FIAT

Today vanished into Alenia, this giant group had its origin in formation 1908 of Fiat car company subsidiary to produce aero engines. From 1914 SIA (Società Italiana Aviazione) made aircraft at own factory at Turin to own and licensed designs, most important being SIA.7B (573) and SIA.9B (62). In 1918 SIA was merged into parent, directly under founder Giovanni Agnelli, and Ansaldo designer Celestino Rosatelli began famed Fiat career by upgrading SIA.7B into Fiat R.2, followed 1926 by more powerful R.22. Rosatelli's bombers began with BR and BR.1-4, all large single-engined biplanes, and ended with about 600 BR.20 twin-engined monoplanes. His fighters were more successful, beginning with CR.1 of 1923 (109 Fiat, 40 OFM, 100 SIAI), and developing via CR.20 (over 670), CR.30 (176), CR.32 (1,212) and CR.42 (1,781) biplanes, and out-of-sequence CR.25 twin-engined monoplane of 1939 (10 only). Designer Giuseppe Gabrielli produced even more varied list, in numerical (not chronological) order including G.2 trimotor transport, G.5 aerobatic/tourer, G.8 trainer biplane, G.12 trimotor transport (104 built 1940-49), G.18 twin-engined airliner, G.46 trainer (about 310 1946-52), G.49 trainer, G.50 fighter (778, 428 by old CMASA works, 1937-42), G.55 Centauro fighter (274 1943-4), G.59 advanced trainer (171 1950-56), G.80 and 82 jet trainers and G.91 light attack aircraft (724 all versions 1956-72 including 282 by Dornier). Fiat was chief company in Italian production of 80 Vampires, 221 F-86K and 205 F-104G. In November 1969 Fiat Aviazione became chief element in new aerospace group Aeritalia.

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