Fiat G.50 Freccia

G.50 Freccia
A Regia Aeronautica G.50 flying with a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 110 over North Africa in 1941
Role	Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer	Fiat
Designer	Giuseppe Gabrielli
First flight	26 February 1937
Introduction	1938
Retired	1946 Finnish Air Force
Status	Retired
Primary users	Regia Aeronautica Finnish Air Force Ejército del Aire Luftwaffe
Produced	1935–1943
Number built	683 + 5 prototypes
Variants	Fiat G.55

The Fiat G.50 Freccia ("Arrow") was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by aviation company Fiat. Upon entering service, the type became Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane that featured an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage to go into production.

On 26 February 1937, the G.50 conducted its maiden flight. During early 1938, the Freccias served in the Regia Aeronautica (the Italian Air Force), and with its expeditionary arm, the Aviazione Legionaria, in Spain, where they proved to be relatively fast, and, as with most contemporary Italian designs, very manoeuvrable in comparison to its adversaries in the theatre.

However, during its subsequent use in the early stages of the Second World War, it was determined that the G.50 possessed inadequate armaments, comprising a pair of Breda-SAFAT 12.7-mm machine guns. Nonetheless, the fighter was extensively used on various fronts by Italy, including in Northern Europe, North Africa, the Balkans, and the Italian mainland. The G.50 commonly came up against the British Hawker Hurricane, which was fast enough to frequently outrun and outrange the fighter. Improved later-built models of the fighter introduced various improvements, including the substantial increase of its range.

In addition to its service with the Regia Aeronautica and Aviazione Legionaria, the G.50 was also exported to several overseas customers. The type was operated in small numbers by the Croatian Air Force while 35 G.50 fighters were shipped to Finland, where they served with distinction during both the Winter War of 1940 and the Continuation War of 1941–1944 with the neighbouring Soviet Union. During its Finnish service, the type reportedly achieved an unprecedented kill/loss ratio of 33/1.

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