The Ansaldo A.120, later known as the FIAT A.120 after FIAT acquired Ansaldo, was an Italian reconnaissance aircraft from the 1920s.
Built as a parasol-wing monoplane with a fixed tailskid undercarriage, it seated a pilot and observer in tandem open cockpits.
Drawing on earlier designs, it used a wing from the Ansaldo A.115 and a fuselage based on the Dewoitine D.1 fighter, which Ansaldo produced under licence.
This mix of proven components made for a dependable, if modest, aircraft for its time.
Operated in small numbers by the Italian Air Force, it also found success abroad with Austria and Lithuania, the latter keeping theirs in service until annexation by the Soviet Union.
Variants included the A.120 prototype with a 400 hp Lorraine 12Db engine;
the A.120bis with a Fiat A.20A engine for easier domestic upkeep;
the A.120Ady production model with a 550 hp Fiat A.22T engine,
structural tweaks and service in Italy and Lithuania; and the A.120R for Austria, fitted with a Fiat A.22R engine, tunnel radiator, and improved observer cockpit.
Specifications
(A.120Ady)
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.
