Aviation of World War II

Reggiane Re.2005 The Sagittario became the last and best Reggiane fighter during WWII. Compared to previous models, the Re.2005 was a completely new design and was the result of the efforts of the Italian Air Force to obtain a fighter with the characteristics of the best representatives of the so-called fifth generation of the time. The aircraft of this generation actually succeeded and the Re.2005 was no exception. However, the situation at the front did not allow this undoubtedly perfect aircraft to fully reveal its capabilities.

The design of the Re.2005 began in 1941, and in December of the same year the drawings were ready and the construction of the fuselage began. In February 1942, the fuselage was prepared for the installation of the Daimler-Benz DB605A-1 inline engine, soon it was mounted and on May 10 of the same year the prototype (serial number MM494) was raised into the air by test pilot Da Prato. In June, he underwent a cycle of flight tests at the airfield of the Guidonia test center, and in August - firing from airborne weapons at the Furbar training ground. During the tests, he reached a maximum level flight speed of 678 km / h and 980 km / h during a dive, as well as documentary evidence - the pilot's autograph on the plane's picture, with the numbers 980.

During further tests, the Re.2005 showed not only outstanding speed, but also excellent maneuverability and good range. According to its characteristics, it was at the level of the best fighters of that time. It is all the more surprising that in 1942 the Ministry of Aviation ordered the construction of only three prototypes, one of which was intended for static tests, and then a modest 16 pre-production vehicles.

By the time of Italy's surrender, two prototypes and twenty-nine of 34 zero-series aircraft had been delivered. There were many units in production and, in fact, the assembly line was ready. After the surrender, the German command captured all available and serviceable Re.2005 and demanded the continuation of production. It was planned to install complete German power plants on Italian fuselages. As already mentioned, the second prototype flew to the Ploiesti area, and the aircraft with the serial numbers MM096100-04 and MM096106-11 were transferred to the air defense of Berlin. Even before the capitulation, several Re.2005 received the 22nd fighter air group based in the Naples-Capodichino area, which had the task of defending the city and the surrounding area. One of the Re.2005 fighters of this unit, after accepting the surrender, fell into the hands of the Americans, who brought it to the United States and intensively tested it until 1946. According to American testers, it was one of the best enemy fighters they had ever experienced.

Photo	Description
	Drawing Re 2005 (top)
	Drawing Re 2005 (bottom)

The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario was a single-seat, single-engine fighter based on an all-metal cantilever low-wing design.

The fuselage is a monocoque of the same design as the Re.2001. The sliding part of the lantern that opened to the right had sliding side windows. Equipped with an armored backrest, the pilot's seat with a niche for a dorsal parachute had height adjustment. The armored headrest was part of the fuselage structure.

The wing is of the semi-monocoque type. In its middle part, between the cannons, there were fuel tanks, two on each side. Ailerons had a duralumin set and linen sheathing and had static and dynamic compensation. The left aileron had a trimmer adjustable in flight. Hydraulically deflected flaps occupied the entire trailing edge of the wing between the ailerons.

The plumage had a design similar to the previous aircraft of the Reggiane company - an all-metal structure with linen sheathing of the rudders. The rudders were equipped with trim tabs, at the elevator - adjustable in flight.

The landing gear was different in design from all previous Reggian fighters. The wheel was housed in a fork at the end of the rack. The struts were attached to the front spar and folded using the hydraulic system towards the wingtips. The tail wheel was also removed at the same time. The fuel system consisted of 4 tanks in the center section: two with a volume of 160 liters each were located between the first and second spars, the second pair of 108 liters each - between the second and third spars.

Alfa Romeo RA.1050RC-58 engine (licensed DB.605) 12-cylinder A-shaped, liquid-cooled, 1475 hp

The instrumentation met the standards of the time, including the radio station. Above the dashboard was the San Giorgio collimator sight.

Armament: Barrel armament consisted of two 12.7-mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns located in the fuselage above the engine and three German 20-mm Mauser MG-151 cannons. Two were located in the wing outside the plane of rotation of the propeller, and one was placed between the engine blocks and fired through the hollow shaft of the propeller. Ammunition consisted of 350 rounds for each machine gun and 200 for a cannon.

Bibliography

• Regia Aeronautica / C. Shores/
• Reggiane Re.2005/Aerei Italiani - Scheda Tecnica./