Aeritalia G.91
| G.91 | |
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| A Fiat G.91 at the Luftwaffe Museum in Gatow | |
| Role | Fighter-bomber |
| Manufacturer |
Fiat Aviazione Aeritalia |
| First flight | 9 August 1956 |
| Introduction | 1958 |
| Retired | 1995 |
| Status | Several in museums |
| Primary users |
Italian Air Force German Air Force Portuguese Air Force |
| Number built | 770 |
| Variants | Fiat G.91Y |
 Documentary on the Fiat G.91
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Footage of Italian G.91 squadron operations in 1987
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Video of various low passes and other manoeuvres conducted by Frecce Tricolori G-91s
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The Fiat G.91 was an Italian jet fighter aircraft designed and built by Fiat Aviazione, which later merged into Aeritalia. The G.91 has its origins in the NATO-organised NBMR-1 competition in 1953, which sought a light fighter-bomber "Light Weight Strike Fighter" to be adopted as standard equipment across the air forces of the various NATO nations. After reviewing multiple submissions, the G.91 was picked as the winning design of the NBMR-1 competition.
The G.91 entered into operational service with the Italian Air Force in 1961, and with the West German Luftwaffe in the following year. Various other nations adopted it, such as the Portuguese Air Force, who made extensive use of the type during the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa. The G.91 enjoyed a long service life that extended over 35 years.
The G.91 remained in production for 19 years, during which a total of 756 aircraft were completed, including the prototypes and pre-production models. The assembly lines were finally closed in 1977. The G.91 was also used as a basis for an twin-engined development - the Fiat/Aeritalia G.91Y.
As a result of experiences from the Korean War alongside newly developed concepts of aerial cooperation, the members of NATO recognised a need to reequip their inventories with a suitable jet-powered ground attack aircraft. In December 1953, NATO Supreme Command issued specifications for a new light tactical support aircraft. European manufacturers were invited to submit their designs for this requested Light Weight Strike Fighter role. The G.91 was designed to this specification by the Italian engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli, hence the "G" designation. The competition was intended to produce an aircraft that was light, small, expendable, equipped with basic weapons and avionics and capable of operating with minimal ground support. These specifications were developed for two reasons: the first was the nuclear threat to large air bases, many cheaper aircraft could be better dispersed, and the other was to counter the trend towards larger and more expensive aircraft.
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