Fiat G.80

Fiat Aviazione · Italy · first flew 1951 · fighter

The Fiat G.80 was Italy's first indigenous jet trainer, a two-seat aircraft powered by a British de Havilland Goblin turbojet. It was developed to train Italian Air Force pilots transitioning to jet operations in the early 1950s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	12.93 m fuselage
T — Tail	T-tail

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Spot it by:

Italy's first domestically designed jet trainer, straight low wing
Single de Havilland Goblin engine with nose intake
T-tail configuration with tandem cockpit under a long glazed canopy

Identifiable by its straight low wing, nose intake, and prominent T-tail — relatively rare features combined in an early-1950s Italian jet. The long canopy over tandem seats is also notable.

Specifications

The Fiat G.80 has a length of 12.93 m (42 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.81 m (39 ft).
Its maximum speed is 910 km/h (565 mph).
Typical crew: 2 (tandem).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli at Fiat, the G.80 first flew in December 1951 and represented a significant milestone as Italy's first home-designed jet aircraft. It did not enter large-scale production, as Italy ultimately adopted other jet trainers, but it laid the groundwork for subsequent Fiat jet designs.

Variants

The G.80-3B was a refined version with uprated avionics. The closely related G.82 followed with a more powerful Rolls-Royce Nene engine.

Where you'll see it

A very small number flew with the Italian Air Force and test establishments. The type saw no significant operational use before being supplanted.

Related aircraft

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