Filippo Zappata, responsible for the C.R.D.A. Cant series of bombers, joined the Breda design staff in 1941, and was subsequently responsible for several interesting projects, few of which were actually built.
The Breda- Zappata BZ.301 was a projected medium bomber derived from the Cant Z.1018 Leone. It was accepted for production but none were completed.
The Breda BZ.303 was a projected night fighter derived from the Cant Z.1018 bomber. The Bz 303 was a sleek two-seat, low-wing monoplane of mixed construction with twin fins and rudders. Power was provided by two 1,450-h.p. Piaggio P.XV R.C.60j2V radials, and the exceptionally heavy armament of eight 20-mm. Mauser cannon (four firing forwards and four firing to the rear) and a 12.7-mm. machine gun in a dorsal position. Maximum speed was 360 m.p.h., and range was 963 miles. The sole prototype was under construction in 1943 but was scrapped after the armistice.
BZ.303 Engines: 2 x 1,450 hp Piaggio P.XV R.C.60 Armament: 8 x 20 mm + 1 x 12.7 mm
Another Breda design that progressed no further than the prototype stage was the Ba 201, which designation was, during the war years, erroneously applied to a supposed Italian-built version of the Ju 87B. In fact, although undoubtedly influenced by Junkers trends, the Ba 201 was an entirely original design.
The first mock-up built placed the cockpit at the rear with an IF Asso V-12. A second scheme had a forward-placed cockpit, IF Asso V-12 then 1,050 hp DB601 engine.
One prototype dive bomber (MM.451) flew July 1941, powered by a 1,050-h.p. DB 601 engine and featuring an inverted gull wing and retractable undercarriage. The Ba 201 was tested at Guidonia in 1940-41 but considered too slow without a gunner.
Engine: 1 x 1,175 hp DB 601A Span: 13 m Bombload: 1 x 500 kg Seats: 1
Initially, the prototype (MM.302) was flown with a single fin and rudder assembly, but poor stability necessitated the adoption of a rather cumbersome twin fin and rudder arrangement which marred the Ba 88s otherwise good aerodynamic form. The 1936 prototype was powered by two 900-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini K.14 radials and was one of the fastest aircraft in its class at the time of its appearance. A hybrid structure with stressed metal skin, shoulder-wing monoplane, the Lince had a structure of steel tube with a light metal outer skin.
Modified in 1937, the Breda Ba 88 Lince prototype, in December of that year, established several international records (with a load of 2,205 lb. flying 62 miles (100 km.) at 344.5 mph, and 621 miles (1,000 km.) at 326.3 mph).
Production orders for the Ba 88 were placed for the Regia Aeronautica and assembly lines were established by both Breda and 1.M.A.M. (Meridionali) with deliveries commencing late in 1938.
Regarded as an aeroplano di combattimento, suitable for attack, long-range reconnaissance or bombing operations, the Ba.88 then had its military equipment and weapons installed. Immediately, performance and flight characteristics fell off dramatically, but by then production orders were already in place. Bombs could be carried either in a bomb bay or semi-externally in recesses under the belly, and the Ba.88 could carry a 1000kg bomb load and four machine guns, three firing forward and a flexible gun in the rear cockpit. A window in the floor aided the pilot in aiming the bombs.
The production version featured considerable redesign and was powered by two 1,0000h.p. Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 radials which provided a maximum speed of 304 mph. Eight Ba.88 bicomando two-seat trainer version were built, with a raised instructor’s seat.
The first unit to receive the Ba 88 was the 7th Gruppo, which arrived in North Africa in September 1940.
On 16 June 1940, just after Italy’s declaration of war on France and her allies, the twelve Ba.88 aircraft from the Regia Aeronautica’s 19° Gruppo Autonomo made bombing and machine-gun attacks on the principal airfields of Corsica; three days later nine Ba.88s made a repeat attack. Analysis of these operations showed that the Ba,88 had only limited value, and any remaining doubts were settled when Ba.88s of the 7° Gruppo Autonomo joined action in Libya against the British. Fitted with sand filters, the engines overheated and failed to deliver their designed power. Attacks on targets at Sidi Barram had to be aborted in September 1940, the aircraft failing to gain sufficient altitude or maintain formation, and reaching a speed less than half that claimed by the manufacturers. The Ba 88 being taken out of production after only 105 aircraft had been built. Eighty-one by Breda and twenty-four by IMAM Meridionali.
In 1938 a Ba.88 bis was proposed with two Alfa Romeo 135 engines for the Caccia Combattimento competiton. It was not proceeded with.
By mid-November 1940 most surviving Ba.88s had been stripped of useful equipment and were scattered around operational airfields as decoys for attacking British aircraft.
In 1941 Agusta substituted two 840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radials for the Piaggios, increased wing span by 2.00m and fuselage length, and began the construction of a small series under the designation Ba 88M as ground-attack aircraft. Nose armament was increased to four 12.7mm machine-guns, and dive brakes were installed. Only three aircraft of this type were completed. These Breda Ba.88Ms were delivered to the 103° Gruppo Autonomo Tuffatori (independent dive-bombing group) at Lonate Pozzolo on 7 September 1943. They were flight-tested by Luftwaffe pilots, but that was the last heard of the Breda Ba.88.
A total of 149 were built.
Breda Ba.88 Lince Engine: 2 x Piaggio P.XI RC 40, 986 hp Length: 35.4 ft / 10.79 m Height: 10.171 ft / 3.1 m Wingspan: 51.181 ft / 15.6 m Wing area: 358.872 sq.ft / 33.34 sq.m Max take off weight: 14883.8 lb / 6750.0 kg Weight empty: 10253.3 lb / 4650.0 kg Max. speed: 265 kts / 490 km/h Service ceiling: 26247 ft / 8000 m Wing load: 41.41 lb/sq.ft / 202.0 kg/sq.m Range: 871 nm / 1614 km Armament: 3x MG 12,7mm BredaSAFAT, 1x MG 7,7mm Breda SAFAT, 1000kg Bomb. int. / 3x200kg Bomb. ext.
In response to the competition organized by the Italian Air Ministry in 1934 for a Terrestrial Bomber Fast, Breda developed the model “82” consisting of a very compact medium bomber. The construction was all-metal, and powered by two radial Fiat A.80 RC 41 1000 Hp engines.
Its development was slow and not without its difficulties, but it was brought out at the Air Show in Milan in 1937, but now the military thought that his was dated. Continuous trouble with the engines made that flight tests would start in 1939, but the competition decided on the Fiat BR.20 and now focused on three-engine medium bombers.
Engines: 2 x Fiat A.80 R.C.41, 1,000 hp Wingspan: 20.80m Wing area: 66.00 sq.m Length: 13.80 m Height: 4.00 m Empty weight: 6840 kg Max weight: 10040 kg Useful load: 3200 kg Max speed: 425 km/h at 4000 m Ceiling: 9940 m Time to 4000 m: 12 min 14 sec Time to 5000 m: 15 min 15 sec Armament: 2 x Breda – SAFAT 12.7 mm machine guns Bombload: 1000 kg Crew: 4-5 men
A 1936 single-engined high-wing cabin monoplane. The basic Ba.79 model, I-ABFU, was powered by one 200 hp Alfa-Romeo 115 air-cooled 6-cyl inline engine. With one crew and room for three passengers, the wing span was 11.61 m
At least 2 examples of Ba.79S, I-ABFT and I-ABFZ, were built.
The Ba 75 was an experimental prototype produced in 1939 for both the reconnaissance and ground attack roles. Bearing a family resemblance to the Ba 65, the Ba 75 was a shoulder-wing monoplane with a stalky, fixed and liberally strutted undercarriage, powered by the 900-hp (670kW) Isotta-Fraschini K.14 radial.
The bottom and lower sides of the fuselage were glazed to allow observation of the ground.
One prototype was built, intended to use structural components of the Ba.65. The only Ba.75 was built and test flown in 1939.
Engine: 900-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini K.14 Wing span: 15.60m Length: 11.20 m Height: 3.00 m Wing area: 36.15 m² Empty Weight: 2600 kg Takeoff Weight: 4600 kg Maximum speed: 375 km/h Cruising speed: 300 km/h Range: 1700 km Ceiling: 7000 m Crew: 2-3
By the time the Ba.64 had entered service, work had already begun on a more powerful evolution of the system which delivered the prototype for the much improved Ba.65 fighter-bomber. The prototype first flew in September of 1935, went into series production that same year and were essentially copies of the prototype version. The Italian Isotta-Fraschini license-produced the French Gnome-Rhone K-14 engine of 700 horsepower and the early Ba.65 production forms all were fitted with the type.
Design of the Breda Ba.65 was the engine in a forward compartment along the airframe with an identifiable oversized cowling. The cockpit was situated directly behind the engine and fitted well forward of the aircraft’s center. Wings were of a low-set monoplane design and their bulk fitted ahead of amidships, each wing sporting well-rounded tips. The fuselage was stout in appearance and tapered off gently to become the empennage. The tail was topped with a single, rounded edge vertical tail fin and a pair of high-set horizontal planes, these also well-rounded at their tips. The undercarriage consisted of two main landing gear legs and a tail wheel. Each leg was affixed with a single wheel and the main legs recessed rearwards though only partly under each wing, the wheels half-exposed during flight. The tail wheel unit remained lowered at all times, even during flight.
Armament for the Ba.65 was all contained in the wings and was primarily a mix of machine gun systems. These consisted of 2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns joined by a pairing of 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT general purpose machine guns. For its intended ground attack role, the Ba.65 could be fitted with up to 1,102lbs of conventional drop ordnance. Categorized a ground attack aircraft, the Ba.65 was the only such Italian aircraft to serve in this role during World War 2.
A second series of 137 aircraft was built by Breda (80) and Caproni-Vizzola (57), before production ended in July 1939. They differed from the first production batch by having Fiat A.80 RC.41 18-cylinder, twin row, air-cooled engine was introduced from the 82nd production airframe onwards, driving a three-bladed propeller. The Fiat engine improved output to a relatively impressive 1,000 horsepower. Six Fiat-powered Ba.65s and four more of the Gnome-Rhone-powered version were sent to the Aviazione Legionaria in Spain in 1938. Experience in Spain indicated that the Ba.65 was suited only to the attack role, and the type served with most of the eight squadriglie attached to the two Regia Aeronautica assault stormi (wings), the 5° and 50°.
Production of the Ba.65 would last until 1939 to which all were officially retired from 1941 onwards, the aircraft now being wholly outclassed by newer and better breeds of aircraft and limited the Ba.65 to the ground attack role when possible.
A large number of the Ba.65s serving with Italian units were of two-seat configuration, with an observer/gunner in an open cockpit above the trailing edge of the wing. A smaller number of the type had a Breda L type turret, but in either case the observer/ gunner operated a single 7.7mm machine-gun. While offensive armament could theoretically comprise up to 1000kg of bombs, the load usually carried was up to 300kg in the fuselage bomb bay or, alternatively, up to 200kg on underwing racks.
Following Italy’s entry into World War II in June 1940, Ba.65s were involved in the fighting in North Africa against the British. They had a low serviceability rate in desert conditions and the last serviceable aircraft was lost during the British offensive in Cyrenaica in February 1941.
Of 218 Ba.65 aircraft completed and delivered for use, exports included 25 Fiat-powered Ba.65 two-seaters to Iraq in 1938, two of them dual-control trainers and the remainder with Breda L turrets; 20 Ba.65s with Piaggio P.XI C. 40 engines to Chile later in the same year, 17 of them single- seaters and three dual-control trainers; and 10 Fiat-powered two-seater Ba.65 bis with Breda L turrets to Portugal in November 1939 (Fiat A.80 RC.41). A single Fiat-powered production aircraft was tested with an American Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engine in June 1937 in anticipation of an order from the Chinese Nationalist government, but this failed to materialize. The Iraqi Ba.65s saw limited action against the British during the 1941 insurrection in that country.
Ten were exported to the Soviet Union in 1939. Aviazione Legionairia Ba.65s were a mix of K.14- and A.80-powered types. Spain: 1939, 11 surviving Ba.65s* (of 23) transferred to Ejercito del Aire. But at least some (eg #551) were ‘doppio comando’ dual-control trainers.
The Ba.65 designation was used to signify the definitive single-seat production version while Ba.65bis marked both a two-seat bomber variant and its similar two-seat trainer derivative.
Ba.65 K.14 Engine: Isotta-Fraschini K.14, 900 hp Armament: 2 x 7.7mm + 2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT Seat: 1
Ba.65 A.80 Engine: 1 x Fiat A.80RC.41 radial, 1,000 horsepower. Wingspan: 39.70ft (12.10m) Length: 30.51ft (9.3m) Height: 10.50ft (3.20m) Maximum Speed: 267mph (430kmh; 232kts) Maximum Range: 342miles (550km) Service Ceiling: 20,669ft (6,300m; 3.9miles) Armament: 2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns in wings. 2 x 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in wings. Up to 661lbs of internal ordnance in bomb bay and 441lbs of external ordnance held underwing. Accommodation: 1 Hardpoints: 2 Empty Weight: 5,291lbs (2,400kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 6,504lbs (2,950kg) RAI Ba.65 A.80s were re-engined with 14-cyl. Isotta-Fraschini K.14s
Ba.65 bis 2-seat version with open gun position, increased fuel capacity
Ba.65 bis L 2-seat version equipped with enclosed Breda L dorsal turret
Ba.65 Dive-bomber conversions of 40 Ba.65bis by Caproni Vizzola
The 1934 Breda Ba.64 ground attack aircraft saw only a few years of service beginning in 1937 before being replaced in 1939 by the improved Ba.65.
1st prototype MM 249 700 hp AR Pegasus 4-blade prop 2-seat fixed u/c
2nd prototype MM 250 700 hp Pegasus single-seat semi-retractable u/c
1° serie 1936 combine MM 249’s open gun position & MM 250’s u/c 42 built
Engine: 1 x Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35 radial, 650 hp Wingspan: 39.70ft (12.10m) Length: 31.89ft (9.72m) Height: 10.30ft (3.14m) Empty Weight: 4,475lbs (2,030kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 6,689lbs (3,034kg) Maximum Speed: 217mph (350kmh; 189kts) Maximum Range: 559miles (900km) Service Ceiling: 22,966ft (7,000m; 4.3miles) Armament: 4 x wing-mounted 7.7 mm Breda SAFAT mgs
Ba.64 dc: Doppio Comando pilot trainer conversion incl. 2nd prototype, MM.250 Armament: 2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns 3 x 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT general purpose machine guns. Up to 1,200lbs of munitions. Accommodation: 2 Hardpoints: 2
The sole 1934 Ba.46 three engined low-wing monoplane bomber/transport I-SEBM was designed to carry 12 troops or a 2200 lb bombload. It was created based on the transport aircraft Breda Ba.32.
With fixed spatted main undercarriage, the Ba.46 was first flown with 3 x 320 hp P&W Wasp Junior air-cooled radials and NACA cowls in 1932.
It was modified to 3 x 500 hp IF Asso 500 liquid-cooled V-12s, and some sources say 3 x 650 hp AR Pegasus (possibly a third re-engining)
The aircraft successfully underwent testing; however, its flight characteristics were not militarily satisfactory and it was soon dismantled.
Engines: 3x Isotta-Fraschini Asso 500, 500 hp Span: 28.80 m Length: 10.60 m Wing area: 108.20 sq.m Empty weight: 5600 kg Normal takeoff weight: 8200 kg Maximum speed: 272 km/h Cruising speed: 226 km/h Service range: 840 km Service ceiling: 6000 m Crew: 5 Armament: 3x 7.7 mm machine guns
