In the 50s, American and British-made combat aircraft prevailed in the air forces of European states that found themselves in the US zone of influence. These were mainly American fighters: Republic F-84 Thunderjet and North American F-86 Saber, as well as British: de Havilland DH.100 Vampire and Hawker Hunter. This was explained by the fact that Germany and Italy, recognized by the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition as aggressors, having fallen under the American-British occupation, for some time were deprived of the right to engage in the creation of combat aircraft. Among the countries participating in the Second World War of Western orientation, France was an exception. But its aviation industry, badly damaged by the fighting, took over 10 years to reach the global level of fighter aircraft.
Fighter-bomber F-84 Thunderjet
After the start of the Cold War and the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance in 1949, the leaders of West Germany and Italy, as full-fledged partners in NATO, expressed a desire to develop their own defense industry, since this guaranteed additional jobs, maintaining a high level of technology, scientific and engineering schools. In this issue, the United States also had its own interest, since this made it possible to reduce American defense spending on equipping the armies of NATO countries.
Fighter Hunter F.4 Belgian Air Force
In the second half of 1953, based on the experience of using tactical aircraft on the Korean Peninsula, the NATO air command developed requirements for a promising light single-seat combat aircraft designed to support ground forces - NATO Basic Military Requirement No. 1 (abbreviated as NBMR-1). At the beginning of 1954, on the basis of this document, a competition was announced, all interested European and American aircraft manufacturers were invited to participate in it.
Fighter F-86 Saber
The light jet combat aircraft created under this program was supposed to operate in the tactical depth of enemy defenses and on communications, inflicting bombing and assault strikes on enemy forces, airfields, ammunition depots and fuel and lubricants. The characteristics of maneuverability and visibility from the cockpit were supposed to allow effective destruction of moving small targets. At the same time, the aircraft was supposed to be able to conduct defensive air combat at the level of the American Saber fighter. Much attention was paid to security, the cockpit from the front hemisphere was to be covered with frontal armored glass, as well as to have protection for the lower and rear walls. Fuel tanks were supposed to withstand a lumbago without leaks with 12, 7-mm bullets, fuel lines and other important equipment were proposed to be placed in the least vulnerable places for anti-aircraft fire.
Ideally, NATO generals needed a fighter-bomber with the flight data of the American F-86, but less vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire and with a better forward-downward view. The airborne electronic equipment of a light attack aircraft was supposed to be as simple as possible: a radio station, a state recognition system, a short-range radio navigation system TAKAN or a radio compass. The installation of a radar was not provided, for the use of small arms and cannon weapons and unguided missiles it was supposed to use a gyroscopic sight.
The composition of the built-in small arms and cannon armament was not strictly regulated, it could be 12, 7-mm machine guns in the amount of 4-6 units, two or four 20-mm or two 30-mm air cannons. Suspended armament was provided for as simple and cheap as possible: bombs weighing up to 225 kg, NAR and incendiary tanks.
In other words, the tactical aviation of the alliance needed the cheapest combat aircraft with optimal combat data at low and medium altitudes, while being able to stand up for itself in a defensive air battle. Participants in the competition had to present ready-made aircraft for testing by 1957. The winner received a contract for 1000 aircraft. French aircraft Vg reached the final of the competition. 1001 Taop and Dassault Mystere 26 (future deck attack aircraft Etendard IV) and Italian Aeritalia FIAT G.91.
In September 1957, the final competitive tests took place on the territory of the French test center in Bretigny - Sur-Orge. The winner was declared the Italian G.91, which passed the test flights perfectly. The low cost also contributed to his victory. Great support in the victory of G.91 was provided by an order from the Italian Air Force, carried out even before the results of the competition were summed up.
When designing the G.91, a number of proven technical solutions borrowed from the American Saber fighter were used to speed up and reduce the cost of work. The Italian G.91 was in many ways reminiscent of the 15% smaller F-86 fighter. A light fighter-bomber with a maximum take-off weight of 5500 kg in horizontal flight could accelerate to 1050 km / h and had a combat radius of 320 km. The built-in armament of the first variant included four 12.7 mm machine guns. The four underwing hardpoints carried a combat load weighing 680 kg in the form of bombs or NAR. To increase the flight range, instead of weapons, two dumped fuel tanks with a capacity of 450 liters could be suspended.
However, the G.91 never became a single NATO light fighter-bomber. The French, referring to the unsuitability of the G.91 for aircraft carriers, decided to bring the Etendard IV, and the British, as a "single fighter", were pushing their Hawker Hunter, which did not participate in the competition. Despite this, in January 1958, the NATO Air Command officially approved the G.91 as a single fighter-bomber for the air forces of the alliance countries. This decision caused great displeasure among the British and French, who were counting on the victory of their machines. As a result, the G.91 was adopted only in Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany, it was supposed to replace the American F-84F Thunderstreak, which was difficult to operate and required major runways.
In the middle of 1958, trial operation of the new aircraft began in the Italian Air Force. The aircraft of the experimental batch, built in the amount of 27 units, were distinguished by a pointed nose. During the military tests of the pre-production batch, the military liked the aircraft from the very beginning. During the tests, flights at low altitudes were practiced and the possibilities of striking ground targets were studied. The fighter-bomber G.91 has established itself as an easy-to-fly and maneuverable aircraft, its development did not cause great difficulties even for not too experienced pilots.
Particular attention was paid to the ability to perform flights from unprepared unpaved airfields as part of measures for the emergency redeployment of an aviation unit when it was removed from the attack. The plane turned out to be well suited for this. All ground support equipment required for flight preparation was transported by conventional trucks and quickly deployed at the new airfield. The aircraft engine was started by a starter with a pyro cartridge and did not depend on the ground infrastructure. The preparation of the fighter-bomber for a new combat mission (replenishment of ammunition, refueling, etc.) was carried out within 20 minutes.
Military trials of the G.91 in the Italian Air Force ended in 1959, after which a decision was made to start large-scale production. From the pre-production batch, four aircraft were converted into G.91R reconnaissance aircraft, and the rest were modernized for use in the 313rd aerobatic squadron of the Italian Air Force Frecce Tricolori (Italian - tricolor arrows). These vehicles received the designation G.91PAN (Pattuglia Aerobatica Nazionale). The planes of the "aerial acrobats" were made as light as possible, weapons were dismantled from them and smoke generators were installed. The life of most of the machines that flew in the aerobatic team turned out to be surprisingly long, the blue-painted G.91PANs served until April 1982.
G.91PAN of the Italian aerobatic team Frecce Tricolori
The first large-scale modification was the G.91R-1 armed reconnaissance aircraft. Representatives of the Italian Air Force insisted on maintaining the reconnaissance modification of the full set of weapons. Such an aircraft could operate in the same battle formations with purely percussion vehicles and record the results of strikes on film, which allowed the command to more effectively plan the further course of the combat operation. Later, cameras became standard equipment on most serial modifications. They made it possible to shoot objects located directly under the aircraft, from altitudes from 100 to 600 m, or from the side of the aircraft, at a distance of 1000-2000 m from the flight line. The next variants, G.91R-1AC and G.91R-1B, received a reinforced chassis and ADF-102 radio compass. The active exploitation of the reconnaissance and shock G.91R continued until 1989.
The massive supply of combat aircraft to combat units required the creation of a training and training two-seat modification of the G.91T. Since 1961 "Sparks" entered the same units where reconnaissance and strike aircraft were operated.
Specially painted G.91T combat trainer of the 13th group of the 32nd Italian Air Force regiment at the event dedicated to the farewell to this aircraft
"Sparks" flew longer, until the full depletion of the airframe's resource. These machines carried out export flights of Tornado pilots and practiced the use of weapons against ground targets. In August 1995, the Italian Air Force held a farewell to the combat training G.91T.
Following the Italian Air Force, the G.91 was adopted by the Luftwaffe. The photographic equipment of the aircraft completely satisfied the German experts in aerial reconnaissance, and the German pilots, after familiarization flights in Italian aircraft, were satisfied with the ease of piloting.
In March 1959, West German representatives signed a contract for the purchase of a lead batch of 50 G.91R-3 and 44 G.91T-3. Subsequently, the aircraft building enterprises of the Flugzeug-Union Sud consortium, which included the firms Dornier, Messerschmitt and Heinkel, assembled 294 G.91R-3 fighter-bomber.
In terms of combat potential, the German G.91R-3s were superior to the Italian vehicles. The aircraft produced in Germany had more advanced avionics and powerful strike weapons. The German G.91R-3 received the TAKAN AN / ARN-52 radio navigation system, the DRA-12A Doppler speed and drift angle meter, the calculator and the aircraft angular position indicator.
Fighter-bomber G. 91R-3 German Air Force
Instead of large-caliber machine guns, the G.91R-3 armament of the FRG Air Force included two 30-mm DEFA 552 cannons with 152 rounds of ammunition each. On the reinforced wing, the Germans added two additional underwing pylons for the suspension of weapons. Now it is possible to use the AS-20 air-to-ground missile system, which has increased the ability to destroy small targets. To reduce the takeoff run, solid propellant boosters were installed. Later, all these improvements were also implemented on the Italian modification of the G.91R-6.
Service G.91R-3 in the Luftwaffe continued until the early 80s. German pilots who flew these unpretentious, simple and reliable aircraft were very reluctant to transfer to the supersonic Starfighters and Phantoms. The number and severity of accidents in units of armed G.91R-3s were much less than those of units flying on more modern combat aircraft. The high reliability and relatively low accident rate of the G.91 is largely due to the use of a successful Orpheus turbojet engine, a simple design and a very primitive avionics by Western standards. In addition, the G.91 was originally designed for low-altitude flights, and, as you know, most of the F-104G crashed during low-altitude flights.
According to the criterion of "cost-effectiveness" in the 60s, the G.91 was almost ideally suited for the role of a light fighter-bomber. The refusal to adopt this aircraft in other NATO countries was primarily due to political reasons and "national egoism." Confirmation that the G.91 was indeed a very successful aircraft is the fact that several aircraft were tested in flight research centers in the United States, Great Britain and France.
Aircraft everywhere received a positive assessment, but things did not go beyond testing. However, it is difficult to imagine that in the 60s, even a very successful, but developed and built in Italy combat aircraft was adopted in the USA, Great Britain or France. Orders for their own Air Force have always been too tasty morsel for aircraft corporations in these countries to share with anyone else. As a result, despite numerous positive reviews, the G.91 was not widely used, and the number of aircraft built was limited to 770 copies.
In the mid-60s, it was possible to conclude a contract for the supply of G-91R-4 to Turkey and Greece. However, this agreement was subsequently canceled, as the American lobby pushed the F-5A Freedom Fighter. For the sake of fairness, it should be said that the light fighter F-5A had great capabilities for conducting aerial combat, but when inflicting low-altitude missile and bomb strikes against ground targets, the more expensive and complex Freedom Fighter had no advantages.
Before the transaction was canceled, 50 G-91R-4s were built in Germany; in 1966, 40 vehicles from this batch were sold to Portugal. The cost of the rest was compensated by the Americans, and they joined the ranks of the FRG Air Force.
The Portuguese G-91 had a chance to take part in the hostilities, eight aircraft based at the airfield in Guinea-Bissau in 1967 made regular combat missions against partisans operating in the border areas with Senegal and French Guinea. Since 1968 in Mozambique, two squadrons of G.91R-4 have bombed units of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO). At the same time, bombs and napalm tanks were used. After the appearance of the Strela-2 MANPADS and anti-aircraft artillery from the partisans, six Portuguese G-91s were shot down.
Fighter-bomber G-91R-4 of the Portuguese Air Force at a field airfield
The G.91 was for a long time the main type of combat aircraft in the Portuguese Air Force. In the late 70s, another 33 combat G.91R-3 and 11 G.91T-3 trainers arrived from Germany. Most of the Portuguese G.91s have undergone major upgrades. A new avionics were installed on the aircraft, the armament included the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-12 Bullpap air-to-ground missiles. Service G. 91 of the Portuguese Air Force continued until 1993.
Fighter-bombers G-91 for poor Portugal were an element of pride and prestige. The unusually painted aircraft of the 121st Tigers Squadron have invariably attracted the attention of spectators at various air shows and exhibitions.
In the mid-60s, based on the experience of military operations in Southeast Asia, Fiat specialists began to create a radically improved version of the G.91, while the combat training G.91T-3 with a more durable and roomy fuselage.
Italian fighter-bomber G.91Y
The upgraded G.91Y first flew in 1966. During test flights, its speed at high altitude came close to the sound barrier, but flights in the altitude range of 1500-3000 meters at a speed of 850-900 km / h were considered optimal. It was still a light fighter-bomber, but with significantly increased flight data and combat characteristics. Outwardly, it hardly differed from other modifications of the G.91, but in many ways it was a new aircraft. In order to improve survivability and thrust-to-weight ratio, the G.91Y received two General Electric J85-GE-13 turbojet engines. These turbojet engines have proven themselves well on the F-5A fighter. The maneuverability and takeoff and landing characteristics of the G.91Y have been improved by using an enlarged wing with automatic slats throughout the wingspan.
The takeoff weight compared to the G.91 has increased by more than 50%, while the weight of the combat load has increased by 70%. Despite the increased fuel consumption, the flight range of the aircraft increased, which was facilitated by an increase in the capacity of the fuel tanks by 1,500 liters.
The G.91Y received a modern avionics by the standards of that time. The use of an aiming and navigation complex with an ILS, where all the main navigation and targeting information was displayed on the windshield, allowed the pilot to concentrate his attention on the combat mission.
The built-in armament was very powerful - two 30-mm DEFA-552 cannons (rate of fire - 1500 rds / min) with 125 rounds per barrel. On four pylons, in addition to NAR, bombs and incendiary tanks, guided air-to-air missiles AIM-9 Sidewinder and surface-to-ground AS-30 could be suspended. The strength characteristics of the wing in the long term made it possible to increase the number of suspension points to six.
Fiat actively advertised the G.91Y as a lightweight subsonic universal combat aircraft, which, in addition to destroying ground targets on the battlefield and in the tactical depth of enemy defense, could successfully fight helicopter gunships and conduct defensive air combat with modern fighters at low altitudes. … According to the Italian developers, the G.91Y was able to surpass the supersonic F-5E and Mirage-5 in terms of the cost-effectiveness criterion when performing the above tasks. At aviation exhibitions, the G.91Y, due to its combination of low cost and good flight and combat characteristics, invariably attracted the attention of representatives of the air forces of the European NATO countries and the air forces of the third world countries. However, an order in the amount of 75 units for this generally very good machine came only from the Italian Air Force, which was primarily due to the desire to support its own aircraft industry.
The good combat characteristics of the G.91Y in the role of an attack aircraft and a close air support aircraft have been repeatedly confirmed at the training grounds during the joint exercises of the NATO Air Force. In general, the history of the G.91 fighter-bomber confirms the fact that the arms trade is inextricably linked with politics and lobbying the interests of large arms corporations. For example, the Americans managed to impose on their allies the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter as a multi-role fighter, despite the fact that the US Air Force, after a short operation of this aircraft, categorically abandoned it. If the G.91 was created in the United States, it would have become much more widespread, could participate in many armed conflicts and, possibly, would still fly. Subsequently, a number of technical and conceptual solutions worked out on the G.91Y were implemented in the creation of the Italian-Brazilian light attack aircraft AMX.
