Breda Ba.65 Aircraft

The Ba.65 was a fighter-bomber aircraft, which was manufactured by  the firm Breda and used by the Italian Air Force during World War II (Regia Aeronautica). As a prototype, it first flew in 1935. Although it was faster than its British counterpart, the Fairey Battle, it turned out to be a disappointing aircraft in real combat. It was rather awkward and heavy to perform well in the ground-attack role.

Being developed from the Breda 64, it was difficult to fly as it was not so maneuverable. As a result, it was ineffective during the North African Campaign. However, it rendered a good and acceptable service in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) as better planes had not been developed yet. With its variant, the Ba65bis, a total of 210 aircraft was built, about 50 of them in service with the Iraqi Air Force.

Technical characteristics

This light bomber was a low-winged monoplane, whose fuselage was entirely built in metal. It was fitted with a rectractable landing gear and a sliding cockpit canopy. Originally, it was powered by the 1030-HP Fiat A.80 CR41 radial engine, but most of them were equipped with the 900-HP Issota-Fraschini K.14. Although the latter was not so powerful, it was more reliable. The Ba.65 was a single-seat aircraft, but its variant, the Ba65bis, was a two-seat bomber.

Specifications

Wing span: 12.1 m (39 ft 8 in)

Length: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)

Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)

Wing area: 23.5 m²

Crew: one/two

Maximum speed: 430 km/h (270 miles/hour)

Weapons: two 12.7-mm Breda machine guns; two 7.7 Breda-SAFAT machine guns; six 80-kg bombs.

Below, the Breda Ba.65 flying over North Africa

Below, the prototype of the Ba.65 in the factory without the landing gear