G.55 serie 1

G.55 serie 1

G.55 sottoserie 0

Re.2005 serie 0

G.55 serie 1

G.55 sottoserie 0

Re.2005 serie 0

Italy

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.0	4.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:46 000

Purchase:155 000

This page is about the Italian fighter G.55 serie 1. For other versions, see G.55 (Family).

Description

The G.55 Centauro serie 1 is a rank IV Italian fighter with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB), 5.0 (RB), and 4.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica".

General info

Flight performance

Adequate. This is the word that comes to mind when referring to the flight characteristics of the G.55. While not particularly good at anything, it isn't particularly bad at anything either, which makes it a solid jack-of-all-trades type plane. Overall, it is a smooth flyer that has decent acceleration, speed and climb rate while sporting a powerful triad of MG 151's which load the feared minengeschoß round that can tear through planes like a hot knife through butter. It excels the most in medium altitude (3-5 km) as a powerful energy-based dogfighter which can take advantage of its great engine power to defeat most allied fighters it comes across.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 6,500 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
622	605	10000	20.9	21.6	13.6	13.6	300
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 6,500 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
671	646	10000	19.1	20.0	20.5	16.7	300

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		460	~11	~5

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 400	< 420	< 450	> 715

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,700 m	1,260 hp	1,399 hp

Survivability and armour

• 50 mm bulletproof glass in the windshield
• 8 mm steel seat plating

Armaments

Offensive armament

The G.55 serie 1 is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, nose-mounted (250 rpg)
• 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, wing-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 600 total)

The two cannons are mounted in each wing. A single 20 mm cannon is mounted in the nose of the aircraft, firing through the propeller hub. The two machine guns are nose-mounted, positioned between the pilot and the engine of the aircraft. If fired continuously, the wing-mounted cannons will run out of ammunition before the nose-mounted cannon.

Do not use the Breda HMG's as a source of damage, as they have very poor ballistics beyond 300 meters. The pilot should use them as scouting weapons in order to line-up shots for the MG 151's to save ammunition, which isn't necessarily needed as the 151's have a large pool of ammunition, but it does help when trying to play more conservatively.

Suspended armament

The G.55 serie 1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg GP 50 bombs (100 kg total)
• 2 x 100 kg GP 100 bombs (200 kg total)

Usage in battles

The G.55's main strong points come down to its engine power, its light construction and its wing profile, which grant it a high sustained rate of climb, a tight turning circle and the power output to endure sustained horizontal manoeuvring. It performs best up to medium altitudes around 5,000 m (16,404 feet), after which it is generally outperformed by its competition. unfortunately, its light construction and its wing profile mean that when the Centauro goes into the vertical, it bleeds speed very easily. Its top speed in a dive is unimpressive and it can barely catch up in a zoom climb with its competitors. The armament is very effective as well, however, the MG 151 is not very accurate at range, which should be taken into account when engaging in head-on passes.

You should primarily enforce an energy fighting flying style to take advantage of the aircraft's descent energy retention and solid manoeuvrability, and also to try to cover the Centauro's weakness of mediocre speed. Try to stay above your enemy, but take care to recognize the threat your attacker poses by observing the plane they are flying.

Specific enemies worth noting

• Spitfire F Mk IX and Spitfire F Mk XIVe. These two Spitfire's are some of the most common enemies you will face, and accordingly, some of the most dangerous. The Mk IX has decent speed, amazing climb rate and a turn rate that'll embarrass zeroes, and the XIVe has excellent speed and acceleration, great energy retention and solid performance at high altitude. You should never engage a Spitfire in a turn-fight, so focus on Boom-&-Zoom to use your powerful armament to shred through their weak airframes.
• P-51D-30. The P-51D-30 is another enemy you should take note of. It is arguably one of the best 4.7/5.0 aircraft thanks to its excellent speed, great climb rate, relatively powerful armament and solid high-speed manoeuvrability due to its Laminar flow wings. The Packard V-1650 is basically a Merlin engine tuned for high altitude, and it can propel the D-30 to speeds the G.55 can only dream of. However, the D-30 has extremely poor manoeuvrability at low speeds due to the same Laminar flow wings that allow it to turn well at high speeds, so if you cannot engage one with an energy advantage you can turn-fight it.
• Yak-3P. The feared red Russian menace is an extremely dangerous opponent that can engage you on a more than even footing. It turns extremely well and has a solid climb rate while also sporting a relatively powerful set of 3 B-20 cannons, but its performance suffers above 3,000 m where its already mediocre speed becomes crippling. As long as you take care to not turn fight one and engage it above 4,000 m, it is not a threat.
• Late Bf 109's. While you cannot face one in realistic battles, arcade battles pose this threat. The G-2 and G-6 outclass you in every way, shape and form. Under no circumstances are you to engage these opponents, and if one forces a fight on you, seek assistance from teammates.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm	MCGP50
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 12 mm MGs
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm	MCSAP100
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good climb rate
• Exceptional low and mid-altitude performance
• Relatively robust airframe
• Good turn and roll rate
• Effective armament with a large ammunition pool
• Multi-role fighter which can carry bombs

Cons:

• Lack of armour means the pilot is more prone to being knocked out in a head-on pass
• Engine overheats quickly on WEP
• Roll and yaw are limited at high speeds
• Metal beams on canopy window obstruct the first-person view
• Very expensive repair cost for its rank

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• G.55 (Family): the other vehicles in this tree.

External links

• [Vehicle Profile] Fiat G.55 serie 1

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