The Aerfer Ariete (Italian for Ram) was a prototype fighter aircraft built in Italy in 1958. It was a refined derivative of the Aerfer Sagittario 2, and was an attempt to bring that aircraft up to a standard where it could be mass-produced as a viable combat aircraft. Retaining most of the Sagittario 2's layout with a nose intake and ventral exhaust for the main Derwent engine, the Ariete added a Rolls-Royce Soar RS.2 auxiliary turbojet engine to provide additional power for climbing and sprinting. This used a dorsal, retractable intake with its exhaust at the tail. No production ensued; a proposed version with a de Havilland Spectre rocket engine instead of the auxiliary turbojet, the Aerfer Leone, was abandoned before a prototype could be built. Operators Italian Air Force operated two aircraft for evaluation test Specifications (Ariete) See also References Bibliography Buttler, Tony. X-Planes of Europe II: Military Prototype Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946–1974. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2015. Swanborough, Gordon. Air Enthusiast, Volume One. London: Pilot Press, 1971. . Ariete Abandoned military aircraft projects of Italy 1950s Italian fighter aircraft Twinjets Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1958