Ansaldo A.120

Ansaldo

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1853 in Italy
Fate	Acquired by FIAT
Successor	FIAT Aviazione
Headquarters	Italy

The Ansaldo A.120, also recognized as the FIAT A.120 following FIAT's acquisition of Ansaldo (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino), was a reconnaissance plane developed in Italy during the 1920s.

Design and development

The A.120 featured a traditional parasol-wing monoplane design with fixed tailskid landing gear. It housed the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. Its construction drew from a wing initially created for the Ansaldo A.115 and employed the fuselage from Dewoitine D.1 fighters, which Ansaldo produced under license. This model saw limited service with the Italian Air Force and was also exported to the air forces of Austria and Lithuania, where it remained operational until Lithuania’s incorporation into the Soviet Union.

Variants

• A.120 – initial prototype powered by a Lorraine 12Db engine (two units built)
• A.120bis – upgraded model equipped with a Fiat A.20 engine
• A.120Ady – final production variant, predominantly fitted with Fiat A.22 engines (57 units produced)
• A.120R – modified version tailored for Austrian service (six units constructed)

Operators

Template:AUT

• Austrian Air Force (1927-1938)

Template:Country data Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Aeronautica

Lithuania

• Lithuanian Air Force, operated 20 aircraft between 1928 and 1940, assigned to 3rd and 4th squadrons based in Kaunas

Specifications (A.120Ady)

Note: Lithuanian variants of the A.120 were equipped with two rearward-firing machine guns.

References

• Уголок неба