Ansaldo A.120

The Ansaldo A.120 was a Italian reconnaissance‑bomber prototype developed in the early 1930s by the state‑run aircraft manufacturer Ansaldo. Designed to meet a 1932 requirement of the Regia Aeronautica for a fast, high‑altitude machine capable of both observation and light bombing, the A.120 first flew in September 1933. It was a conventional single‑engine sesquiplane, with a high‑mounted upper wing and a smaller lower wing, giving it a distinctive “staggered” appearance. Power came from a 750 hp Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 RC.15 V‑12, driving a two‑bladed propeller and allowing a top speed of about 340 km/h (210 mph) and service ceiling near 9 000 m. The aircraft featured an enclosed cockpit for the pilot, a separate observer/gunner station with a flexible machine‑gun, and a modest bomb load of up to 300 kg. Although only a handful were built and the type never entered mass production, it served as an experimental platform that informed later Italian designs such as the Caproni Ca.133 and the Savoia‑Marchetti SM.81. Its mixed‑construction airframe, combining metal spars with fabric covering, illustrated the transitional technology of the period and contributed to Italy’s evolving doctrine of multi‑role combat aircraft.

Ansaldo

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