![]() In 1941, seeking to further improve the performance of the C.202 fighter, the Regia Aeronautica decided to license-build the German DB 605 1,100 kW (1,475 hp) liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine in Italy, which Fiat produced as the RA.1050 R.C.58 Tifone (Typhoon). Italy's highest-scoring ace, Adriano Visconti, achieved 11 of his 26 credited victories in the few weeks he was able to fly the Veltro, with the top-scoring Sergente Maggiore pilota Luigi Gorrini shooting down 14 enemy aircraft plus six damaged with the C.205. ![]() Like the Spitfire, the Veltro was tricky in its construction and slow to build. Due to the limitations of the Italian war economy, only a small production run was delivered before the end of the war. While the C.205 was able to match the best Allied opponents in speed and maneuverability, it was introduced late in the conflict. 205 proved capable of meeting fighters such as the North American P-51D Mustang on equal terms, which encouraged the Luftwaffe to use a number of these aircraft to equip one Gruppe. Widely regarded as one of the best Italian aircraft of World War II, it proved to be extremely effective, destroying a large number of Allied bombers. With a top speed of some 640 km/h (400 mph) and equipped with a pair of 20 mm cannon as well as 12.7 mm Breda machine guns, the Macchi C.205 Veltro was highly respected by Allied and Axis pilots alike. The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three " Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The Macchi C.205 Veltro ( Italian: Greyhound) (also known as MC.205, "MC" standing for "Macchi Castoldi") was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi.
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