Breda Ba.88 Lince

Ba.88 Lince
A Breda Ba.88 entering a shallow dive
General information
TypeAttacker
National originItaly
ManufacturerSocietà Italiana Ernesto Breda
Designer
  • Antonio Parano
  • Giuseppe Panzeri
StatusRetired
Primary userRegia Aeronautica
Number built149
History
Manufactured1936–1940
Introduction date1939
First flightOctober 1936
Retired1941

The Breda Ba.88 Lince ("Lynx") was a ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. Its streamlined design and retractable undercarriage were advanced for the time, and after its debut in 1937 the aircraft established several world speed records.[1] However, when military equipment was installed on production examples, problems of instability developed and the aeroplane's general performance deteriorated. Eventually its operational career was cut short, and the remaining Ba.88 airframes were used as fixed installations on airfields to mislead enemy reconnaissance.[1] It represented, perhaps, the most remarkable failure of any operational aircraft to see service in World War II.[2]

  1. ^ a b Angelucci and Matricardi 1978 p. 201.
  2. ^ Mondey 2006 p. 28.