Fiat G.80
The Fiat G.80 was a military trainer aircraft developed by the Italian manufacturer Fiat in the 1950s.
History and construction
The G.80 was the first aircraft with a real jet engine, which was developed in Italy. The built in the 1940s Campini - Caproni N.1 still used a hybrid between piston engine and gas turbine propulsion. The G.80 was a conventional low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear and air intakes on the fuselage sides. Pilot and instructor sat in tandem sitting under a long canopy.
Two prototypes were built, three pre-production aircraft followed. The Italian Air Force kept the machine for however inadequate to meet their needs and bought only a small number. Undeterred developed an improved version of Fiat G.82 continue to occur for a standard NATO jet trainer in the competition. In addition to many changes in detail, the G.82 had a longer fuselage, a Rolls -Royce Nene engine instead of the de Havilland Goblin and wing tip tanks used in the G.80. Five aircraft were built, but the competition was canceled and the selected G.82 neither NATO nor of the Italian Air Force. The development was eventually canceled. Plans for special versions including night fighter, reconnaissance and Luftnahunterstützungsversionen were not realized, as well as the G.84, which should be driven by an Allison J35. The G.82 was a few years of the Aeronautica Militare used at the flight school in Amendola before they were delivered in 1957 to the " Reparto Sperimentale Volo " ( Flight Research Institute ) in Practica di Mare.
Variants
- G.80 -1B - Prototypes
- G.80 -3B - pre-series
- G.80 -3A - design for a ground-attack aircraft
- G.81 -1B - with de Havilland Ghost engine
- G.82 -1B - Trainer for NATO's call for a Standardjettrainer
- G.82 -1A - Draft night fighter, reconnaissance and Luftnahunterstützungsflugzeug
- G.84 -1B - planned with Allison J35 engine
Military use
Italy Italy