G.91 R/3 (Germany)

◄G.91 R/3

Ho 229 V3

Alpha Jet A

◄G.91 R/3

Ho 229 V3

Alpha Jet A

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	8.7	9.0

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:135 000

Purchase:380 000

This page is about the Italian jet fighter G.91 R/3 (Germany). For other versions, see G.91 (Family).

Description

The ◄G.91 R/3 nicknamed "Gina" is a rank VI German jet fighter with a battle rating of 9.0 (AB/SB) and 8.7 (RB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

A mid 50's Trans-sonic fighter ( < Mach 0.90) with ground attack abilities. Very manoeuvrable, great acceleration and heavy offensive armament make the G.91 an excellent Tier V aircraft. Unlocked after the Horten 229 the player should already be well acquainted with the appropriate play style for the Gina, being an all-around upgrade to the Flying Wing Flying in fierce competition in the sky, it will face every sub- and trans-sonic aircraft and while being a mid to top tier performance-wise.

There are little changes between the Pre-serie, R/1, R/3 and the R/4, and this guide can be considered universal for all listed aircraft.

General info

Flight Performance

The G.91 was intended to replace the F-86A Sabre in German, Portuguese and Italian service and it shows. With an empty weight of only 3,100 kg (6,800 lbs) and a takeoff weight of 5,500 kg (12,100 lbs) the Gina is in the weight class as the P-51D and MiG-9, yet severely lighter than most other jets and losing about one and a half tonnes compared to the Sabre A. Although only outputting a meagre 22 kN of thrust this first look disadvantage is literally outweighed by the high thrust to weight ratio of 0.73 empty (0.41 full). This makes the Gina an excellent dogfighter as jet fighters maintain both their top speed, climb and sustained turn-rate by their engine power rather than other flight characteristics. It can easily reach its own terminal speed (1,011 km/h, 921 f/s) and self-destruct in level flight.

Lacking in straight wings and leading wing slats the stall speed for the G.91 is quite higher than the low weight lets one assume. One should hence be wary of many older jet types with said features, as after bleeding too much speed they can easily outmanoeuvre the Gina. With added payload, this becomes even more obvious and cautious flying is advised when fitted as a ground attacker.

Starting with 20 min of fuel, gaining the climb speed of 800 km/h IAS (sustainable @ 7-8°; 730 f/s) takes a mere ~80 seconds with 20 predicated for taking off at 230 km/h or 210 f/s IAS. An Immelmann at 800 km/h will gain 1,000 m and loose 300 km/h. A hard 180° turn at the same speed takes >100 km/h and may lose up to 60 m.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
1,065	1,042	11000	27.6	28.1	31.5	30	850
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
1,097	1,084	11000	24.6	26.0	47.6	39	850

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		620	~10	~4

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 800	< 650	< 660	N/A

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
0 m	2,190 kgf	2,212 kgf

Survivability and armour

At its tier, there is little which cannot hurt the G.91. This is mostly due to the large calibres and fast-firing weapons found in the jet age, although the Gina does not help this issue. The armour is enough to withstand the occasional tank LMG fire but otherwise will only protect the pilot from shrapnel damage. Even though the centerline arrangement of all components proves to be quite survivable in combat, it does NOT lend itself for head-ons or prolonged chases. The former only leads to functional aircraft with a dead pilot and the latter to the reverse, which was in all likelihood the intended design in real life.

• 6.5 mm Steel - Behind, below and in front of the pilot
• 6.5 mm Steel - under central fuel tanks.
• 40 mm bulletproof glass - Armored windshield
• Critical components located down the midline of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
• Fuel tanks located in the central fuselage.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The DEFA 552 is an excellent Revolver cannon for jet to jet combat. With high velocity, devastating high-explosive rounds and fast firing rate it can easily hit even extreme deflection or long-range pursuit shots. The only downside is the low ammo count of 125 rounds per cannon and thus having to resort to very short burst fires.

The G.91 R/3 (Germany) is armed with:

• 2 x 30 mm DEFA 552 cannons, nose-mounted (125 rpg = 250 total)

Suspended armament

Featuring a wide range of ordnance the G.91 R/3 can be equipped for any role from ground to air combat, though it prefers air superiority.

The G.91 R/3 (Germany) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 4 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs (1,000 lb total)
• 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (1,000 lb total)
• 4 x AS-20 Air-Surface Missile
• 4 x AA-20 Air-Ground Missile
• 38 x SNEB Type 23 rockets

For air-to-ground purposes, the G.91 R/3 is similar to the G.91 pre-serie and G.91 R/1, both its predecessors, in loadout options sharing the same FFAR Mighty Mouse rocket option as well as the choice of a pair of 500 lb bombs. However, the R/3 has an additional and unique option; the AS-20 Nord air-to-ground missile, with a reasonable penetration value (83 mm RHAe) but incredible warhead size of (just under) 30 kilograms of TNT. Skilled use of the missile can allow for a more accurate fire at longer ranges especially versus more dangerous vehicles like self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

Usage in battles

Air superiority is the combat objective for the G.91 Gina, anything else is secondary. In team games lure enemy fighters into extensive and excessive dogfights to allow your heavier and less nimble allies to Boom and Zoom or Boom and Run from them. With their great thrust to weight ratio, the G.91 can maintain their energy superiority and in emergencies (such as non-existant teamplay) to disengage. Alternatively, standard Boom & Zoom is considerable choice. Again the great acceleration allows for more energy-expensive manoeuvres and still disengage without much worry from the target. Such follies would be deadly in many other fighters, but the Gina is hence quite forgiving. In fact too forgiving, new pilots to the jet age need to lose old habits and the G.91 does not force one's hand.

Against bombers and ground attack craft the G.91 lacks the firepower and it will take considerable ammo use to compensate for this. The measly protection against defensive fire makes this a dangerous task anyway and should thusly be left for better-equipped allies.

The very same can be said for ground attacks. While being able to mount air-to-ground ordnance, the payload yield is minuscule. The FFAR pods are the only worthwhile consideration but run against the G.91's intended role of Air Superiority Fighter.

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Compressor		Offensive 30 mm	FSBC mk.5
II	New boosters		Airframe		FMBC mk.1
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 30 mm cannons	Nord AS.20
IV	G-suit		Cover		Matra SNEB

A focus should be done on the engine modules, as the G.91 lives by its T/W ratio. New boosters is a double-edged sword, as without the G-Suit one is just blackout earlier. This oddly makes the Bomb unlock a tantalizing choice, especially in already won matches for farming on ground units before the game ends. Airframe and cover do little, the weight savings are very minor and without them, the G.91 can still easily reach top speeds and rip off its wings.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Exceptional manoeuvrability, with very high roll and turn rates
• Effective suspended armament choices for ground strike
• Access to the AS-20 Nord air-to-ground missile that can destroy any tank
• Two 30 mm DEFA cannons available
• Can carry 4 x AS-20 Nord missiles unlike most other jet fighters which only can carry two
• Small burst of 30 mm cannons is enough to fully destroy a plane especially in the head-on situations
• Has access to drag chute, its very effective for losing speed when landing on the small airfields
• The 30 mm cannons have very good penetration can destroy light tanks through the hull and other main battle tanks through the roof

Cons:

• Slower than most of its contemporaries
• Very fragile airframe
• Poor energy retention
• Fairly low ammo count for the guns means that you need to be conservative with your ammo
• Wing snaps off when sharply turning at speeds above 700 km/h

History

The G.91 Small Sabre entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1962 after winning the 1953 NATO light tactical support aircraft competition. This competition had called for a fighter which could carry 452 kg of ordnance, patrol a combat radius of 180 km assuming 10 mins over the target, average cruising speed of at least 705 km/h and Mach 0.95 capability. It also had to be fully operational on grass or other types of unprepared runways, with a take-off distance of 1,100 m. The R/3 was the Luftwaffe's version of the G.91, but with more powerful armament, two wing points for suspended ordnance and better avionics than the Italian Air Force's R/1s. Fifty R/3s were built in Italy starting in 1959 and another 294 were license-built in West Germany. The Luftwaffe also received another 50 of the very similar R/4 aircraft after orders for Greece and Turkey fell through. The Luftwaffe also had 66 T-3 two-seat trainer models built of which twenty-two were built in Germany.

Media

"Fun And Frustrating /// G.91 R/3 War Thunder 1.91 Review" by DEFYN

"Fiat G91R/3 - A Better Version of the Same Bird" by WhooptieDo

• [https://live.warthunder.com/post/794191/en/ Skin: Fiat G.91R/3 99+03 of the German Luftwaffe serving in the JABOG 33 - by

_Invincible]

• [https://live.warthunder.com/post/859462/en/ Skin: Historical G.91 R/3 32+92 of the Waffenschule der Luftwaffe 50 (WaSLw50), 1968 by

Magicool]

See also

• F-86A-5 Sabre - combat role predecessor
• La-15 and Yak-30 - similar flight style
• G.91 (Family)

External links

• WT Forum: Fiat G.91 discussion thread
• en.wikipedia entry