Fiat G.91

what is it?

The Fiat G.91 is a jet fighter aircraft designed and built by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat Aviazione, which later merged into Aeritalia. The G.91 has its origins in the NATO-organised NBMR-1 competition started in 1953, which sought a light fighter-bomber (officially, the competition was seeking a "Light Weight Strike Fighter") to be adopted as standard equipment across the air forces of the various NATO nations. The G.91 was specifically designed to fulfil the requirements of this competition, being relatively lightweight and capable of operating from austere airstrips while also being armoured and suitably armed while remaining relatively affordable in comparison to many frontline fighters.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 8.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 1,075 km/htop speed
• range 1,150 kmwithout refuelling
• size 5,500 kgmax take-off weight
• built 770made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 70 years ago, in 1956.
• 🏎️Top speed is 8.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🌍Range of 1,150 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.5× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1956-08-09

introduced

1958

retired

1995

status

retired

number built

770

role

fighter-bomber

origin

🇮🇹 Italy

makers

Aeritalia, Fiat Aviazione, Flugzeug-Union Süd

engines

1× Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 803

crew

1

length

10.3 m

wingspan

8.6 m

height

4 m

max take-off weight

5,500 kg

top speed

1,075 km/h

range

1,150 km

ceiling

13,100 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family