Why does the Breda 88 get shit on so much

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The BA.88 was certainly a good looking aircraft and it did set speed records in the late 30's, but that was accomplished without any military equipment aboard.
Once you start adding weapons, armor, bombs and max. fuel loads (the Lynx did have good range), then those 1,000hp engines are struggling to get all that aloft and attain any sort of speed.
The machine guns not only added weight, but created what's called a "drag penalty". This is anything that disrupts the clean airflow across the aircraft's surface. Add to that, the fact that the Breda didn't have a fully enclosed bomb-bay, so when bombs were loaded, you'll have an additional "drag penalty" (as well as the weight of the bombs putting an additional load on the engines).
The Ba.88's top speed (in military dress) was 300mph. And an aircraft (any) is not going to be able to maintain a max. speed for long without burning up the engines. 300mph was a good speed in the late 30's, but not by the 40's.
 
but that happens with all fighters right?
 
but that happens with all fighters right?

Yes, but some are better designed to deal with it.

Take the Bf 109 as a shining example. When it was first designed it was a marvelous aircraft. Fast (for its time), had superb handling characteristics, and was a dream to fly. As the Germans started adding equipment, more armament, and bigger engines it started to be penalized. Sure it got faster, but its handling characteristics suffered, especially at higher speeds.
 
yeah I can see how that works
 
yeah I can see how that works

So in the case of your Breda, it had good performance and characteristics until you added the crew, armament, fuel, and combat equipment. Then it was severely limited.

It's like the lil Cherokee I fly. When its just me and a friend in it, it flies great. Once you put into more than two people, and any baggage it starts to be like a dog. Especially on a hot humid day.
 
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is thee anyway they could have re-designed it/remodeled the wieght?
 

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