Breda
Breda Ba.64
The Breda Ba.64 was an Italian single‑engine reconnaissance and ground‑attack aircraft produced by Breda company in mid‑1930s. Developed to meet a 1934 Royal Italian Air Force requirement for a low‑wing monoplane capable of observation and bombing, the Ba.64 first flew on 21 January 1935. It featured an all‑metal, low‑wing cantilever structure with a fixed, spatted undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit for the pilot and observer. Powered by a 650 hp Fiat A.80 radial engine, the aircraft could reach 350 km/h and carry up to 500 kg of bombs beneath its wings, while also being equipped with a single 7.7 mm machine gun and a flexible rear gun for defense. Although its handling was criticized for being heavy and its performance quickly outclassed by newer designs, the Ba.64 served with several Italian squadrons during the early stages of the Spanish Civil War and the Second Italo‑Ethiopian War, providing lessons in monoplane design that influenced later Breda models such as the Ba.65 and Ba.88. The Ba.64’s operational career illustrates the rapid technological transition in military aviation.
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Classification
Production & History
- First Flight
- 1934
Design & Classification
- Primary Use
- Manufacturer
- Breda
- Engine
- Alfa 125 R.C.35
- Wikidata ID
- Q1069860