The Fiat G.46 was a military trainer developed in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

shortly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Design and development

The G.46 was a conventional, low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

with

tailwheel undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynami ...

, the main units of which retracted inwards. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem under a long

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

.Vigna ''Air International'' July 1995, p. 40. The first prototype, powered by a

Alfa Romeo 115 The Alfa Romeo 115 was an Italian six-cylinder air-cooled inverted inline engine for aircraft use, mainly for training and light planes, based on the de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. Production totalled approximately 1,600 units. Derivatives of th ...

-I''bis'' engine, made its maiden flight on 25 June 1947.Vigna ''Air International'' July 1995, p. 36. Testing revealed excellent flying characteristics and suitability for

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

, and the type was ordered into production. Apart from the 150 ordered by the ''Aeronautica Militare'', 70 aircraft were exported, to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Variants

;G.46-1B :two-seater with

bis engine, one prototype and initial production of 25 for the Italian Air Force. ;G.46-2B :two-seater with

de Havilland Gipsy Queen The de Havilland Gipsy Queen is a British six-cylinder aero engine of capacity that was developed in 1936 by the de Havilland Engine Company. It was developed from the de Havilland Gipsy Six for military aircraft use. Produced between 1936 a ...

engine for the Argentine Air Force, 70 built with an additional 12 for the Syrian Air Force. ;G.46-3B :two-seater with Alfa Romeo 115ter engine for the Italian Air Force, 25 built. ;G.46-4B :two-seater with Alfa Romeo 115ter engine for the Italian Air Force, 55 built. ;G.46-5B :two-seat navigation trainer (prototype only) ;G.46-4A :single-seater with Alfa Romeo 115ter engine for the Italian Air Force, 35 built.

Operators

; *

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falklan ...

operated 70 Fiat G.46 ; *

Austrian Air Force The Austrian Air Force (german: Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte, , Austrian Air Combat Force) is a component part of the Austrian Armed Forces. History The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Al ...

operated five former Italian Air Force G-46Bs. ; *

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

operated 141 Fiat G.46 from 1949 until 1960 ; *

Syrian Air Force ) , mascot = , anniversaries = 16 October , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = * 1948 Arab-Israeli War * Six-Day War * Yom Kippur War ...

operated 12 G.46-2B aircraft.

Surviving aircraft

* An ex-Argentine Air Force aircraft is displayed at the

Museo Nacional de Aeronautica de Argentina Museo may refer to: * Museo, 2018 Mexican drama heist film *Museo (Naples Metro) Museo is a station on line 1 of the Naples Metro. It was opened on 5 April 2001 as the eastern terminus of the section of the line between Vanvitelli and Museo. O ...

. * An ex-Argentine Air Force aircraft is displayed at the Plaza de los Aviadores (Aviators Square) in

Ciudad Jardin Lomas del Palomar Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City Ciudad may also refer to: *La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona *La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico *''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970 *La Ciudad ''The City'' ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. * A flightworthy G-46-3B which has been converted to a single-seat aircraft is on display at the Frasca Air Museum in Champaign, Illinois. The aircraft was originally in the service of the Italian air force. * A G-46-3B is currently on display and undergoing restoration to airworthy at the

Military Aviation Museum The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to one of the world's largest collections of warbirds in flying condition. It includes examples from Germany, France, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, from ...

in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Specifications (G.46-4B)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

G.46 restoration project

Sounds of a G.46 during an air display
{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation G.046 Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 1940s Italian military trainer aircraft