Over 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and at very low levels, only the huge Vokes
(anti-sand) air filter fitted to the "tropical" variants slowed the Hurricane Mk
II to Macchi levels. Although the Macchi C.200 was more agile than the
Hurricane, it carried a lighter armament than its British adversary.

Specifications (Macchi C.200 early series)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 10.58 m (34 ft 8 in)
Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 16.82 m² (181.00 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,964 kg (4,330 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,200 kg (4,840 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,395 kg (5,280 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Fiat A.74 R.C.38 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 650 kW
(870 hp) at 2,520 rpm for takeoff

Performance
Maximum speed: 504 km/h (313 mph) at 4,500 m (14,765 ft)
Range: 570 km (354 mi)
Service ceiling: 8,900 m (29,200 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.3 m/s (3,030 ft/min)
Wing loading: 131.7 kg/m² (26.9 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.286 kW/kg (0.176 hp/lb)

Armament

2× 12.7 mm (.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns, 370 rpg
Some aircraft were field-modified to carry up to 8× 15 kg (33 lb) or 2× 50, 100,
or 150 kg (110, 220, or 330 lb) bombs under the wings





*