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Aviation / Aerospace

Breda Ba.88 (Lince)


Heavy Fighter / Light Bomber / Ground Attack Aircraft [ 1938 ]



The Breda Ba.88 Lince arrived in pre-war Italy during 1938 and was quickly retired in 1941 once the fighting started.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/12/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Following the failure of the proposed Breda Ba.75 product (just one example was completed), intended to fulfill a reconnaissance / ground attack role for the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force), the service passed along a new requirement in 1936 calling for a heavy fighter aircraft with a maximum speed of 329 miles per hour, a range out to 1,240 miles and standardized armament consisting of 20mm automatic cannons. This was to become a powerful, high-speed, heavy gun platform to outmatch all others of its kind and provide a true "bomber killer" for the Italian air service. To fall in line with heavy fighters of the day, a two-seat, twin-engined monoplane wing arrangement with all-metal skinning was envisioned.

The resultant design became the Breda Ba.88 which was debuted in 1937 and proved a promising venture in the early going. The aircraft was well-streamlined and carried its engines in nacelles along the wing leading edges. The cockpit was situated along the fuselage and aft of a nose cone assembly. The fuselage then tapered towards the tail to which a pair of rounded vertical fins was fitted. A conventional tail-dragger undercarriage arrangement was used with all legs wholly retractable into the design. Internally the aircraft was given a load-bearing structure which dated its otherwise advanced form. Self-sealing fuel tanks were standard within though internal space was such that a modest bombload was forced to be carried externally. Standard armament was 3 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns in the nose while the second crewmember managed a trainable 7.7mm installation at the rear cockpit. Provision was made to install a 20mm automatic cannon in place of one of the nose-mounted 12.7mm fits.

Power for the prototype was served from 2 x Isotta-Fraschini K14 series engines but production forms carried 2 x Piaggio P.XI RC.40 "Stella" 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines of 1,000 horsepower each. These drove three-bladed propelled units. Maximum speed for the mark reached 304 miles per hour with a range out to 1,019 miles and a service ceiling of 26,250 feet. 10,000 feet could be reached in about 7.5 minutes.©MilitaryFactory.com
In testing, the stripped, baseline aircraft proved a speedy mount and went on to set several international speed records for its class. However, its fortunes changed when the airframe was saddled with the requisite military equipment as performance began to suffer notably. Despite this, serial manufacture of the design went ahead and service entry came in 1938 with the first Italian units equipped with the type in June of 1940. Production ran from 1936 until 1940 and 149 units were completed.

In practical service, the Ba.88 was not viewed fondly by Italian aviators for it was underpowered and overweight, leading to reduced handling and agility - and combat exposure showcased these weaknesses through mounting losses. By mid-1940, the aircraft was already being replaced in frontline service which forced the Regia Aeronautica to rely on more antiquated mounts for the fighter-bomber role. The Ba.88 was retired in full by 1941 - a rather short service record for such a highly-touted aeroplane.

Original production forms, known as "Lince" ("Lynx") were designated simply as "Ba.88" and adopted for both ground attack and reconnaissance roles. The "Ba 88M" designation was given to three aircraft appearing in late-1942 and modified with Fiat A.74 RC.38 series engines as well as 4 x 127mm heavy machine guns for the ground attack role. These also included increased wing surface areas and dive brakes for the stressed involved in diving attacks. The trio arrived too late in the war to fulfill any need for the Italian surrender came in September of 1943.©MilitaryFactory.com
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Specifications



Ernesto Breda - Italy
Manufacturer(s)
Kingdom of Italy
Operators National flag of Italy National flag of the Kingdom of Italy
1938
Service Year
Kingdom of Italy
National Origin
2
Crew
149
Units


GROUND ATTACK
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.


35.4 ft
(10.80 meters)
Length
51.2 ft
(15.60 meters)
Width/Span
10.2 ft
(3.10 meters)
Height
10,251 lb
(4,650 kilograms)
Empty Weight
14,881 lb
(6,750 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+4,630 lb
(+2,100 kg)
Weight Difference


2 x Piaggio P.XI RC.40 Stella 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines developing 1,000 horsepower each.
Propulsion
304 mph
(490 kph | 265 knots)
Max Speed
26,247 ft
(8,000 m | 5 miles)
Ceiling
1,019 miles
(1,640 km | 886 nm)
Range
1,315 ft/min
(401 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb


MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


STANDARD:
3 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns in nose
1 x 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT medium machine gun in rear cockpit.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 2,205 lb of conventional drop stores as well as 440 lb under the fuselage in a semi-recessed position.


3
Hardpoints


Ba.88 "Lince" - Base Series Designation
Ba.88M - Dedicated ground attack model; three examples.


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