The Balilla was built by engineer Giuseppe Brezzi, who combined it with a fuselage that, on a smaller scale, replicated the structure of the SVA.

The prototype was tested in 1917, while in early 1918 a Balilla with a larger wing was tried out and met with favourable reception.

Ansaldo delivered 166 aeroplanes up to the armistice, but production continued in the post-war period.

The ninety-first squadron only received its first Balilla, for combat trials, on 28 June 1918.

The A.1, however, was a commercial success, with its most important exports going to Poland and Russia.