Fiat G.50 Freccia (Arrow)

History

The Fiat G. 50 Freccia (meaning "arrow") series provided the Italian Air Force with a then-modern monoplane with retractable landing gear, all-metal construction and an enclosed cockpit. At this time in aviation history, these three design features alone stand in stark contrast to the older generation fighter jets of the 1920/1930 era and the new generation fighter jets that appear around the world almost every month.

The G. 50 fought from 1938 until the end of the war in 1945 - on a smaller scale in recent years - and was used in a variety of roles and a few very different operators. In total, an impressive 791 G.50s were produced.

Design of the G. 50 began as early as 1935, and the prototype made its maiden flight two years later on February 26. Despite the relatively modern design of the aircraft, it didn't prove to be a major leap over other previous modern Italian attempts. Nonetheless, the aircraft was well-received for its speed and maneuverability and went into production. In its early closed cockpit form, the G.50 received a baptism of firepower during Italy's involvement in the Spanish Civil War. The aircraft proved to be a worthy success - at least by 1938 standards - and became a mainstay of the modern Italian Air Force or Regia Aeronautica.

The pilot's response to the plane was generally good, although the Italian pilots were less of a fan of their greenhouse-framed canopy. As a result, subsequent production models were instead built with an open-air cockpit - effectively advancing Alitalia's philosophy of two steps forward and one step back.

In terms of design, the G.50 is a standard low-wing aircraft with rounded edges, a smooth but sturdy fuselage and a traditional tail. The radial engine is housed in a unique Fiat hood with three-bladed propellers and conical spinners. The wings are located just below and in front of the cockpit location. The headliner has a framed front and a "razor"-style rear integrated with the tail.

Landing gear The main landing gear is fully retractable, but the tail wheel cannot.

The G.50 was pushed into more battles over the next few years, playing a limited role in the Battle of Britain, although more action was seen in the skies of North Africa. Finland acquired at least 35 aircraft through export and used them successfully during the Soviet invasion of the country in 1939-44.

By 1944, however, the G.50 had far surpassed its peak and had become seriously inadequate against later Allied and Soviet fighters. Parts shortages and the fall of Italy have both caused the plane to fall from whatever grace it had achieved a few years ago.

Compared to its contemporaries, the G.50 lacked a certain degree of firepower and was armed with a twin-synchronized 12.7mm heavy machine gun provided by Breda-SAFAT. Aside from this arrangement, the G.50 carries no other weapons.

Power for the Freccia comes from the range's single Fiat A.74 RC38 radial engine delivering over 838 horsepower. Performance specs are reasonable, with a top speed of 301 mph, a range of 418 miles, and a service ceiling of 32,258 feet. A rate of climb of 44.9 feet per second was also reported.

There are some variants, starting with the basic G. 50. The G. 50 bis followed with an improved range, with a production of 421 pieces. The G. 50ter is a single example model with a 1,000 hp Fiat A. 76 engine. Likewise, the G. 50V exists in a single form with the production engine of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601.

The prototype two-seat fighter-bomber was produced as the G. 50bis A/N. G.50B will be the name of the two-seat trainer model of the base G. already 50 years old.

The trials of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 powered G. 50 led to the development of a branch of the G. 55 fighter family with the DB 605 engine.

Aircraft operators include Germany and Italy, as well as Croatia, Finland, Spain and Yugoslavia. G. 50 is the design concept of Italian engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes