The SM.79's recorded strike list tails off after 1943, although Italian anti-shipping aviation did not simply vanish. The Italian Social Republic retained a torpedo unit, but it lacked enough aircraft, especially enough Sparvieros. Italian procurement had shifted attention toward the SM.84 as the intended bomber and torpedo-bomber successor. The newer type looked better in specifications but proved less capable in dependable operational service. The comparison separates paper performance from an aircraft that units could repeatedly generate for missions.
Notable Point · 39:23-40:12
Why the SM.84 failed to displace the Sparviero
Late-war maritime strike declined partly because few SM.79s remained available and the nominally superior SM.84 proved less reliable in operational use.