G.50 AS serie 7 (Germany)
| This page is about the fighter G.50 AS serie 7 (Germany). For other versions, see G.50 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The ▀G.50 Freccia AS serie 7 is a gift rank I German fighter with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB/SB) and 1.7 (RB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27 in the German aviation tree. In Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica", the G.50, as well as the other Italian planes in the German tech tree, were moved to the new Italian tree, although it still exists in the German tree for those who unlocked it prior to Update 1.69.
The Fiat G.50 is the oldest of the Series 0 planes, its fellow stablemates are the M.C 200 and Re 2000, both built around the same 860 HP radial engine and having the same armament.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 451 | 435 | 8200 | 15.9 | 16.6 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 318 |
| Upgraded | 492 | 470 | 14.1 | 15.0 | 14.1 | 10.3 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 300 | 535 | 450 | 260 | ~13 | ~5 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 360 | < 270 | < 500 | > 300 |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The G.50 AS serie 7 (Germany) is armed with:
- 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)
Suspended armament
The G.50 AS serie 7 (Germany) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 2 x 50 kg GP 50 bombs (100 kg total)
Usage in battles
In general, it is a slightly worse version of the M.C 200, and as such, it very much flies the same, albeit a little bit slower. With its decent rate of climb, it's generally best to ensure you have proper altitude to play around with first. Generally for low tier planes like the G.50, 3,000 - 4,000 m is generally enough, from there, the way of flying should be dedicated by the situation and opponents. Its good acceleration in dives and respectable dive speeds means it can be used as a pure Boom and Zoomer, especially when you realise its energy retention is better than that of many other planes at its BR. However, it is a decent turn-fighter, barring the poor acceleration so it can be used as such as well. Be careful against regular biplanes and Japanese monoplanes, both of which are considerably better, bar high speeds, where the stiffness of controls on the G.50 are less than on either biplanes or Japanese planes.
The Fiat G.50 Freccia is a typical Italian pre-war design, it's fairly sturdy, has modest speed and poor armament consisting of 2 Breda SAFAT 12.7 mm guns mounted in the upper cowling, which means it has the distinctive low rate of fire (roughly 400 rounds per minutes). However it does have its merits as well, it's fairly agile, it has no trouble dogfighting Hurricanes it will commonly face, and if things become too hectic, the G.50 can quickly escape by going into a dive, and exploit its surprisingly good dive acceleration to gain separation. Furthermore, it pays to be aware of its modest acceleration and overheating, as such, it's generally advised to maintain an eye on your speed and use WEP sparingly.
For the armament, the same applies to all other Italian aircraft; generally, you want to use Tracers, Air targets or Stealth since they are the belts that deal the most damage. Shell velocity is low, hence they suffer above 300 m, so only fire at or below that range for best effects. Furthermore, much like the other Italian fighters, the armament is woefully inadequate to deal with bombers, hence it is best to avoid them entirely, or focus on taking out the engines. The only exceptions are the very early biplane bombers, such as the Swordfish, Po-2 and the likes.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good visibility from the cockpit
- Decent rate of climb
- Good acceleration in a dive
- High maximum dive speed
- Decent high-speed handling
- Good dogfighter
Cons:
- Modest armament
- Poor acceleration in level flight
- Overheating is an issue
- Guns deal very little damage at long range
- Modest speed
History
The Fiat G.50 "Freccia" ("Arrow") was the first Italian all-metal monoplane fighter to be adopted by the Regia Aeronautica. Development of the fighter began in 1936, at the request of the Italian Air Force, and ended with the creation of an easy-to-manage and extremely manoeuvrable interceptor. The "Arrow" used such modern technology as a constant-speed all-metal propeller and variable pitch, as well as retractable landing gear. The Fiat G.50 competed with a number of contemporary Italian designs like the Macchi C.200 "Saetta". It was a clear step above the CR.42 "Falco" biplane fighters that had equipped the Italian military at the time: the all-metal monoplane construction with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit gave it superior speed to the outdated Falco. The development process was complicated, however, and the G.50 underwent many revisions in response to changing specifications and design flaws uncovered by testing. For example, the enclosed cockpit was abandoned after the first production series. Though it arrived and began production earlier than the C.200, the overall performance of the Freccia was somewhat inferior, especially in terms of speed. The "Arrow" however, could not take advantage of the monoplane design because its engine was too weak (at 840 hp). The aircraft's limited armament was also a weakness - it had two synchronous large-calibre machine guns with 150 rounds of ammunition. It was retained since retooling the Fiat factories to produce Saettas would take too much time, effort, and resources. The basic G.50 was produced from 1937 to 1940. It saw considerable service during World War II, but due to the rapid pace of aircraft technological development, it was outdated even at the start of the war. The first series of 45 G.50s, production of which began in late 1937, had a closed cockpit, and while it provided relatively good visibility, the pilots were not very enthusiastic about it, so the second series of planes (200 aircraft) were built with an open cockpit. All in all, 833 G.50s were build (including all variants). The Fiat G.50's Slow speed, poor armament, limited range, and a complete lack of armour protection did it no favors. The Hawker Hurricane, itself not a cutting-edge fighter, at times outclassed the Freccias during their deployment in the Battle of Britain. The G.50 had somewhat more success in North Africa against British aircraft. They were eventually relegated to fighter-bomber roles, which they fulfilled well. Other users of the Freccia included the Independent State of Croatia and Finland. The latter used their G.50s to surprisingly good effect against the Soviet Union, but they were ill suited for the freezing northern climate and were held in lower regard than other foreign aircraft obtained by the Finnish Air Force.
The G.50 AS (Africa Sahariana) was a modified variant of the G.50 for use in desert conditions. It appears to have been based on the G.50 bis, an improved mark of the original G.50 that became the production standard from 1940 onwards. The -bis added a fuel tank to the rear fuselage behind the pilot, revised the aerodynamics of the rear fuselage and control surfaces slightly, and made the tail wheel retractable. This fixed the Freccia's issue with range, the flight time being extended to two hours, but performance was very similar. The issues with speed and firepower still remained and it was not quite a satisfactory fighter for 1940-1943. The changes specific to the AS were quite simple: a dust filter was installed on the engine air intake, bomb racks were installed, and the landing gear was tweaked again for better sand resistance. The filter was a very important addition since the G.50 had initially been deployed to Libya without any special modifications and the sand unsurprisingly took its toll on the aircraft. Engine life was still markedly reduced with the filters installed but the improvement was welcome. The bomb racks allowed the Freccia to attack ground targets, leaving most air-to-air combat to higher performing Macchi fighters like the C.202 "Folgore".
The G.50 was not the greatest of the wartime Italian fighters, being outperformed by most of its opponents, and its rival from Macchi was generally a better aircraft despite having the same engine and a superficially similar design. Its best combat experiences were in ground attack roles or in the hands of the Finnish, who had skilled pilots and largely fought against similarly outdated Soviet aircraft. The G.50 still deserves credit for being the first modern aircraft of its class to enter Italian service. And the Freccia's design heritage would eventually make its way to the Fiat G.55 "Centauro", a superb design deemed by the Luftwaffe as "the best fighter in the Axis" that arguably snatched the crown back from Macchi.
Besides Italy and Germany, the plane served in Finland, Croatia, and Spain as well.
In-game description
The G.50 Freccia ("Arrow") was the first Italian all-metal monoplane fighter, which, although clearly inferior to allied fighters of the time, was the best Italian fighter aircraft.
Development of the fighter began in 1936, at the request of the Italian Air Force, and ended with the creation of an easy-to-manage and extremely manoeuvrable interceptor. The "Arrow" used such modern technology as a constant-speed all-metal propeller and variable pitch, as well as retractable landing gear. The "Arrow" however, could not take advantage of the monoplane design because its engine was too weak (at 840 horsepower). The aircraft's limited armament was also a weakness - it had two synchronous large-calibre machine guns with 150 rounds of ammunition.
The first series of 45 G.50s, production of which began in late 1937, had a closed cockpit, and while it provided relatively good visibility, the pilots were not very enthusiastic about it, so the second series of planes (200 aircraft) were built with an open cockpit. All in all, 833 G.50s were build (including all variants).
Besides Italy, the plane served in Finland, Croatia, and Spain as well.
Media
- Skins
See also
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Fiat Aviation (Fiat Aviazione) | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | CR.32 · CR.32 bis · CR.32 quater |
| CR.42 · Marcolin's C.R.42 CN · ▀Marcolin's C.R.42 CN | |
| G.50 serie 2 · G.50 AS serie 7 | |
| G.55 sottoserie 0 · G.55 serie 1 · G.55S | |
| G.56 | |
| Jet fighters | G.91 pre-serie · G.91 R/1 · G.91 Y · G.91 YS |
| ▄F-86K* | |
| ▄F-104G* · F-104S* · F-104S.ASA* · ▄F-104S TAF* | |
| Strike aircraft | F.C.20 Bis |
| Bombers | B.R.20DR · B.R.20M M1 |
| Export/Captured | J11 · ▀CR.42 |
| ▀G.50 serie 2 · ▀G.50 AS serie 7 | |
| ◄G.91 R/3 · ◄G.91 R/4 · G.91 R/4 | |
| *Licensed | |
| See also | North American Aviation · Lockheed Martin |
| Germany fighters | |
|---|---|
| Heinkel | |
| He 51 | He 51 A-1 · He 51 B-1 · He 51 B-2/H · He 51 C-1 · He 51 C-1/L |
| He 100 | He 100 D-1 |
| He 112 | He 112 A-0 · He 112 B-0 · He 112 B-1/U2 · He 112 B-2/U2 · He 112 V-5 |
| Messerschmitt | |
| Bf 109 (Jumo) | Flegel's Bf 109 A · Bf 109 B-1 · Bf 109 C-1 · Bf 109 C-1 |
| Bf 109 (DB-601) | Bf 109 E-1 · Bf 109 E-3 · Bf 109 E-4 · Bf 109 E-7/U2 · Bf 109 F-1 · Bf 109 F-2 · Bf 109 F-4 · Bf 109 F-4/trop |
| Bf 109 (DB-605) | Bf 109 G-2/trop · Bf 109 G-2 · Bf 109 G-6 · Bf 109 G-10 · Bf 109 G-14 · Bf 109 K-4 |
| Focke-Wulf | |
| Fw 190 (early) | Fw 190 A-1 · Fw 190 A-4 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5/U2 · Fw 190 A-5/U14 · Fw 190 A-8 · Fw 190 C |
| Fw 190 (late) | Fw 190 D-9 · Fw 190 D-12 · Fw 190 D-13 |
| Ta 152 | Ta 152 C-3 · Ta 152 H-1 |
| Blohm & Voss | |
| BV 155 | BV 155 B-1 |
| Captured: | |
| USA | ▀P-47D-16-RE · ▀P-47D |
| USSR | ▀La-5FN · ▀Yak-1B |
| Britain | ▀Tempest Mk V |
| Italy | |
| CR.42 | ▀CR.42 · ▀Marcolin's C.R.42 CN |
| G.50 | ▀G.50 serie 2 · ▀G.50 AS serie 7 |
| C.200 | ▀C. 200 serie 3 · ▀C. 200 serie 7 |
| C.202 | ▀C. 202 |
| Finland | ▀Hawk H-75A-2 |
