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Fiat/Aeritalia

Aircraft  The Company
 
First
Flight
Model Military Number Name
1956 G.91    
Engines
First
Flight
Model Military Number Name
1914 A.10    
1936 A.74    
1955 BE.26   Orpheus1
1 under license from Bristel Siddeley
Founded in 1899, Fiat built its first aircraft engine in 1908 and formed SIA (Societa Italiana Aviazione) to produce aircraft in 1914.  By the end of World War I, Fiat had developed the A 14, the world's most powerful engine in production and merged SIA into the parent firm.

During the 1920s, large, powerful engines remained Fiat's forte.  The AS 6 of 1931 was comprised of two V-12s mounted in tandem driving a contra-rotating propeller.  Fiat also built successful aircraft during the 1920s and 30s including the CR.32 bi-plane fighter.

Except for a license built Daimler-Benz DB605, Fiat' engine division focused on radial engines during World War II.  After the war, Fiat entered the jet age by building U.S. and British aircraft and engines under license as well as light aircraft of their own design.

In 1969, Fiat's aircraft division joined IRI-Finmeccanica to form Aeritalia (later Alenia).  Fiat's engine division continued as a separate company and was renamed Fiat Aviazione in 1976 and simply Avio in 2003.

 
 Related Websites
 
Go to the Alenia website
Go to the Avio website
 

page updated 05 May 2007

 

 

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© Kenneth W Shanaberger 2000 - 2010