Summary
The Macchi M.26 was an Italian flying boat fighter prototype of 1924 designed and manufactured by Macchi.
| Macchi M.26 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Flying boat fighter |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Macchi |
| Designer | Mario Castoldi (1888-1968) |
| First flight | 1924 |
| Primary user | Italy |
| Number built | 2 |
Design and development edit
In 1924, the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) issued a requirement for a replacement for its Macchi M.7ter flying boat fighter. To compete with the SIAI S.58 for a production order as the replacement, Macchi company designer Mario Castoldi (1888-1968) developed the M.26. It was a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane armed with two fixed, forward-firing 7.7-millimeter (0.303-inch) Vickers machine guns. It had plywood and fabric skinning, and its wings were of equal span and unstaggered. The M.26's engine, a 221-kilowatt (296-brake horsepower) Hispano-Suiza HS 42 V8 driving a pusher propeller, was mounted on struts above the hull and below the upper wing. For an aircraft of its type, its aerodynamic design was very clean.[1]
The M.26 was completed in 1924 and made its first flight that year, demonstrating good performance. Macchi built two prototypes, but the Regia Marina[2] opted to save money by re-engining the Macchi M.7ter to extend its service life rather than purchase a new aircraft, and Macchi received no production orders for the M.26. However, a few years later Macchi based the design of its M.41 fighter on that of the M.26.[3]
Operators edit
Specifications edit
Data from Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown, New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 8.15 m (26 ft 8.88 in)
- Wingspan: 9.20 m (30 ft 2.25 in)
- Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 26.00 m2 (279.87 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 865 kg (1,907 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza HS 42 V8 piston , 221 kW (296 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 244 km/h (152 mph, 132 kn)
- Endurance: 2 hours 30 minutes
Armament
- 2 × fixed forward-firing 7.7-millimeter (0.303-inch) Vickers machine guns
Notes:
- Time to 4,000 m (13,123 ft): 12 min 18 sec
See also edit
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
Notes edit
- ^ Green and Swanborough, pp. 357-358 and 527.
- ^ Green and Swanborough, p. 358, attributes this decision to the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force), but on p. 527 attributes it to the Italian naval aviation branch.
- ^ Green and Swanborough, p. 358.
References edit
- Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown. New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
