S.81 - Revision history

U43191476: See Also - attempting to use source editing vs visual

2024-07-05T17:48:11Z

See Also - attempting to use source editing vs visual

U38088265: /* Description */

2023-11-29T15:39:23Z

‎Description

U120313908: /* Reworked

2023-11-27T05:11:07Z

/* Reworked

U9202753: Specs-Card ArtImage Added.

2023-04-05T23:51:06Z

Specs-Card ArtImage Added.

U44629479: Edits

2022-05-17T17:46:06Z

Edits

U122946199: Tried it for a spin again, and god this thing a monster. Eliminated 3 bases with it!

2022-03-28T07:18:40Z

Tried it for a spin again, and god this thing a monster. Eliminated 3 bases with it!

U122946199 at 07:55, 17 January 2022

2022-01-17T07:55:55Z

U44629479: Edits

2021-12-22T10:29:49Z

Edits

U122946199 at 09:20, 22 December 2021

2021-12-22T09:20:24Z

U44629479: Edits

2021-04-29T19:05:23Z

Edits

@@ Line 183: / Line 183: @@
 == See also ==
-''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
-* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
+;Aircraft of similar configuration and role
-* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+* [[S.M.79 (Family)]]
 == External links ==

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' was introduced in a time when Italy needed an aircraft capable of covering the large distances of the African Campaign, providing reconnaissance and the ability to carry bombs. Chief designer of the new project, Alessandro Marchetti developed the aircraft based on the Savoia's SM.73 airliner and militarized the vehicle for its intended use. The first prototype flew in 1935 and the aircraft was designated '''SM.81''' "Pipistrello" ("Bat"). The aircraft served until 1944 with a total of 534 units built. By the time, the aircraft was considered one of the best medium bombers, but when World War II broke out it was already an outdated design, it served with Italian forces in Spain, Africa and three were also sent to the Chinese Nationalist Forces but they were lost in trainings in early 1938.\
+The '''{{Specs|name}}''' was introduced in a time when Italy needed an aircraft capable of covering the large distances of the African Campaign, providing reconnaissance and the ability to carry bombs. Chief designer of the new project, Alessandro Marchetti developed the aircraft based on the Savoia's SM.73 airliner and militarized the vehicle for its intended use. The first prototype flew in 1935 and the aircraft was designated '''SM.81''' ''Pipistrello'' ("Bat"). The aircraft served until 1944 with a total of 534 units built. For its time, the aircraft was considered one of the best medium bombers, but when World War II broke out it was already an outdated design. It served with Italian forces in Spain and Africa, and three were also sent to the Chinese Nationalist Forces but they were lost in training exercises in early 1938.
-It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]]. The S.81 is distinctive with its three engines, two on the wings and one in the nose. Each engine is less powerful than contemporaries on other aircraft so each engine loss will heavily impact the aircraft's speed, causing it to lose altitude, although the nose engine increases survivability. Three types of turrets are available on the S.81, a dorsal turret on top, a ventral turret on the bottom, and two beam turrets for both sides of the fuselage. All the turrets provide an excellent arc of fires on their sectors, with mutual machine gun fire from more than one turret able to be met in most areas, however this turrets only use 7.7mm machine guns. The S.81 lacks any sort of armour and the crew is very likely to be injured in attacks specially from below.
+It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]]. The S.81 is distinctive with its three engines, two on the wings and one in the nose. Each engine is less powerful than contemporaries on other aircraft so each engine loss will heavily impact the aircraft's speed, causing it to lose altitude, although the nose engine increases survivability. Three types of turrets are available on the S.81, a dorsal turret on top, a ventral turret on the bottom, and two beam turrets for both sides of the fuselage. All the turrets provide an excellent arc of fires on their sectors, with mutual machine gun fire from more than one turret able to be met in most areas, however these turrets only use 7.7 mm machine guns. The S.81 lacks any sort of armour and the crew is very likely to be injured in attacks, especially from below.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]].
+The '''{{Specs|name}}''' was introduced in a time when Italy needed an aircraft capable of covering the large distances of the African Campaign, providing reconnaissance and the ability to carry bombs. Chief designer of the new project, Alessandro Marchetti developed the aircraft based on the Savoia's SM.73 airliner and militarized the vehicle for its intended use. The first prototype flew in 1935 and the aircraft was designated '''SM.81''' "Pipistrello" ("Bat"). The aircraft served until 1944 with a total of 534 units built. By the time, the aircraft was considered one of the best medium bombers, but when World War II broke out it was already an outdated design, it served with Italian forces in Spain, Africa and three were also sent to the Chinese Nationalist Forces but they were lost in trainings in early 1938.\
-The S.81 is distinctive with its three engines, two on the wings and one in the nose. This provides a level of redundancy with the nose engine unlikely to be disabled except from a head-on or a diving attack. Although, each engine is less powerful than contemporaries on other aircraft so each engine loss will heavily impact the aircraft's speed, causing it to lose altitude. Losing one engine on the wing would also cause the aircraft to start rolling over to the weakened end. However, if you manage to land your plane after losing an engine, you will be able to taxi back to base at 100% power. It will be slow though, as you can only reach speeds up to 14 km/h.
+It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]]. The S.81 is distinctive with its three engines, two on the wings and one in the nose. Each engine is less powerful than contemporaries on other aircraft so each engine loss will heavily impact the aircraft's speed, causing it to lose altitude, although the nose engine increases survivability. Three types of turrets are available on the S.81, a dorsal turret on top, a ventral turret on the bottom, and two beam turrets for both sides of the fuselage. All the turrets provide an excellent arc of fires on their sectors, with mutual machine gun fire from more than one turret able to be met in most areas, however this turrets only use 7.7mm machine guns. The S.81 lacks any sort of armour and the crew is very likely to be injured in attacks specially from below.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Specs-Card
 |code=s_81_ar125
-|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
+|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 }}

@@ Line 123: / Line 123: @@
 Best use of S.81 in Air Battles is on clean up duty after other bombers that are way faster and might not have the bombload to take out bombing points in one go, or S.81 can go for stationary targets like pillboxes, light pillboxes, AA emplacements and artillery positions to bleed the enemy team's tickets.
-In ground battles the S.81 can be good air support for allied ground units, protecting points that are being captured by hostile forces and with good communications with the ground teammates it can wipe out entrenched enemies that are likely to be protecting points or certain roads or areas of the map. But beware of enemy SPAA units, S.81's slow speed makes it an easy target for most SPAA vehicles at its battle rating.
+In ground battles the S.81 can be good air support for allied ground units, protecting points that are being captured by hostile forces and with good communications with the ground teammates it can wipe out entrenched enemies that are likely to be protecting points or certain roads or areas of the map. But beware of enemy SPAA units, the S.81's slow speed makes it an easy target for most SPAA vehicles at its battle rating.
 === Manual Engine Control ===
@@ Line 160: / Line 160: @@
 == History ==
 <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
-Under the need to have an aircraft capable reaching the far reaches of the Italian colonies in Africa, a project was made to develop an aircraft able to suit the Regia Aeronautica. Approaching manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti, chief designer Alessandro Marchetti developed the aircraft based on the Savoia's SM.73 airliner and militarized the vehicle for its intended use.<ref name="MFS.81">Military Factory. "Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello (Bat) Medium Bomber / Transport Aircraft." Military Factory, 31 May 2017, [http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=811 Website].</ref> The first prototype was built and flown in early 1935, approximately six months after the SM.73 debuted.<ref name="CenturyS.81">Century of Flight. "Savoia Marchetti S.M.81 Pipistrello." Italian Aircraft of World War Two, 11 Nov 2007, [https://web.archive.org/web/20121102170519/https://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Savoia%20Marchetti.htm Web Archive].</ref> This aircraft was then known as the '''SM.81 "Pipistrello"''' ('''"Bat"'''). The aircraft was accepted for service in the same year with mass-production slated, with different engines used throughout the production life. 534 SM.81 would be produced in the time span between 1935 to 1944.<ref name="MurphyS.81">Murphy, Justin D., and Matthew A. McNiece. Military Aircraft, 1919-1945: an Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO, 2009.</ref>
+Under the need to have an aircraft capable reaching the far reaches of the Italian colonies in Africa, a project was made to develop an aircraft able to suit the Regia Aeronautica. Approaching manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti, chief designer Alessandro Marchetti developed the aircraft based on the Savoia's SM.73 airliner and militarized the vehicle for its intended use.<ref name="MFS.81">Military Factory. "Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello (Bat) Medium Bomber / Transport Aircraft." Military Factory, 31 May 2017, [http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=811 Website].</ref> The first prototype was built and flown in early 1935, approximately six months after the SM.73 debuted.<ref name="CenturyS.81">Century of Flight. "Savoia Marchetti S.M.81 Pipistrello." Italian Aircraft of World War Two, 11 Nov 2007, [https://web.archive.org/web/20121102170519/https://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Savoia%20Marchetti.htm Web Archive].</ref> This aircraft was then known as the '''SM.81''' "Pipistrello" ("Bat"). The aircraft was accepted for service in the same year with mass-production slated, with different engines used throughout the production life. 534 SM.81 would be produced in the time span between 1935 to 1944.<ref name="MurphyS.81">Murphy, Justin D., and Matthew A. McNiece. Military Aircraft, 1919-1945: an Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO, 2009.</ref>
 ===Combat usage===

@@ Line 147: / Line 147: @@
 '''Pros:'''
-* Great payload, can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance which can destroy 2 bases with ease
+* Great payload, can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance which can destroy 3 bases with ease
 * Machine gun turrets can reach all sides of the bomber
 * Potent, fast-firing defensive armament for its tier, with incendiary bullets that can easily set fabric-covered low-tier planes on fire.

@@ Line 149: / Line 149: @@
 * Great payload, can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance which can destroy 2 bases with ease
 * Machine gun turrets can reach all sides of the bomber
-* Fast-firing defensive armament, with incendiary bullets that can easily set fabric-covered low-tier planes on fire
+* Potent, fast-firing defensive armament for its tier, with incendiary bullets that can easily set fabric-covered low-tier planes on fire.
 '''Cons:'''
@@ Line 155: / Line 155: @@
 * Slow and sluggish
 * No armour or bulletproof glass for protection
 * Loss of a single engine will hamper the plane's ability to stay in the air
 * Low maximum altitude

@@ Line 115: / Line 115: @@
 <!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
-S.81 is a well armed beginner bomber for Italy, being able to carry a heavy load of bombs in different sizes. Though it doesn't possess the greatest speed, it's still a bomber for the enemy team to recognize as a threat for its carrying capacity of bombs. Being mixed up with bombers from other nations like [[He 111 H-3]], [[F.222.2]], or [[TB-3M-17-32]], they can easily wipe out enemy bomb points and airfield.
+S.81 is a well armed beginner bomber for Italy, being able to carry a heavy load of bombs in different sizes. Though it doesn't possess the greatest speed, it's still a bomber for the enemy team to recognize as a threat for its carrying capacity of bombs. Being mixed up with bombers from other nations like [[He 111 H-3]], [[F.222.2]], or [[TB-3M-17-32]], they can easily wipe out enemy bases and airfield.
 S.81 is armed with 6 x 7.7 mm machine guns: 2 x [[Lewis (7.7 mm)]] and 4 x [[Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm)]] which is pretty well armed for a low tier bomber. The two Lewis machine guns are placed at the middle rear of the plane in the sides, where they can cover if enemy planes are flying level next to the S.81. Meanwhile, the 4 x Breda machine guns are placed in two turrets that have 360° coverage above and below the bomber, being able to defend it from most angles. It is able to defend itself pretty well against biplanes from reserve ranks, but can have tougher opponents like [[I-16 type 24]], [[Yak-2 KABB]], [[P-36G]], [[He 100 D-1]], [[Potez 631]], and [[J22-A]] that can make quick work of the S.81 as they are faster, more agile, and usually have more firepower than the S.81.
@@ Line 147: / Line 147: @@
 '''Pros:'''
-* Great payload, can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance which can bomb 2 bases with ease
+* Great payload, can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance which can destroy 2 bases with ease
 * Machine gun turrets can reach all sides of the bomber
 * Fast-firing defensive armament, with incendiary bullets that can easily set fabric-covered low-tier planes on fire
@@ Line 182: / Line 182: @@
 ;Skins
-* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=italy&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=bomber Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
+* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=s_81_ar125 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 ;Videos

@@ Line 147: / Line 147: @@
 '''Pros:'''
-* Great payload, can hold up to 2,000 kg
+* Great payload, can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance
 * Machine gun turrets can reach all sides of the bomber
 * Fast-firing defensive armament, with incendiary bullets that can easily set fabric-covered low-tier planes on fire
@@ Line 179: / Line 179: @@
 == Media ==
 <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 {{Youtube-gallery|9_txEPailKc|'''The Shooting Range #92''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 06:20 discusses the S.81.}}
 == See also ==
 ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 * ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
@@ Line 190: / Line 194: @@
 <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 * ''topic on the official game forum;''
 * ''other literature.'' -->
@@ Line 196: / Line 199: @@
 === References ===
-<references />
+<references/>
 {{AirManufacturer SM}}
 {{Italy bombers}}