Fiat G.59 (Centauro)

Fighter / Fighter-Trainer / Advanced Trainer Aircraft

Italy | 1950

"Completing the World War 2-era Fiat G.55 fighter with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine produced the post-war Fiat G.59 series for Italy and Syria."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/31/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

During World War 2, German ally Italy was granted local license-production of the Diamler-Benz DB 605 inline piston engine and this fit went on to power several Italian frontline fighters of the conflict - including the Fiat G.55 "Centauro" of which 274 were produced during the period. The G.55 proved a strong counter to the classic Allied aircraft of the war including Spitfires, Mustangs, and Thunderbolts and certainly earned its respect. Italy surrendered to the Allies in September of 1943 and production of the G.55 was eventually ended.

After the war in 1946, Fiat looked to jumpstart manufacture of their useful monoplane fighter and this ultimately produced the G.55A and G.55B marks - the former was completed in a single-seat fighter / advanced trainer form with the latter was used as a two-seat trainer. Both Italy and Argentina took the renewed fighter into service and this demand eventually led to a shortage of available DB 605A inline engines. As orders for the G.55 were still outstanding, it was decided to re-engine the fighter with the British Rolls-Royce "Merlin" - the famous powerplant that drove the war-winning Spitfires and Mustangs for the Allies.

First-flight of a Merlin-engined (Merlin T.24-2 of 1,610 horsepower) G.55 (G.55BM) occurred in early 1948 and proved a healthy mating. The Italian Air Force liked what it saw and ordered their existing fleet of G.55 to be re-engined in the same fashion. Twelve G.55AM fighters were completed to the new "G.59" standard followed by sixteen single-seat "G.59-1A" and two-seat "G.59-1B" variants - introduced for service in 1950. Beyond the Italians, the Syrian Air Force took note and ordered thirty fighters which ended as new-build aircraft in the form of 26 x single-seat G.59-2A models (with 4 x 20mm cannon armament) and 4 xtwo-seat G.59-2Bs (2 x 12.7mm machine gun armament).

The G.59 line was completed with the introduction of the single-seat G.59-4A and the two-seat G.59-4B variants which installed bubble-style canopies for improved pilot vision. The A-model also featured a cut-down rear fuselage design. The Italian Air Force adopted twenty of the former and ten of the latter. The G.59-3A was proposed as a navigational trainer and did not proceed beyond a prototype.

The Argentine Air Force evaluated a single G.59-2A but this did not turn into a tangible production order.

As completed, the G.59 exhibited a maximum speed of 368 miles per hour and an operational range of 882 miles.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Fiat G.59 Fighter / Fighter-Trainer / Advanced Trainer Aircraft.

1 x Rolls-Royce Merlin T.24-2 inline piston engine developing 1,610 horsepower while driving three-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

370 mph
595 kph | 321 kts
Max Speed

41,010 ft
12,500 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

621 miles
1,000 km | 540 nm
Operational Range

2,345 ft/min
715 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Fiat G.59 Fighter / Fighter-Trainer / Advanced Trainer Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

31.1 ft
9.47 m
O/A Length

38.9 ft
(11.85 m)
O/A Width

12.3 ft
(3.75 m)
O/A Height

6,041 lb
(2,740 kg)
Empty Weight

7,496 lb
(3,400 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Fiat G.59 (Centauro) Fighter / Fighter-Trainer / Advanced Trainer Aircraft .

Single-Seat Fighter / Fighter-Trainer:
4 x 20mm Hispano wing-mounted cannons

Two-Seat Trainer (optional):
2 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs)

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Fiat G.59 (Centauro) family line.

G.59 - Base Series Designation

G.55AM - Rebuilt G.55 Italian Air Force aircraft with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines; 12 examples.

G.59-1A - Single-seat fighter / fighter-trainer for Italian Air Force.

G.59-1B - Two-seat trainer for Italian Air Force

G.59-2A - Single-seat fighter for Syrian Air Force; 30 examples; 4 x 20mm cannons in wings (two per wing).

G.59-2B - Two-seat trainer for Syrian Air Force; 10 examples; 2 x 12.7 HMG armament.

G.59-3A - Navigation trainer; single prototype only.

G.59-4A - Single-seat fighter for Italian Air Force; 20 examples.

G.59-4B - Two-seat trainer for Italian Air Force; 10 examples.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Fiat G.59 (Centauro). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 87 Units
Contractor(s): Fiat - Italy

[ Italy; Syria ]

Going Further...
The Fiat G.59 (Centauro) Fighter / Fighter-Trainer / Advanced Trainer Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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