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Fiat G.59 (Centauro)

1950 COLD WAR

History

During World War II, German ally Italy received a local license for the local production of the Diamler-Benz DB 605 inline-piston engine that powered several Italian conflict front-line combatants - including the Fiat G. 55 "Centauro".', of which 274 were produced during this period. The G.55 proved to be a formidable adversary to classic Allied aircraft of the war, including the Spitfire, Mustang and Thunderbolt, and certainly earned their respect.

Italy surrendered to the Allies in September 1943, and G.55 production finally ceased.

After the war in 1946, Fiat's attempt to push the manufacture of its useful monoplane fighters eventually gave rise to the G.55A and G.55B brands - the former eventually taking shape as a single-seat fighter/advanced trainer, and the latter Become a trainer that completes use as two seats. Both Italy and Argentina put newer fighter jets into service, and this demand eventually led to a shortage of available DB 605A inline engines.

As the order for the G.55 was still pending, it was decided to convert the fighter into a British Rolls-Royce "Merlin" - the famous engine that powered the victorious Allied Spitfire and Mustang.

The first flight of the G. 55 (G. 55BM) with a Merlin engine (Merlin T. 24-2, 1,610 hp) took place in early 1948 and proved to be a healthy pairing. The Italian Air Force liked what they saw and ordered their existing G. 55 fleet to be retrofitted in the same way. Twelve G. 55AM fighters in the new "G. 59" standard, followed by 16 single-seat "G.

59-1A" and two-seat "G. 59-1B" variants for the Italians in 1950 In use, the Syrian Air Force noted and ordered 30 fighters, in the form of 26 x single-seat G. 59-2A variant (4 x 20mm gun armament) and 4 x two-seat G. 59ended-2B (2 x 12.7 mm machine gun armament) .

The G. 59 series was completed with the introduction of the single-seat G. 59-4A and two-seat G. 59-4B variants, which were fitted with a bubble canopy to improve pilot visibility. The A model also features a reduced rear body design.

The Italian Air Force took over 20 of the former and 10 of the latter. As a navigation trainer, the G. 59-3A did not surpass the prototype.

The Argentine Air Force evaluated a G.59-2A, but this did not result in a concrete production order.

When done, the G. 59 has a top speed of 368 mph and a range of 882 miles.