Ansaldo A.120

Summary

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.

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

Design and development edit

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 Austria and Lithuania, the latter's machines remaining in service until the Soviet annexation of the country.

Variants edit

  • 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 edit

  Austria
  Kingdom of Italy
  Lithuania

Specifications (A.120Ady) edit

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 edit

Related lists

References edit

  1. ^ "See pictures No. 36 and 37 of Lithuanian A.120 photo album". Archived from the original on 2016-03-20.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 383.
  • Уголок неба