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
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in the 1920s.
Design and development
The A.120 was a conventional, parasol-wing
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
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
The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italy, Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force ...
, and was exported to the air forces of
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, the latter's machines remaining in service until the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
annexation of the country.
Variants
* A.120 - prototype with
Lorraine 12Db engine (two built)
* A.120''bis'' - improved version with
Fiat A.20
The Fiat A.20 was an Italian aircraft engine, aero-engine of the 1920s. It was a water-cooled V12 engine that was used by early versions of the Fiat CR.20 fighter and the Macchi M.41 seaplane.
In 1923, FIAT built the Fiat A.15, A.15, a 430&nbs ...
engine
* A.120Ady - definitive production version, most with
Fiat A.22 engine (57 built)
* A.120R - revised version for Austrian service (six built)
Operators
;
*
Austrian Air Force (1927-1938)
The Austrian Air Force () is a component part of the Austrian Armed Forces.
Aircraft
Current inventory
History
The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allies of World War II, Allied powers ...
;
*
Regia Aeronautica
The Royal Italian Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') (RAI) was the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was ...
;
*
Lithuanian Air Force
The Lithuanian Air Force or LAF (, abbreviated as ''LK KOP'') is the military aviation branch of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. It is formed from professional military servicemen and non-military personnel. Units are located at Zokniai Air Base ne ...
, 20 aircraft, 1928-1940, 3rd sqn. (Kaunas) 4th sqn. (Kaunas)
Specifications (A.120Ady)
Note: Lithuanian A.120's had two rear machine guns.
See also
References
*
Уголок неба
{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation
Ansaldo A.120
1920s Italian military reconnaissance aircraft
Parasol-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1925
Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear
Single-engined piston aircraft