Fiat G.50 Freccia

Italian fighters Fiat G.50 Freccia to G.55 Centauro.
History, development, service, specifications, statistics, pictures and 3D model.

G.50 Freccia
Italian G.50 Freccia is taxiing on an airfield in North Africa.

Fiat G 50 Freccia, G 50bis, G 50ter, G55 Centauro.
Type: Italian WW2 fighters from Fiat.

History

In 1935 this challenge of requirements to have an all-metal monoplane fighter for the Regia Aeronautica brought in no less than 6 contending concepts. However, the Macchi 200 appeared to be in the end to generally be principal, the first champion was the Fiat G.50, the earliest significant pattern by engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli (therefore, the naming).
The flight tests proceeded to go easily, an acquisition was placed in September 1937 regarding 45 and deliveries started at the beginning of 1938.
Around a 12 of the initial manufacturing G.50s were shipped to strengthen the Aviazione Legionaria in Spain, where their excellent characteristics of speed and maneuverability were obvious.

However, aviators resented using a sliding cockpit canopy, which was hard to open promptly and interfered with vision, and in the following manufacturing batch of 200 an open cockpit was implemented. The weak armament wasn’t improved, but fairings for the retracted wheels were included.

Manufacturing from the CMASA factory at Marina di Pisa got under way in 1939, with deliveries replacing the CR.32 in Regia Aeronautica fighter squadrons (not necessarily to the pilots’ pleasure), along with an even more 35 being delivered to Finland in 1940 where they provided excellent action versus Russian planes.
The primary manufacturing model was the G.50bis, with profiled fuselage providing increased pilot view, armor and self-sealing tanks. About 450 were built usually by CMASA.

Additional variants contained the tandem-seat G.50B trainer, of which 139 were produced; the G.50ter with increased powerful engine; and prototypes of the G.50bis-A with 4 x 12.7 mm machine guns as well as racks for 2 bombs, and also of the German DB 601A-powered G.50V, which resulted in the Fiat G.55 Centauro.

Just 105 of the powerful Fiat G.55 Centauro were built till the end of WW2.

Users: Italy, Finland, Spain.


Pictures Fiat G.50 Freccia to G.55 Centauro


Specifications Fiat G.50 Freccia

Specifications:

Fiat G.50 Freccia Specification
Typefighter plane
Power plantone 840 hp Fiat A.74 RC38 14-cylinder two-row radial engine
Accommodation1
Wing span36 ft
Length overall25 ft 7 in
Height overall9 ft 8 in
Weight empty 4,188 lb
Weight loaded 5,966 lb
Maximum speed293 mph
Initial climb 2,400 ft/min
Service ceiling 32,810 ft
Range621 miles

Armament:

Fiat G.50 Freccia Specification
above front fuselage2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns


Service statistics:

Fiat G.50 Frecciafigures
First flight26 February 1937
Production deliverySeptember 1937
Final delivery1945 (Fiat G.55 Centauro)
Total production figure (all) 782 (105 Fiat G.55 Centauro)


3D Model Italian WW2 fighter Fiat G.50 Freccia


References and literature

Luftkrieg (Piekalkiewicz)
Das große Buch der Luftkämpfe (Ian Parsons)
Combat Aircraft of World War II (Bill Gunston)
World Aircraft World War II (Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi)


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