Aermacchi

Aermacchi was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Formerly known as Aeronautica Macchi, the company was founded in 1912 by Giulio Macchi at Varese in north-western Lombardy as Nieuport-Macchi, to build Nieuport monoplanes under licence for the Italian military. With a factory located on the shores of Lake Varese, the firm originally manufactured a series of Nieuport designs, as well as seaplanes.

After World War II, the company began producing motorcycles as a way to fill the post-war need for cheap, efficient transportation.

The company later specialised in civil and military pilot training aircraft. In July 2003, Aermacchi was integrated into the Finmeccanica Group as Alenia Aermacchi, which increased its shareholding to 99%.

Military trainers

Aermacchi SF-260.

Frecce Tricolori MB-339A/PAN.

Aermacchi M-346.

Since the beginning, the design and production of military trainers have been Alenia Aermacchi's core business.

The products include:

• SF-260, piston-engined or turboprop-powered screener/primary trainer
• MB-326, turbofan engined trainer and light attack aircraft
• M-311, basic turbofan trainer
• MB-339CD, advanced and lead-in fighter trainer
• M-346, advanced and lead-in fighter trainer of the new generation

Military collaboration

Alenia Aermacchi has cooperated in international military programs:

• AMX Program :

Alenia Aermacchi takes part in the AMX program with Alenia Aeronautica and Embraer of Brazil with a total share of 24%. Alenia Aermacchi develops and manufactures the fuselage forward and rear sections and installs some avionic equipment in the aircraft. A Mid-Life Updating program is required by the Italian Air Force to upgrade the aircraft capabilities.

• Panavia Tornado program :

Alenia Aermacchi designs and produces wing pylons and wing tips, roots, trailing edges and flaps, which represents a 5% share in the overall program.

• Eurofighter program :

Alenia Aermacchi has a share of more than 4% in the Eurofighter program, for the design and development of wing pylons, twin missile and twin store carriers, ECM pods, carbon fiber structures and titanium engine cowlings.

• C-27J program :

After participating in the G-222 transport aircraft program, the company is involved in the new Military Transport Aircraft C-27J Spartan, for the production of outer wings.

Civil programs

Since the mid-1990s, Alenia Aermacchi has participated in programs for the supply of engine nacelles for civil aircraft. It produces cold parts for engine nacelles: inlets, fan cowls and EBU, the systems-to-engine interface. In 1999, the company established a joint venture (MHD) with Hurel-Dubois (presently Hurel-Hispano, of SNECMA group), a French company specializing in the development and manufacture of thrust reversers, to obtain the full responsibility for the development of nacelles installed on maximum 100-seat aircraft.

Aermacchi aircraft

World War I

• Macchi L.1 - reconnaissance flying boat (Lohner copy)
• Macchi L.2 - flying boat biplane (Lohner copy)
• Nieuport-Macchi N.VI - reconnaissance monoplane (license-built Nieuport monoplane with local modifications)
• Nieuport-Macchi parasol monoplane - reconnaissance monoplane (developed from Nieuport VI)
• Nieuport-Macchi N.10 - fighter/reconnaissance sesquiplane (license-built Nieuport 10 with local modifications)
• Nieuport-Macchi N.11 - fighter sesquiplane (license-built Nieuport 11 with local modifications)
• Nieuport-Macchi N.17 - fighter sesquiplane (license-built Nieuport 17 with local modifications)
• Macchi M.3 - flying boat biplane (1916)
• Macchi M.5 - flying boat fighter (1917)
• Macchi M.6 - flying boat fighter prototype (1917)
• Macchi M.7 - flying boat fighter (1918)
• Macchi M.8 - reconnaissance, bomber flying boat (1917)
• Macchi M.9 - flying boat bomber (1918)
• Macchi M.12 - flying boat bomber (1918)
• Macchi M.14 - sesquiplane fighter (1918)

Interwar

• Nieuport-Macchi N.29 - biplane fighter (license-built Nieuport-Delage NiD.29)
• Macchi M.7bis - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1920)
• Macchi M.15 - reconnaissance, bomber, and trainer aircraft (1922)
• Macchi M.16 - sports aircraft (1919)
• Macchi M.17bis - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1922)
• Macchi M.18 - passenger, bombing, and reconnaissance flying boat
• Macchi M.19 - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1920)
• Macchi M7ter - flying boat fighter (1923), major redesign of M.7
• Macchi M.24 - flying boat bomber (1924)
• Macchi M.26 - flying boat fighter prototype (1924)
• Macchi M.33 - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1925)
• Macchi M.39 - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1926)
• Macchi M.40 - reconnaissance seaplane (1928)
• Macchi M.41 - flying boat fighter (1927)
• Macchi M.52 - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1927)
• Macchi M.52R - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1929)
• Macchi M.53 - reconnaissance floatplane (1929)
• Macchi M.67 - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1929)
• Macchi M.70 - light biplane landplane/floatplane (ca. 1929)
• Macchi M.71 - flying boat fighter (1930)
• Macchi M.C.72 - Schneider Trophy racing seaplane (1931)
• Macchi M.C.94 - flying boat airliner (1935)
• Macchi M.C.100 - passenger flying boat (1939)
• Macchi M.C.200 Saetta - fighter (1939)

World War II

• Macchi M.C.202 Folgore - fighter (1941)
• Macchi M.C.205 Veltro - fighter (1942)

Post-World War II

• Macchi M.B.308 - utility aircraft (1948)
• Macchi M.B.320 - light civil utility aircraft (1949)
• Macchi M.B.323 - trainer (1952)
• Aermacchi MB-326 - trainer and light attack aircraft (1957)
• Aermacchi AL-60 - light civil utility aircraft (1959)
• Aermacchi SF.260 - aerobatics aircraft and military trainer (1964)
• Aermacchi MB-335 - initial designation of the AM.3
• Aermacchi AM.3 - military utility aircraft (1967)
• Aermacchi MB-338 - trainer (early 1970s)
• Aermacchi MB-340 - light ground-attack aircraft (early 1970s)
• Aermacchi MB-339 - trainer (1976)
• Aermacchi S-211 - trainer (1981)
• Aermacchi M-290 RediGO - trainer (1985)
• Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master - trainer (2004)
• Alenia Aermacchi M-311 - trainer (2005)

Motorcycles

A 1957 Aermacchi Chimera motorcycle at the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum

Aermacchi began producing motorcycles after World War II.

In 1960, US business Harley-Davidson motorcycles purchased 50% of Aermacchi's motorcycle division. The remaining motorcycle holdings were sold in 1974 to AMF-Harley-Davidson, with motorcycles continuing to be made at Varese. The business was sold to Cagiva in 1978.

See also

• List of Italian companies
• Harley-Davidson Baja 100 off-road motorcycle

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aermacchi.

• Leonardo-Finmeccanica website