Fiat G.50
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| G.50 Freccia | |
|---|---|
 (Finnish markings) |
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| Type | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Maiden flight | 26 February 1937 |
| Introduced | 1938 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Primary users | Regia Aeronautica Suomen Ilmavoimat Ejército del Aire Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 791 |
| Variants | Fiat G.55 |
The FIAT G.50 Freccia (Italian: "Arrow") was an Italian fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first Italian low-wing monoplane fighter with enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production (without the enclosed cockpit though, as Italian pilots felt uncomfortable with it). It was also used in small numbers by the Finnish Air Force.
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[edit] Design and development
The Fiat G.50 was designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli starting from 1935. The prototype first flew on 26 February 1937. The G.50 was the first front line Italian fighter with retractable undercarriage, but despite these improvements, its maximum speed was only 33 km/h faster than its predecessor, the Fiat CR.42. Both types were powered by the 840 hp Fiat A.74 RC38, 14-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine.
In September 1940 a slightly improved version, the G.50 bis, appeared. Its main advantage was the extended combat range.
[edit] Operational history
The first operative aircraft were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica in 1938. Extremely maneuverable, it was one of the best fighters during the Spanish Civil War, yet by the time World War II began it was considered to be underpowered and underarmed. About 780 were built, 35 of which were exported to Finland.
There were 118 G.50s available when Italy entered World War II, most assigned to the 51° Stormo and part of the 52°. 48 aircraft saw limited action during the Battle of Britain as part of the Corpo Aereo Italiano based in Belgium, but their use was hampered by their short range. The remaining aircraft saw action in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Appreciated mainly for their strength, they were used primarily for attack roles in the second half of the war. By the time of the Italian Armistice, only a few G.50s were left in Italian service; some were used as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, while four others were used by the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana as fighter trainers.
The G.50 saw its longest and most successful operations in the two Finnish wars, the Winter War 1939-1940 and the Continuation War 1941-1944 against the Soviet Union. They arrived too late to affect the course of the winter battles of 1940, but 13 aerial victories were achieved, with Captain O. Ehrnrooth, Lieutenant O. Puhakka and Sergeant L. Aaltonen being the most successful Fiat pilots with two victories each.[1]
During the Continuation War, the Fiat fighters were most successful during the Finnish offensive of 1941, after that they became increasingly less effective.[2] The Soviets were able to bring better, newer fighter types into the front lines during 1942 and 1943, while the Fiats were becoming old and run-down, and the lack of spare parts meant that pilots were restricted to only a minimal number of sorties. In 1941 the FIAT squadron, LLv 26, claimed 52 victories against the loss of only two fighters. The most successful Fiat G.50 fighter pilots were O. Tuominen (23 victories with G.50s), O. Puhakka (11), N. Trontti (six), O. Paronen (four), U. Nieminen (four) and L. Lautamäki (four).[3] The Finnish Fiats were finally phased out of front line duty in summer 1944.
[edit] Variants
- G.50
- First production version.
- G.50 bis
- Development of the G.50 version with extended range, 421 built.
- G.50ter
- One aircraft powered by a 1,000-hp (746-kW) Fiat A.76 engine, one built.
- G.50V
- One aircraft powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, one built.
- G.50bis A/N
- Two-seat fighter-bomber prototype, one built.
- G.50B
- Two-seat trainer version.
[edit] Operators
- Suomen Ilmavoimat received 35 aircraft.
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[edit] Survivors
Currently, the only known G.50 bis still in existence is undergoing restoration in the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, in Surčin, near Belgrade airport.
[edit] Specifications (G.50)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 7.79 m (25 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 10.96 m (35 ft 11 in)
- Height: 2.96 m (9 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 18.2 m² (196 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,975 kg (4,354 lb)
- Loaded weight: 2,706 kg (5,965 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,415 kg (5,324 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Fiat A.74 RC38 radial engine, 625 kW (838 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 472 km/h (294 mph)
- Range: 670 km (418 miles)
- Service ceiling 9,835 m (32,258 ft)
- Rate of climb: 13.7 m/s (44.9 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 148.7 kg/m² (327.9 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 230 W/kg (.30 hp/lb)
Armament
- 2x 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Keskinen 1977, inside back cover
- ^ Finnish Fiat G.50
- ^ Keskinen 1977, inside back cover
[edit] Bibliography
- Cattaneo, Gianni. The Fiat G.50 (Aircraft in Profile Number 188). Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
- Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. Fiat G.50, Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 8 (in Finnish). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1977. ISBN 951-9035-26-5.
- Malizia, Nicola. Fiat G-50 (Aviolibri Records No. 2) (in Italian/English). Roma-Nomentano, Italy: Istituto Bibliografico Napoleone, 2005. ISBN 88-7565-002-0.
- Mondey, David. The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. New York: Bounty Books, 1996. ISBN 1-85152-966-7.
- Taylor, John W. R. "Fiat G.50 Freccia (Arrow)". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
- Tonizzo, Pietro. Fiat G.50 Freccia (Le Macchine e la Storia 9) (in Italian). Modena, Italy: Editore Stem-Mucchi. No ISBN.
- Waldis, Paolo. Fiat G 50, Ali e Colori 3 (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aeronautica, 2000.
[edit] External links
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