Breda Ba . 65 The Breda Ba . 65 was an all - metal single - engine , low - wing monoplane used by " Aviazione Legionaria " during the Spanish Civil War and " Regia Aeronautica " in the first part of World War II . It was the only Italian ground - attack aircraft that saw active service in this role . It saw service almost exclusively on the North African front . A total of 55 machines were exported and used by the air forces of Iraq , Chile and Portugal . Design and development . An evolution of Ba . 64 , the Ba . 65 was designed by Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri . The Ba . 65 was a single - seat , all - metal , low - wing cantilever monoplane with aft - retracting main undercarriage . Like its predecessor , it was intended to undertake " aeroplano di combattimento " multiple roles as a fighter , attack and reconnaissance aircraft . The Ba . 65 carried wing - mounted armament of two 12 . 7 mm ( 0 . 5 in ) and two 7 . 7 mm ( 0 . 303 in ) Breda - SAFAT machine gun s , with internal stowage for a 200 kg ( 440 lb ) bombload in addition to external ordnance that could total 1 , 000 kg ( 2 , 200 lb ) . The prototype , which was first flown in September 1935 , like the initial production aircraft , used the 522 kW ( 700 hp ) Gnôme - Rhône K - 14 radial engine produced under license by Isotta - Fraschini . Starting from the 82nd aircraft , the more powerful Fiat A . 80 RC . 41 18 - cylinder , twin - row radial with a takeoff rating of 746 kW ( 1 , 000 hp ) engine was adopted . Production ceased in July 1939 after 218 aircraft were built by Breda and Caproni . Operational history . The Ba . 65 debuted during the Spanish Civil War . Thirteen Series I aircraft , powered by the Gnôme - Rhône engine , equipped the 65a " Squadriglia " of the " Aviazione Legionaria " ( Legionary Air Force ) . The unit took part in operations at Santander in August 1937 , then at the Battles of Teruel and the Ebro . It proved effective and was compared positively with the German Junkers Ju 87 " Stuka " . In a unique engagement , on 24 July 1936 , one of the Legionary Air Force pilots scored an air - to - air victory when he encountered a lone twin - engine Tupolev SB - 2 bomber over Soria and shot it down . Of the 23 Ba . 65s sent to Spain , 12 had been lost in the course of the civil war . The Ba . 65s flew 1 , 921 sorties , including 368 ground - strafing and 59 dive bombing attacks . When the " Aviazione Legionaria " returned to Italy in May 1939 , they bequeathed their 11 surviving Ba . 65s to the Spanish Air Force . A total of 25 Fiat - powered Ba . 65s two - seaters were sold to the Kingdom of Iraq in 1938 . These consisted of 22 equipped with Breda L turrets and two dual control trainers . From 2 – 31 May 1941 , the Royal Iraqi Air Force flew the Ba . 65 during the Anglo - Iraqi War . War broke out after an Iraqi " coup d ' état " installed a new government while maintaining the existing monarchy . The Ba . 65 was used against armed forces of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations which the coup leaders were trying to expel from bases established after Iraq ' s independence under the Anglo - Iraqi Treaty of 1930 from the Nazis . During World War II , the Ba . 65 was employed against the British in North Africa . When Italy entered the war in June 1940 about 150 aircraft were reported to be still in service , albeit suffering heavy losses facing the British fighters . Most were either out of service or shot down by February 1941 . The aircraft , which had been forcibly kept in service after the failure of the Ba . 88 and the poor performances shown by the Caproni Ca . 310 , was replaced by modified Savoia - Marchetti S . 79 s or fighters in the dive bomber role . Chile bought 20 Ba . 65 ( 17 single - seaters and three dual control trainers ) powered by the Piaggio P . XI C . 40 ( also a 14K derivative ) , late in 1938 . Portugal purchased 10 Breda equipped with Fiat engines and Breda L Turrets , in November 1939 .