In the aftermath of the
Second World War, several parties was keen for Italy to enter the
jet age and to revitalise its aircraft industry. In particular, the
Aeronautica Militare had an acknowledged need for a new
jet trainer for the instruction of its pilots on modern aircraft. One of Italy's traditional aircraft manufacturers,
Fiat, was also seeking to reassert itself in the field, and thus decided to embark on the design of an indigenous twin-seat jet aircraft suitable for the trainer role, designated
G.80. The company's design team produced an aircraft that featured all‐metal construction, a tandem seating configuration, and was equipped with a
pressurised cabin, a
swept wing, and retractable
tricycle landing gear. The powerplant selected was a single British-sourced
de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. A pair of
prototypes were built, which were eventually followed by three preproduction aircraft. On 9 December 1951, the first prototype G.80 performed its
maiden flight, during the subsequent flight test programme, it demonstrated the ability to attain speeds of up to 522 MPH. While the interest of the
Aeronautica Militare was such that a formal evaluation of the G.80 was conducted, it ultimately determined that the aircraft was unsuitable for their requirements; specifically, it was found to be underpowered and heavier than competing international aircraft such as the
Fokker S.14 Machtrainer. Another variant, the
G.84, was also envisioned that was to have been powered by a single
Allison J35 engine. The few aircraft produced were used by the
Aeronautica Militare, albeit largely for testing purposes. The G.82s were used for several years by the military training school at
Amendola before being transferred to the
Reparto Sperimentale Volo ("Department of Experimental Flight") during 1957. ==Variants==