Riccardo Niccoli examines the career of the Fiat G.91 in the Italian Air Force.
Three historic ‘firsts’ were racked up by this early Cold War fighter, which was nicknamed Gina. It also marked a fundamental step in the re-building of the Italian and German aviation industries along the path of establishing a strong European aviation industry.
It was the first Italian combat jet to be manufactured in series, the initial all Italiandesigned fighter to enter service with the Aeronautica Militare (AM – Italian Air Force) and it was number one in the list of aircraft designed, developed and manufactured in accordance with a NATO specification.
STRIKE FIGHTER
A NATO planning conference in Lisbon in 1952, decided how the alliance’s air forces should be reorganised; particularly, to use what was then an original air power concept of close air support (CAS). A new aircraft was required which would be deployed to semiprepared airstrips, close behind the combat area, reducing to a minimum the en route and refuelling/re-arming times between two sorties.
In spring 1953, the AGARD (Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development), led by Professor Theodore von Karman, announced a competition: the NATO Light W…
