In 1939 it set a world's closed circuit distance record when it covered 10,000 km at an average speed of 239.67 km/h, remaining in the air for 56.5 hours.

The SM.82's fuselage was of mixed-construction, with welded-steel tube framework, with 22 frames and four longerons, skinned with metal forward, and plywood and fabric elsewhere.

The tail had a conventional spruce structure and a plywood skin, while the rudder and elevators were a fabric-covered metal framework.

The floor was made of wood, with nine detachable panels, that helped with the accommodation (through the bomb bay doors) of heavy loads.

The SM.82 was fitted with three 641 kW (860 hp) Alfa Romeo 128 RC.18 radial engines with aluminium and steel three-blade constant speed propellers 3.6 m (11 ft 9 in) in diameter.

Control over bomb release was in the retractable ventral bombardier's gondola, equipped with a Jozza bombsight and also fitted with a rear-facing 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda machine gun.

[6] The main defensive weapon was a Caproni-Lanciani rotating dorsal turret, armed with a Scotti 12.7 mm (.50 in) machine gun with 350 rounds.

The SM.82's performance was modest, with a cruising speed only 250 km/h (160 mph) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft), even without the bombardier's gondola under the nose (which added more drag) it was slow, while its silhouette was large and easy to spot.

This left the SM.82 well inside the operational altitude of most fighters of the time, as well as the effective range of heavy and medium anti-aircraft guns.

On the 17 June 1940 the first mission for all five aircraft of the Gruppo, transported ten anti-tank guns and 17 radio-communication units.

The first bombing mission was on 17 July 1940 with three SM.82s taking off from Guidonia at 1940, and flying 1,600 km (995 mi) to arrive over Gibraltar eight hours later at 0340.

In mid-1940, 41° Group was sent to Rhodes with three SM.82s, and other four in October, for the special mission to the British-controlled oil refineries at Manama in the Persian Gulf.

This meant a flight of 4,200 km (2,610 mi), lasting 15 hours at 270 km/h (170 mph), that was for the time arguably a record for a bombing mission.

Six single aircraft night bombing missions were mounted, mainly against Alexandria, in October and November 1940.

All these missions were performed by SM.82s of 114° Gruppo, but all of their aircraft were destroyed or damaged by the time of Operation Compass in December 1940.

The need for transport aircraft meant that, apart from occasional special operations, like dropping paratroops, the SM.82s were used solely in this role; especially to maintain contact with Eastern Africa which was more and more isolated from the rest of the Italian forces.

149° Gruppo flew many missions over the Adriatic, and to Ethiopia, despite the fact that the pilots were convinced that given the strong, contrary winds, the slow SM.82s would be unable to return to Libya.

[6] In March 1941, 32° Wing received some new SM.82s, and organized five bombing missions over Gibraltar in June and July, always with only one aircraft.

In May 1941 during the Anglo-Iraqi War the Iraqis requested help from Axis air forces, and SM.82s flew several missions via Syria carrying a total of 18 tonnes of equipment and 25 persons.

On 22 November, ten SM.82s were attacked by three Beaufighters, causing much damage and killing or wounding many of the troops inside the unarmoured aircraft.

145° Group, usually a transport unit, was also equipped with some bomber versions and attacked enemy targets in Marmarica and Egypt in four night raids in June 1942.

These missions were only a nuisance to the Allies, even if they forced them to assign first line air defences and interceptors to counter the threat.

This was the main reason for the Italians to mount these missions, although only a total of 100 sorties were flown in three years of war, with an average of 1,000–1,500 kg (2,200–3,310 lb) bombload, and the use of some of the best aviators of the Regia Aereonautica.

Several special paratrooper models were made, but all were used by simply putting wooden planks in the bomb bay to stand on.

The Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana of the Italian Social Republic, the fascist puppet state installed by Germany in northern Italy,[6] operated about 60 aircraft, 40 of which assigned to 2° Gruppo A.T. "M.O.

The civil aircraft had 14 seats, 1,306 L (345 US gal) of additional fuel, and 350 kg (770 lb) of military equipment removed.

Experimental versions included MM.61408 with a central 1,007 kW (1,350 hp) Alfa Romeo 135 engine, while MM.60591 had three Piaggio P.XI from 31 October-7 November 1941.

They returned the planes in the early 1950s Data from The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II [9]General characteristics Performance Armament