Fiat G.91
Fiat Aviazione / Aeritalia · Italy · first flew 1956 · fighter
The Fiat G.91 was an Italian light tactical jet fighter and reconnaissance aircraft that won the 1953 NATO light strike aircraft competition. Small, simple, and agile, it served with the Italian and West German air forces as a ground-attack type through the Cold War.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 10.29 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Small single-engine NATO light tactical fighter with oval nose intake
- Very compact dimensions — nicknamed 'Gina'
- Licence-built in West Germany by Fiat and Dornier
The very small size, oval nose intake, swept mid-mounted wing, and conventional tail make the G.91 look like a scaled-down F-86 Sabre — compact and neat compared to contemporary NATO jets.
Specifications
- The Fiat G.91 has a length of 10.29 m (34 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.56 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 1075 km/h (668 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli and first flown on 9 August 1956, the G.91 beat several competing designs including the Breguet 1001 to win the NATO competition. It entered Italian Air Force service in 1959 and was licence-built in Germany. It saw operational deployment with Portugal during the African colonial wars.
Variants
The G.91R was the reconnaissance version with three cameras; the G.91T was the tandem two-seat trainer; the G.91Y was a substantially different twin-engine derivative with two General Electric J85s.
Where you'll see it
Operated by Italy, West Germany, and Portugal; all retired by the mid-1990s. Italy retired its last examples in 1995.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.