Marchetti MVT

The Marchetti MVT, later renamed the SIAI S.50, was an Italian single-seat fighter of 1919 and the early 1920s. Alessandro Marchetti designed it for Vickers-Terni at La Spezia, and the letters stand for Marchetti-Vickers-Terni. It was an all-metal biplane whose fuselage hung between the upper and lower wings, with the rear fuselage flattened to act as an aerofoil, very thin semi-elliptical wings controlled by wing warping, and all-moving tail surfaces. A 220 horsepower SPA 6a engine drove it, and two synchronised Vickers machine guns were fitted. On 9 December 1919 it reached 250 kilometres per hour, an unofficial speed record that was never certified because no international aviation federation officials were present. After Marchetti joined SIAI in 1922 it became the S.50, entered the 1923 fighter contest, and three were bought for evaluation; it led to the SIAI S.52.