Ansaldo A.1 Balilla

The Ansaldo A.1, was Italy’s only domestically designed fighter aircraft of World War I to be produced in Italy.

Arriving too late to see any real action, it was however used by both Poland and the Soviet Union in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921.

Variants

A.1 & A.1Bis

250 built by Ansaldo and 57 were built by Lublin in Poland under license.

Specifications

Crew

One 

Length

6.84 m (22 ft 5 in)

Wingspan

7.68 m (25 ft 2 in)

Height

2.53 m (8 ft 4 in)

Wing area

21.2 m2 (228 sq ft)

Empty weight

640 kg (1,410 lb)

Gross weight

885 kg (1,950 lb)

Powerplant

1 × SPA 6A piston engine,

164 kW (220 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed

220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)

Range

660 km (410 mi, 360 nmi)

Service ceiling

5,000 m (16,400 ft)

Rate of climb

2.7 m/s (520 ft/min)

Armament

2 × synchronised .303 Vickers machine gun.