Macchi M.C.205 Veltro

Macchi M.C.205 Veltro.
Nouvelle évolution chez Macchi du 200/202 avec le Daimler DB605, de la série des .5 italiens


Le bref chapitre de wikipedia en français :

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Le Macchi MC.205 Veltro (lévrier) est un avion de chasse italien, produit à partir du milieu de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.


Conception


Le Macchi MC.205V Veltro est conçu à partir de la cellule du MC.202 et du moteur allemand Daimler-Benz DB 605A.

Il effectue son vol initial le 19 avril 1942, mais n'est produit en masse que tardivement à cause de la faiblesse de la production des moteurs. Environs 200 exemplaires furent construits

Deux versions de prototype furent conçues : le MC.206 et MC.207.

Engagements


À cause de ces retards, la mise en service n'eut lieu que vers juin 1943.

Il effectua ses premiers combats en juillet, puis à partir de la capitulation italienne, servit à la fois dans le camp allié, et dans celui de l'Axe, la République de Salo en ayant conservé de nombreux exemplaires.


Autres caractéristiques

Le Macchi MC 205 était une machine exceptionnellement agile a moyennes et basses altitudes et fut le seul chasseur de la série 5 à avoir un emploi opérationnel significatif, il se montra capable de rivaliser avec les meilleurs chasseurs alliés.

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Pas simple de faire la différence au premier regard avec le 202 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

Une vidéo sur le "Lévrier"

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La page MC 205 sur Wikipedia.en, encore bien fournie :


The Macchi C.205 (also known as MC.205, "MC" standing for "Macchi Castoldi") Veltro (Italian: Greyhound) was
an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi.

Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine.

The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore.

Although the Macchi C.205 Veltro was able to match the best Allied opponents in speed and maneuverability, it was
introduced late in the conflict.

Due to poor industrial capability, only a small production run was delivered before the end of the war;
"...like the Spitfire, the Veltro was tricky (in its construction), and thus slow, to build."

"With a top speed of some 400 mph and equipped with a pair of 20 mm cannons as well as 12.7 mm Breda machine guns, the C.205 was highly respected by Allied and Luftwaffe pilots alike.

Regarded as the best Italian aircraft of World War II, in action it proved to be extremely effective, destroying a large number of Allied bombers and capable of successfully taking on equal terms such renowed fighters as North American P-51D Mustang,
a capability which encouraged the Luftwaffe to use a number of these aircraft to equip one Gruppe.

Italy's highest scoring ace, Adriano Visconti, achieved 11 of his 26 victories in the few weeks he was able to fly on the Veltro, with the top scoring Veltro pilot Sergente Maggiore Luigi Gorrini shooting down 14 enemy aircraft plus six damaged with the C.205.

Design and development


In 1941, seeking to further improve the performance of the C.202 fighter, the Regia Aeronautica decided to license-build the German DB 605 1,100 kW (1,475 hp) liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine in Italy, which Fiat produced as the RA.1050 R.C.58 Tifone (Typhoon).

Fighter manufacturers were invited to enter versions of their designs using this engine as the caccia della serie 5 ("series-5 fighter") and were provided with imported DB 605s for prototype use.

All of the designs used the number 5 in the name, with the Macchi becoming the C.205 (instead of C.202bis or C.203).

Macchi had used a licence built DB 601 engine in the C.202, an engine which was closely comparable in size to the later, more powerful DB 605 .

This meant that the C.202 airframe could be easily adapted for the DB 605.

The C.205V Veltro first flew on 19 April 1942, and was considered as a stop-gap measure with the definitive variant being the 205N Orione (N stood for "new").

In testing, the Fiat G.55 Centauro and Re.2005 Sagittario proved to be better performers at high altitude due to their larger wing area.

In fact, the Veltro used the same wing as the earlier Folgore but its weight had increased from 2,350 kg (5,180 lb) to 3,408 kg (7,515 lb) and the wing loading from 142 kg/m² (29 lb/ft²) to 203 kg/m² (41 lb/ft²).

The Veltro's performance was similar to German designs with their higher wing loading, and was at its best at medium altitudes where it could reach 642 km/h (399 mph).

The C.205 Veltro was placed in production until the G.55 and the Re.2005 could become available.

Un dessin du DB 605 fabriqué par Alfa Romeo

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The first 100 Veltro Serie I were only machine gun-armed, but many were also fitted with the 20 mm MG 151 cannon.

There were no Serie II built, but 150 Serie III were ordered, which were fitted with cannons in the wings as standard.

The necessity to re-engineer the forward fuselage was time-consuming, but after several months of delays, the "205N" was ready.

The C.205N1 first flew on 1 November 1942, with armament consisting of a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller
hub, and four cowling-mounted 12.7 mm (.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns for which it carried 300-400 and 1,400 rounds of ammunition respectively.

This configuration allowed a higher ceiling, but less speed (629 km/h/391 mph), however, the better aerodynamics (with a longer and more streamlined rear fuselage) provided an overall advantage over the Macchi C.205V/MG151
(620 km/h/385 mph).