Savoia-Marchetti S.72
Role	Bomber/transport Type of aircraft
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Savoia-Marchetti
First flight	1934
Primary users	China Regia Aeronautica
Number built	7

TheSavoia-Marchetti S.72 was an Italian three-engine transportmonoplane designed and built bySavoia-Marchetti as an enlarged and strengthened version of the earlierS.71. The S.72 was a three-engine, high-wingcantilever monoplane with a fixedtailwheel landing gear. Designed as aheavy bomber, theprototype was first flown in 1934 powered by three 410 kW (550 hp)Alfa Romeo licence-builtBristol Pegasusradial engines.

TheRegia Aeronautica showed no interest in the aircraft as a heavy bomber and the prototype was used as a VIP transport. After being demonstrated in China in 1935 the prototype was handed over to GeneralissimoChiang Kai-shek as a gift. Six more aircraft were ordered by the Chinese and assembled in China. It is presumed that all the aircraft were destroyed inJapanese air raids in 1937.

 Italy

• Regia Aeronautica

 Republic of China

• Chinese Nationalist Air Force operated 6 aircraft.

Data from^[1]

General characteristics

• Length: 19.95 m (65 ft 5.5 in)
• Wingspan: 29.68 m (97 ft 4.5 in)
• Height: 5.5 m (18 ft 0.5 in)
• Wing area: 118.50 m² (1,275.57 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 6,800 kg (14,991 lb)
• Gross weight: 12,800 kg (28,219 lb)
• Powerplant: 3 ×Alfa Romeo licence-builtBristol Pegasus engine , 410 kW (550 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 295 km/h (183 mph, 159 kn)
• Range: 2,000 km (1,243 mi, 1,080 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,245 ft)

Armament

• up to 6 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns
• 1 × 20 mm cannon
• 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs

Related lists

• List of Interwar military aircraft

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989).Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSavoia-Marchetti S.72.

• "The World's Race to Arms"Popular Mechanics, December 1935 - various rare photos

• Savoia-Marchetti aircraft
• 1930s Italian airliners
• Trimotors
• High-wing aircraft
• Aircraft first flown in 1934

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata