A.7
Role	Reconnaissance aircraft Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Breda
Introduction	1929
Primary user	Regia Aeronautica
Number built	14, plus 1 A.16

The Breda A.7 was a reconnaissance aircraft developed in Italy for use by the Regia Aeronautica in 1929. It was a braced parasol monoplane of conventional configuration with tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and observer sat in tandem, open cockpits. A single prototype of a long-range example, originally designated A.7 Raid and later A.16 (or Ba.16) was also constructed, but the air force showed no interest in it.

Variants

A.7LD

Two prototypes, powered by 298 kW (400 hp) Lorraine-Dietrich piston engines. (2 built).

A.7

Production version. Two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, powered by a 380 kW (510 hp) Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 piston engine, and fitted with a revised cooling system and empennage; 12 built.

A.7 Raid (later A.16 or Ba.16)

A long-range version, powered by a 370 kW (500 hp) Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 AQ engine. Engine later changed to a Bristol Jupiter VII and an extra seat added.

A.7Idro

Seaplane fitted with twin floats.^[1]

Ba.16

a long-range version; one built.

Operators

 Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Aeronautica

Specifications (A.7)

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 10.515 m (34 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 15.78 m (51 ft 9 in)
• Height: 3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 43 m² (460 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,500 kg (3,307 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,500 kg (5,512 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 370 kW (500 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch wooden propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn)
• Stall speed: 75 km/h (47 mph, 40 kn)
• Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi)
• Endurance: 6 hours
• Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,300 ft)
• Rate of climb: 4.6 m/s (910 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 58 kg/m² (12 lb/sq ft)
• Power/mass: 0.150 kW/kg (0.091 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns: 1x fixed synchronised forward-firing 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers machine-gun plus 1× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis Gun on a flexible mount for the observer