The Aerfer Sagittario 2 (
Italian for sagittarius) was a prototype all-metal single-seat lightweight
fighter aircraft built in Italy by
Aerfer, intended to serve as an interceptor or light tactical support aircraft. First flown in 1956, it became the first Italian aircraft to break the
sound barrier in controlled flight when it reached Mach 1.1 during a dive from 13,725 m (45,000 ft).
Design and development
The Sagittario 2 was based on the earlier
Sagittario, which was itself a development of the
S.7 piston-engined training aircraft that went into service with the
Italian Air Force in small numbers.
A small all-metal aircraft, the Sagittario 2 had its
jet engine mounted in the nose, with the exhaust underneath the mid-fuselage. The wing and tail surfaces were highly-swept.
The
cockpit was moved forward of its position on the Sagittario's predecessors, and equipped with a
bubble canopy. A tricycle
undercarriage was fitted, with the nose gear retracting under the engine.
Buttler, Tony. X-Planes of Europe II: Military Prototype Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946–1974. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2015.
ISBN978-1-90210-948-0
Giuseppe Ciampaglia, Dal SAI Ambrosini Sagittario all'AERFER Leone, January 2004, IBN editore, with English translation by Stephen Richards