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The Fiat G.55 Centauro (centaur) was
an all-metal low-wing monoplane single-
seat fighter designed by Giuseppe
Gabrielli, and represented a great improvement
by comparison with the
previous Fiat monoplane fighter to go
into production, the G.50. Great care
was taken to blend an aerodynamically
advanced airframe with a structure
which was robust and would lend itself
to mass production. Its configuration
included fully-retractable landing
gear and a raised cockpit providing an
excellent view. Fast and maneouvrable,
the type proved popular with its
pilots.
The first of three prototypes was
flown on 30 April 1942; the third (MM
493) was the only one to carry armament,
comprising one enginemounted
cannon and four fuselagemounted
machine-guns. It was evaluated
under operational conditions
from March 1943, but by then the Italian
air ministry had already decided
on mass production of the G.55.
However, only 16 G.55/0 preproduction
and 15 G.55/1 initial production
aircraft had been delivered to the
Regia Aeronautica by September
1943, production thereafter being for
the Fascist air arm flying alongside the
Luftwaffe. Before wartime production
ended 274 more were completed and
a further 37 were abandoned at an advanced
construction stage.
Before the armistice of September
1943, G.55s had participated in the defence
of Rome with the 353a Squadriglia
of the Regia Aeronautica. The postarmistice
operations were rnamly with
the Fascist air arm's Squadriglia 'Montefusco',
based at Venezia Reale, then
with the three squadriglie which
formed the 2° Gruppo Caccia Terrestre,
but losses were heavy, as a result
mainly of Allied attacks on the airfields.
While the war was still in progress, Fiat
flew two prototypes of the G.56, which
was developed from the G.55 to accept
the more powerful Daimler-Benz DB
603A engine. Built during the spring of
1944, they incorporated minor structural
changes and had the fuselagemounted
machine-guns deleted. The
first prototype survived the war and
was used subsequently by Fiat as a
test-bed
| MODEL | G.55/1 |
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x FIAT RA 1050 RC 58 "Tifone", 1100kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 3718 kg | 8197 lb |
| Operating empty weight | 2630 kg | 5798 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 11.85 m | 38 ft 11 in |
| Length | 9.37 m | 30 ft 9 in |
| Height | 3.13 m | 10 ft 3 in |
| Wing area | 21.11 m2 | 227.23 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 630 km/h | 391 mph |
| Ceiling | 12700 m | 41650 ft |
| Range | 1200 km | 746 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 3 x 20mm cannons, 2 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 2 x 160kg bombs |
 | A three-view drawing (686 x 976) |
Ronald, toolkeeper123(@)adelphia.net, 05.09.2008
Chosen as the standard series 5 fighter for the Italian fighter force, the robust Centauro could take a punch as well as dish it out. Feared by Allied pilots especially for it's high altitude maneuverability, it was prone to fall victim to it's Luftwaffe 'friends' for it's likeness to the Allied P-51. Too bad for this promising new fighter but that's not all!
Many were also scuttled by torch on the ground by their Italian pilots in protest to their German superiors. So then virtually all flew the inferior Bf 109 together and 'friendly fire' was down. Some Italian pilots were training with the Me 262 jet in the end.
3VI, landmania(@)libero.it, 10.06.2007
Maybe the best but not the finest italian fighter of the war. It survived the end of WWII entering service in various countries.
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Do you have any comments concerning this aircraft ?
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