The Savoia-Marchetti SM.85 was an Italian monoplane dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft that served in small numbers in the Regia Aeronautica at the beginning of World War II.

[1] The resulting aircraft, constructed of wood, had a wing set in an upper-middle configuration, a rectangular cross-section fuselage, retractable undercarriage and a fixed tailwheel, and was powered by two Piaggio P.VII C.35 engines.

[1] The first prototype was tested in December 1936, and in spite of its insufficient speed and the disappointing rates of climb, the Regia Aeronautica felt there was sufficient room for development and ordered the SM.85 into production.

In June 1940, 96° Gruppo Tuffatori was relocated to Pantelleria, a small island off Sicily, in anticipation of attacks on Malta and the British Mediterranean fleet.

The commander of the group, Maggiore Ercolano Ercolani, made it clear to the General Staff that in combat the performance of the aircraft was such that it would result in 100% losses.

[1] In any case, this new aircraft didn't compare well with the Ju 87's capabilities, even with a new set of airbrakes, flaps and other improvements (but also hampered by the addition of a new cockpit that provided poor rear and side vision for the pilot).

The air-cooled design allowed for the elimination of radiators and their vulnerability (with an improvement on aerodynamics, cost and weight), but at low speed and with a limited airflow, overheating was always an issue for this type of engine.

Without a good field of view all-around, and without the second crewmember in the cockpit armed with a defensive machine gun (nor a forward-firing weapon), the SM.86 was clearly more vulnerable to enemy fighters than the Junkers.