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| Ba.201 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Dive bomber |
| Manufacturer | Breda |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| First flight | 3 July 1941 |
TheBreda Ba.201 was an Italiandive bomber designed duringWorld War II, that never entered production.
That theRegia Aeronautica struggled to develop an effectivebomber force was surprising to all concerned, as in the pre-war period the Regia Aeronautica was highly rated and performed well during theSpanish Civil War and theSecond Italo-Abyssinian War. But its performance in the first months of World War II was poor, even failing to subdueMalta with 1,000 bombers based less than 100 km (60 mi) away. One of the reasons was the lack of dive bombers and effectiveground-attack aircraft; theBreda Ba.88 was a failure, and theCaproni Ca.310 was so ineffective that it was replaced by theFiat CR.32fighter-bomber. Another failure was theSavoia-Marchetti SM.85 dive bomber, phased out and replaced by theJunkers Ju 87Stuka even before the evaluation of its successor theSavoia-Marchetti SM.86 was complete.
In 1939, a new contest for a dive bomber was called, requiring a single-engine aircraft with a maximum speed of 500 km/h (310 mph), or 450 km/h (280 mph) if twin-engined, capable of carrying 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs, with an endurance of 1,200 km (750 mi) with a single engine, or 2,400 km (1,490 mi) with two engines. There was only one twin-engine proposal, thePiaggio P.122, which despite its all-metal construction, dorsal-wingairbrakes, twoPiaggio P.XI R.C.40 engines giving a total of 1,491 kW (2,000 hp), and the lack of competitors, was considered unfit for service and was unbuilt.
Two single-engined types were proposed, theCaproni Ca.355, a single seat derivative of theCa.335 light bomber that first flew in January 1941 and theBreda Ba.201.[1]
The Ba.201 was a single-enginedcantilevermonoplane of all-metal construction. It hadinverted gull wings with splitflaps that doubled as dive-brakes, and was fitted with a retractabletailwheel undercarriage. It had a long slimfuselage, with a low mountedtailplane. Thecockpit was set as far forward as possible to give a good view for the pilot.[2]
The dive capabilities were found to be satisfactory, and the air brakes were highly effective, perhaps too effective – with the risk of slowing the aircraft down so much it became too easy a target. It was capable of carrying a single 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb and was armed with two 12.7 mm (.5 in)Breda-SAFAT machine guns fixed in the wings. After such engines as the 895 kW (1,200 hp) Fiat A.38, the 716 kW (960 hp) Isotta-Fraschini IF L.121, and the powerful 839 kW (1,125 hp)Isotta-Fraschini Zeta, were evaluated, theDaimler-Benz DB 601 engine was chosen, because it was compact, and allowed free dives thanks to itsdirect injection system.
Theprototype first flew on 3 July 1941, and was then sent to Guidonia for official testing. The aircraft showed that it had enough agility, once freed of its bombload, to hold its own against other Italianfighters. However speed was disappointing, only 460 km/h (290 mph) – slower than the requested for 500 km/h (310 mph) – and slightly slower than older front-line fighters. The aircraft was barely capable of defending itself against enemy fighters, and then only after releasing its bomb. It had very good forward visibility, but rear visibility was poor.
In comparison, the Junkers Ju 87D had a top speed of only 410 km/h (260 mph), but was armed with two new 7.92 mm (.312 in)MG 81z machine guns, with 3,200 rounds per gun instead of 1,050. The Junkers rear-gunner gave it a greater defensive capability, while the Ba.201 pilot relied on himself alone. TheReggiane Re.2001 fighter bomber fitted with the same DB 601 engine was able to reach almost 550 km/h (342 mph), and carry 640 kg (1,411 lb) bombs.
The first prototypeMM.451 was followed by only one other before the programme was cancelled.
Data fromTuffatore[3]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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