Aerfer Leone
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Aircraft |
The Aerfer Ariete (meaning Ram or Aries in Italian) was an Italian-built experimental fighter aircraft developed in 1958. It represented an advanced evolution of the Aerfer Sagittario 2 and aimed to upgrade that model to a level suitable for large-scale production as an operational combat aircraft.
Preserving much of the Sagittario 2’s design—including a nose air intake and ventral exhaust for its primary Derwent turbojet—the Ariete incorporated an auxiliary Rolls-Royce Soar RS.2 turbojet engine. This secondary engine, featuring a retractable dorsal intake and tail exhaust, was intended to enhance climb rates and sprint performance.
No mass production followed; a planned variant powered by a de Havilland Spectre rocket engine instead of the auxiliary turbojet, named the Aerfer Leone (Lion or Leo), was cancelled prior to prototype construction.
Operators
- Italian Air Force operated two units for evaluation purposes
Specifications (Ariete)
See also
References
Bibliography
- Buttler, Tony. X-Planes of Europe II: Military Prototype Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946–1974. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2015. ISBN 978-1-90210-948-0
- Swanborough, Gordon. Air Enthusiast, Volume One. London: Pilot Press, 1971. ISBN 0-385-08171-5.
Template:Aerfer aircraft Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 359: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').