The Savoia-Marchetti SM.84 was an Italian bomber aircraft of World War II. It was designed by Savoia-Marchetti
as a replacement for its successful SM.79, and shared its three-engine layout. However, although it entered
service with the Regia Aeronautica in 1941, it never replaced the SM.79, being retired from service before it.
Development of an aircraft to replace the SM.79 started in 1939, with Savoia-Marchetti choosing to produce an improved development of the SM.79, using the same wing as its predecessor, but with a new fuselage and more powerful engines. The first prototype flew on 5 June 1940, just 5 days before Italy's entry into World War II.
Overall, SM.84 was a failed design, never liked by its crews and never capable to replace the SM.79. When the final version of the Sparviero, the SM.79 bis, became available, then it replaced the SM.84, while as bomber it was inferior to the CANT.1007 ter, especially at altitude (SM.84 was almost unflyiable over 5,000 m).
