J.Davilla Italian Aviation in the First World War. Vol.2: Aircraft A-H (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 74)

Ansaldo Prototypes


Ansaldo A.3

  In the Spring of 1918, the Ansaldo Company had absorbed the plant of the Societa Costruzioni Aeronautiche Ing. O. Pomilio at Turin. It was renamed Cantiere Aeronautico Ansaldo N.5 (No.5 Ansaldo Aeronautical Shipyard). While the production of the PE type Pomilio continued , the workshops were redesigned to build SVA types and the Ansaldo Technical Office took over the responsibility for developing new aircraft.
  The Ansaldo A.3 was the first aircraft built by Cantiere Aeronautico No.5. The A.3 was a development of the Pomilio PE. Modifications included changes to the tail.
  Armament was a fixed, forward firing machine gun on the upper wing and one synchronized machine gun on the side of the fuselage.
  The engine was a 300-hp Fiat A.12.
  The A.3 was first flown in October 1918. A total of 500 were ordered. However, the Pomilio-Ansaldo hybrid had a performance that was inferior to the SVA 10 two-seat reconnaissance aircraft and this, plus the Armistice, resulted in the A.3 not being produced in any significant numbers. Camurati reports that 60 were built; if this is, indeed, the case they either did not see operational service or are being lumped in with the SVA 9/10s in the postwar orders of battle.


Ansaldo A.3 two-seat reconnaissance aircraft with one 300-hp Fiat A.12bis inline piston engine
  Wingspan 11.50 m; length 8,75 m; height 2.95 m; wing area 38.00 sq m
  Weights: empty 1,025 kg; loaded weight 1,475 kg
  Maximum speed 190 km/h; ceiling 5,500 m; endurance 3 hours and 30 minutes
  Armament (provisional): one or two fixed synchronized forward-firing 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Vickers machine guns and 1 flexible 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Lewis machine-gun in the rear cockpit


Ansaldo A.5

  The acquisition of the Pomilio firm by Ansaldo led to the A.5 which was the combination of a SVA fuselage with the wings of a Pomilio PE/PF. The aircraft was produced in two versions: a single seat, high speed reconnaissance aircraft and a two-seat strategic reconnaissance machine. The engine was a 300-hp Ansaldo E 145.


Technical

  Wings - Two bay biplane with interplane struts made from steel tubes and reinforced with faired steel cables. Two balanced ailerons were placed at the ends of the upper wings; the wings have a transversal V of 2° / 0, and were covered in Ansaldo “Avisine” silk. The controls of both the ailerons and rudders were made of steel cables guided by pulleys.
  Fuselage - The wooden structure fuselage was the same as used on most Ansaldo aircraft, with plywood panel covering, and the tail surfaces also has a totally wooden frame.
  Landing gear - The “V“-shaped metal undercarriage struts supported a single axle with elastic shock absorbers.
  Engine - Powered by a 300-hp Ansaldo E 14 engine.
  Ansaldo emphasized that the A.5 avoided any exotic building materials and that the A.5 could be constructed of “easy to find materials”.
  Due to the strong load-bearing surface, this aircraft could carry a very high payload. This feature combined with the long range and high speed made the A.5 an excellent bomber, especially for distant targets. The Ansaldo firm also suggested that it could be used as high speed mailplane.
  Although the A.5 was a single seat aircraft, Ansaldo also promoted it as a passenger transport because it could “land at very low speed”. There is no indication in the Ansaldo brochure as to where, exactly, these passengers would be seated.
  As a single-seater, when fitted with special tanks, the A.5 was expected to have a range of 2000 kilometers and fly at 200 kilometers per hour. It was “very easy to maneuver, and its great stability allows the pilot to remain in flight, without serious discomfort, for long hours”.
  However, its performance was inferior to other Ansaldo SVA types, so further development was abandoned.
  A five-seat transport version was studied, but apparently never built


Ansaldo A.5 two-seat reconnaissance aircraft with one Ansaldo E 145 inline piston engine
  Wing area 30.00 sq m
  Weights: empty 785 kg; loaded weight 1,185 kg
  Maximum speed 212 km/h; climb to 1,000 m in 2 minutes 10 seconds; climb to 2,000 m in 5 minutes; climb to 3,000 min 8 minutes 20 seconds; climb to 4,000 m in 13 minutes; ceiling 7,500 m; endurance 2 hours and 30 minutes;
  Armament one or two fixed synchronized forward-firing 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Vickers machineguns and one flexible 7.7-mm Lewis machine-gun in rear cockpit