Which Second World War aircraft gave the M.B.339K Veltro…

Which Second World War aircraft gave the M.B.339K Veltro II its name?

Short answer

The Macchi C.205 Veltro, the Italian Second World War fighter designed and produced by Aeronautica Macchi. The M.B.339K was named after that wartime aircraft. "Veltro" translates from Italian as "greyhound". The C.205 entered service in February 1943 and came to be very highly regarded.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Which Second World War aircraft gave the M.B.339K Veltro II its name?

Macchi 205 Vigna di ValleOren Rozen (CC BY SA), vía commons

A name inherited from the Veltro

The M.B.339K took its designation from the Macchi C.205, the wartime-era aircraft. The jet's full designation is M.B.339K Veltro II, in memory of that Italian fighter. The C.205 Veltro was a Second World War fighter. It was designed and produced by the Italian manufacturer Aeronautica Macchi. In Italian, "Veltro" translates as "greyhound".

The C.205's credentials

The fighter entered service in February 1943. From then on it came to be very highly regarded. It was part of the so-called "Serie 5", the trio of Italian fighters built around the same engine. That engine was the powerful German-built Daimler-Benz DB 605. Among the C.205's opponents was the North American P-51D Mustang. Against fighters of that class it proved able to fight on equal terms.

The jet that revived the name

The M.B.339K prototype first flew on 30 May 1980. Its internal armament consisted of two 30mm DEFA 553 cannon. Each carried 125 rounds. No orders for the model were received.