Designed by the engineer Mario Castoldi, the Macchi Mc 200 represented a significant development in the production of Italian fighter aircraft. Compared to the biplanes FiatCR 32 and FiatCR 42, which were the main aircraft of the Italian Air Force at the beginning of the Second ...Designed by the engineer Mario Castoldi, the Macchi Mc 200 represented a significant development in the production of Italian fighter aircraft. Compared to the biplanes FiatCR 32 and FiatCR 42, which were the main aircraft of the Italian Air Force at the beginning of the Second World War, the Macchi Mc 200, together with its counterpart Fiat G50, differed in its singledeck design and the frame construction, which was made entirely of metal.
The starshaped 14cylinder Fiat A.74 RC 38 engine had an output of almost 840 hp and enabled the pilot to accelerate the aircraft to almost 500 km/h. Compared to the Allied aircraft, however, the Macchi was underpowered and also had less firepower. Two 12.7 mm BredaSAFAT machine guns, mounted above the characteristic engine nacelle, were the only onboard armament available.
Only in a later version was the armament supplemented with two additional 7.7 mm BredaSAFAT machine guns mounted in the wings. The Macchi was used by the Regia Aeronautica in the theatres of war in Africa, the Mediterranean, the Balkans and Russia.