| G.55 Centauro | |
|---|---|
 The second prototype G.55, MM 492, in Regia Aeronautica markings | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Fiat Aviazione |
| Designer | |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Regia Aeronautica |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 274 (wartime), 75 (postwar)[1] |
| Introduction date | 1943 |
| First flight | 30 April 1942 |
| Retired | 1950s |
The Fiat G.55 Centauro (Italian: "Centaur") was a single-engine single-seat World War II fighter aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica and the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana in 1943–1945. It was designed and built in Turin by Fiat. The Fiat G.55 was arguably the best type produced in Italy during World War II,[2] (a subjective claim also frequently made for the Macchi C.205 Veltro as well as for the Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario) but it did not enter production until 1943,[3] when, after comparative tests against the Messerschmitt Bf 109G and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Luftwaffe itself regarded the Fiat G.55 as "the best Axis fighter".[4]
During its short operational service, mostly under the Repubblica Sociale Italiana insignia, after the 8 September 1943 armistice, this powerful, robust and fast aircraft proved itself to be an excellent interceptor at high altitude. In 1944, over Northern Italy, the Centauro clashed with British Supermarine Spitfire, P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning, proving to be no easy adversary.[5] Italian fighter pilots liked their Centauro but by the time the war ended, fewer than 300 had been built.[2] By comparison, the Germans produced 35,000 Bf 109s.[6]