Savoia-Marchetti SM.93

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.93 was an Italian dive bomber designed and produced in Italy from 1943. It was an all-wood, single-engined low-wing monoplane with retractable undercarriage and a monocoque fuselage with a single fin and a low-set tailplane. The crew of two sat under a long greenhouse-style canopy, the pilot lying in a prone position above the rear of the Daimler-Benz DB 605A liquid-cooled V12 engine and the gunner and radio operator facing rearwards on a conventional seat. The SM.93 made its maiden flight on 31 January 1944 and by 29 March 1944 had made 16 test flights, reaching speeds of up to 900 kilometres per hour in a dive and demonstrating its low drag and clean aerodynamics.