Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian for sparrowhawk) is a three-engined medium bomber developed and manufactured by the Italian aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. The SM.79 was easily recognizable due to its fuselage's distinctive dorsal "hump", and was reportedly well liked by its crews. It was nicknamed il gobbo maledetto ("damned hunchback").

The SM.79 was developed in the early 1930s. It is a cantilever low-wing monoplane of combined wood and metal construction, designed with the intention of producing a swift eight-passenger transport aircraft capable of outperforming the fastest of its contemporaries, but its potential as a combat aircraft quickly attracted the attention of the Italian government. It made its first flight on 28 September 1934 and early examples of the type established 26 separate world records between 1937 and 1939, qualifying it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the world. As such, the SM.79 quickly came to be regarded as an item of national prestige in Fascist Italy, attracting significant government support and often being deployed as an element of state propaganda. Early on, the aircraft was routinely entered in competitive fly-offs and air races, seeking to capitalise on its advantages, and often emerged victorious in such contests.