Ardpol 72-037 SIA-7B

The SIA 7 was an Italian reconnaissance and bomber bomber with a fixed undercarriage from the First World War. The drive - in the 7B1 version - was provided by a single engine Fiat A.12 with a power of 300 hp. The flight of the aircraft took place in 1917, and serial production began in the same year. About 570 machines of this type were built in its course. The deck armament consisted of a single 6.5 mm Fiat-Revelli machine gun. The plane could also take a load of bombs weighing up to 60 kilograms.

The SIA 7 plane was built at the Societa Italiana Aviazione plant, initially as a grassroots initiative of this aviation company. The first prototypes turned out to be very successful: they had a large reserve of power, had good performance (especially top speed) and were maneuverable. This made the Italian air force interested in the plane, which quickly introduced it to the line. In the course of production, four main versions of this aircraft were created: SIA 7B1 (reconnaissance-bomber version), SIA 7B2 (improved version 7B1),), SIA R2 (mainly a reduced-size bomber version) and), SIA 9B (two-seater reconnaissance version). bomber, powered by new Fiat A.14 engines with 700 HP each). Aircraft of this type served primarily on the Italian-Austrian front from the beginning of 1918 until the end of World War I. The SIA 7 party was also purchased by the US Army Command for troops stationed in Europe.