Ansaldo A.300

Ansaldo · Italy · first flew 1919 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Ansaldo A.300 was an Italian general-purpose biplane built by Ansaldo of Turin from 1920 to 1929. It served as a light bomber, transport, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• Conventional single-engined, two-bay, open-cockpit biplane of mixed metal and wood-and-fabric construction
• Two fixed forward-firing Vickers guns, with a third gun on a mounting in the rear cockpit
• Two crew, pilot and observer, in open cockpits

It is a conventional single-engined two-bay biplane powered usually by a water-cooled Fiat A.12bis V12 engine. Most variants carried two fixed Vickers guns and one mobile gun in the rear cockpit.

Specifications

• The Ansaldo A.300 has a length of 8.75 m (29 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 11.24 m (37 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 200 km/h (124 mph).
• Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The A.300 was based on Ansaldo's Balilla and S.V.A. scouts and first flew in 1919. The A.300/4 began full production in 1923, just as Ansaldo was absorbed into FIAT.

Variants

Early examples were two-seaters, while the A.300/3 was a three-seater for reconnaissance, of which around 90 were delivered. The A.300/4 was the definitive production version, and the A.300C and A.300T were four- and eight-passenger airliners.

Where you'll see it

The A.300/4 became the standard multi-role aircraft of the newly formed Regia Aeronautica, and 700 were built. Fifty were licence-built in Poland but were not a success because of poor quality, and examples served as advanced trainers as late as 1940.

Related aircraft

• Ansaldo A.1 Balilla
• Ansaldo SVA
• Ansaldo SVA-5
• Ansaldo A.120
• Fiat R.2
• Häfeli DH-5
• Sablatnig C.III
• SIAI S.12

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