Fiat G.91: In Defense of NATO's Failed Fighter

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The Fiat G.91 is a hidden gem of the early Cold War period but its story, inspired through a quite rational NATO standardization program, is one of delays, compromises and ultimately falling far short of the initial exceptions. Shame really, it was a good plane.

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- Sources -
Aviation Week, US Grants Aid for NATO Light Fighter, August 1955

Aviation Week, Fiat G.91 U.S. Inspired Italian Design, Girds for NATO Trials, June 1957

Aviation Week, Fiat G.91 U.S. Inspired Italian Design, Girds for NATO Trials, June 1957

Aviation Week, NATO Delays Fighter Race, July 1957

Knaack, Marcelle Size. Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems, Volume 1, Post-World War Two Fighters, 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978

GAF TO 1F-G91(R3)-1

TO NATO 1RF-G91-R4-1

TO NATO 1RF-G91-R4-2-1

- Timecodes -
00:00 - Fiat G.91
00:28 - NATO Basic Military Requirement
01:18 - NATO Competition: UK vs FR vs IT
03:09 - Fiat G.91: Italian Workhorse
04:43 - Italy Wins Competition
07:21 - Unlucky Winner
11:00 - Saving the Fiat program (kinda)

- Audio -
Music and Sfx from Epidemic Sound

[TLTeo]

I think the fundamental issue with the G-91 was embracing the near-absurd NMBR-1 requirement of a max empty weight of 6800 lbs. An aircraft that small just has too little room to grow into better avionics or capabilities. Seriously, if you see it in person, it's literally the size of a Spitfire, with a wingspan about as large as the F-14 or F-15 tail. By comparison notoriously tiny, lightweight, cheap but highly successful aircraft like the A-4 and F-5 had empty weights closer to 10000lbs.

[comcin]

I love the G91, just not because I'm portuguese and we had those but, my grandfather was a marine in Angola, in the portuguese colonial war, and he mentions how helpful the G91 was.He told me once all marines went crazy after a pilot mentioned he would be flying from Luanda all the way to Portugal, I don't know what happened next, but everybody thinks he made it.Just a cool little story.

[Fang]

Common ammunition among member states is one thing, but a common fighter jet in a period where fighter jets were being made obsolete about as fast as computers were in the 1990s and 2000s was a bridge too far.

[davydatwood]

"Gnat" has a very German look to my eye so I googled its origins and it turns out it's one of the oldest words in English, going all the way back to Proto-Germanic. Which means that at some point we actually did say the "g" sound at the front, and dropped it as Old English turned into Middle English - much like "gnaw" or "knife" or "knight." Just some word trivia for you. :)

[cannonfodder]

And to think this process and the result was relatively tame compared to the later struggles over multi-national projects. So many cooks and so many differing requirements.

A good informative video Chris.

[paoloviti]

Honestly I always liked the Fiat G.91 and saw the last flight of the aerobatic team Frecce Tricolori with this airplane superbly performed over Pisa around early seventies. I met a few pilots who flew this airplane and they said that it was a delight to fly and had no real vices. I think that if it had a more powerful engine it would have made a difference. Good job as always 👏 👍

[Hockernant]

You did an inside the cockpit of the G.91? Well how did I miss that. Also loved the editing on this video

[Akm]

It's worth noting that the UK didn't just turn down the G.91, we also turned down the Gnat for the ground attack role* and decided to modify the older Hawker Hunter for ground attack (FGA.9) and photo recce (FR.10) instead.

*Though we did buy Gnats as advanced trainers.

[brainyskeletonofdoom]

The 91 was utterly loved by pilots in Italy, and she was flew until 1992!

[MrGermanipod]

a much more stark contrast than the starfighter's first flight in 1958 as the G91 entered service is that the F4 phantom also had its first flight that same year and would enter service 3 years later

[lowellmccormick]

First let me say that I love Italy and all things Italian, especially the Ferrari 250GT & crabmeat ravioli. That said, my favorite quote is from a column I read that discussed the history of perfection. "The low point in the history of perfection was the sacking of Rome by the barbarians, which eventually lead to the creation of Fiat."

[rotormasher]

I remember watching those fly in formation in Portugal near their base!
Cool planes man I think they started my aviation passion... :)

[duartesimoes]

I like your videos, but I expected more from this one. Since Portugal was the only Country who used the G-91 in combat, I believe you should have dedicated much more time and images about her combat performance, which by the way was pretty good. Only her payload left to be desired. Another issue is that the aircraft had no self defence capability in air to air combat, not even gun radar and a proper sight. They would have been decimated by any MIG 17, had it come to that. Tests were made with a pair of AIM-9B Sidewinders in the outer pylons, but in the end, no enemy Fighters ever came up from Guinea Conacri.

[DisinformationAgent]

Honestly one of the more fun planes in Warthunder.

[ronjon]

A pretty plane, easy on the eyes and very well proportioned. I never thought to compare it to a Sabre, but yeah - it’s hard to miss the influence.

[johnp]

Always interesting thanks. I remember watching them operate along with Italian F-104's at Decimomannu, Sardinia, in the eighties, whilst we were detatched there for Air to Ground Gunnery/Bombing exercises Both seemed to spend a rather long time on the ground back then? We did have a Squadron of Portuguese G91's fly into RAF Brüggen around the same time but I didn't get a close look at them.

[obliteron]

Excellent video! Looking forward to your eventual analysis of the AMX International AMX.

[DavidSiebert]

I would like to see a look at the G. 91 vs the A-4 Skyhawk. It also was a tough simple aircraft that could take off from short runways and the IAI did very well with it.

[gort]

First flight of the F-104 was actually in 1954, before the first flight of the G91, and the 104 entered service in 1958. By comparison the G91 looked like the outdated subsonic jets that were soon to be replaced by the F-104 in NATO service.

[xmaniac]

For Italy’s postwar reindustrialization efforts it was a critical programme. The secret technology transfer from the USA also demonstrated that the Americans did not trust the French and British at that point in time.