Fiat G.80

The Fiat G.80 was a military jet trainer designed and produced by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat. It has the distinction of being the first true jet-powered indigenous aircraft to be flown by Italy. The G.80 was designed as the first Italian turbojet-powered aircraft to fulfil the training requirements of the Aeronautica Militare. It was a conventional low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and engine air intakes on the fuselage sides; it was powered by a single British-sourced de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. The pilot and instructor sat in a tandem configuration underneath a lengthy bubble canopy. On 9 December 1951, the first prototype G.80 performed its maiden flight. Two prototypes and three preproduction aircraft were built, however, quantity production of the G.80 did not proceed after the Aeronautica Militare found it did not fulfil their requirements after a formal evaluation. Fiat opted to continue development, producing the more refined G.82 powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene engine; the company also proposed various specialised versions of the aircraft, including a night fighter, aerial reconnaissance, and close-support models. Alternative engines, including the Allison J35, were also explored. The G.82 was submitted to a NATO competition seeking a standard jet trainer, but this effort would not result in an order either. Fiat ultimately opted to shelve development of the type. The handful of aircraft produced were flown by the Aeronautica Militare for a time, largely for test purposes.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.