Savoia-Marchetti SM.82

what is it?

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 Marsupiale is an Italian bomber and transport aircraft of World War II. It was a cantilever, mid-wing monoplane trimotor with a retractable, tailwheel undercarriage. There were 875 (plus one prototype) built, the first entering service in 1940. Although able to operate as a bomber with a maximum bombload of up to 8,818 lb (4000 kg), the SM.82 saw very limited use in this role.

🔎How to recognise it: 3 piston engines with propellers · 29.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 347 km/htop speed
• range 2,100 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 40passengers
• size 18 tmax take-off weight
• built 726made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 87 years ago, in 1939.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 29.7 m: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,100 km: 12× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1939

introduced

1940

retired

1960

status

retired

number built

726

role

heavy bomber/transport

makers

SIAI-Marchetti

engines

3× Alfa Romeo 128 R.C.21

crew

4

passengers

40

length

22.9 m

wingspan

29.7 m

height

6 m

max take-off weight

18 t

top speed

347 km/h

cruise speed

250 km/h

range

2,100 km

ceiling

6,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.