Engineering:Ansaldo A.120

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A.120
Ansaldo A.120.jpg
Role Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Ansaldo
First flight 1925
Number built 77

The Ansaldo A.120, sometimes called the FIAT A.120 since FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino - Italian Automobile Factory of Turin) bought Ansaldo, was a reconnaissance aircraft developed in Italy in the 1920s.

Design and development

The A.120 was a conventional, parasol-wing monoplane with fixed tailskid undercarriage which accommodated the pilot and observer in tandem open cockpits. The design was based on a wing developed for the Ansaldo A.115 and the fuselage of the Dewoitine D.1 fighters that Ansaldo had built under licence. The type was operated in modest quantities by the Italian Air Force, and was exported to the air forces of Austrian Air Force (1927-1938) and Lithuanian Air Force , the latter's machines remaining in service until the Soviet annexation of the country.

Variants

  • A.120 - prototype with Lorraine 12Db engine (two built)
  • A.120bis - improved version with Fiat A.20 engine
  • A.120Ady - definitive production version, most with Fiat A.22 engine (57 built)
  • A.120R - revised version for Austrian service (six built)

Operators

 Austria
 Kingdom of Italy
  • Regia Aeronautica
 Lithuania

Specifications (A.120Ady)

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two, pilot and observer
  • Length: 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 12.80 m (42 ft 0 in)
  • Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
  • Wing area: 27.4 m2 (295 sq ft)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Fiat A.22 piston engine , 410 kW (550 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 254 km/h (158 mph, 137 kn)
  • Endurance: 7 hours
  • Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)

Armament

  • 1 × or 2 × fixed, forward-firing 7.7. mm machine guns
  • 1 × trainable, rearward-firing 7.7 mm machine gun for observer.

Note: Lithuanian A.120's had two rear machine guns.[1]

See also

Related lists

References

  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 383. 
  • Уголок неба