File:Macchi C.200 Saetta (36979112194).png

The Macchi C.200 Saetta was a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy. It was used in various forms by the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force), and throughout the Second World War. From the time Italy entered the Second World War on 10 June 1940, until the signing of the armistice of 8 September 1943, the C. 200 flew more operational sorties during the conflict than any Italian aircraft. The Saetta ranged over Greece, North Africa, Yugoslavia, France, across the Mediterranean and the Soviet Union (where it obtained an excellent kill to loss ratio of 88 to 15). Its very strong all-metal construction and air-cooled engine made the aircraft ideal for conducting ground attack missions; accordingly, several units flew it as a fighter-bomber. Over 1,000 aircraft had been constructed by the end of the war.