Macchi M.7 | |
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Macchi M.7 fighter | |
Role | single-seat fighter flying-boat |
National origin | Italy |
Manufacturer | Macchi |
Designer | Alesandro Tonini |
First flight | 1918 |
Primary user | Italian Navy Aviation |
Number built | 100+ |
The Macchi M.7 was an Italian single-seat fighter flying boat designed by Alesandro Tonini and built by Macchi. A modified version the M.7bis won the Schneider Trophy in 1921.
The M.7 was similar to the earlier M.5 but had a modified hull and was powered by a Isotta-Fraschini V.6 engine. Due to the end of World War I, only 17 aircraft were delivered to the Italian Navy. In 1919, two each were sold to Argentina and Sweden, and in 1921, Brazil bought three.
In 1920, Tonini designed the M.7bis a racing version for the Schneider Trophy, it had a lighter structure and reduced-span wings. Five M.7s entered the 1921 competition at Venice, which was won by Giovanni di Briganti flying the M.7bis. At the 1922 competition at Naples, the M.7bis came in fourth.
In 1923, a revised variant the M.7ter appeared, it had redesigned hull, revised wing configuration and new tail unit. Three different versions of the M.7ter were built, including the M.7ter AR, which had folding wings to allow them to operate from the seaplane-carrier Giuseppe Miraglia. In 1924, six Italian naval squadrons had equipped with the M.7ter and over 100 were built. The aircraft was also used as late as 1940 by civilian flying schools.
Data from [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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