AMX Ghibli

Single-engine light attack and reconnaissance jet jointly developed by Italy's Aermacchi/Aeritalia (now Leonardo) and Brazil's Embraer to replace the G91 and F-104. It served as the backbone of the Italian Air Force's ground-attack fleet before retirement in favor of the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35.

In service since 1989 · 2 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

903

km/h

1,852

km range

13,000

m ceiling

3,800

kg payload

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Italian export-licensed

UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 2 operators

In service since 1989. Status: legacy · ~200 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

AIM-9 Sidewinder

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 903 km/h

Bottom 3% of fighters
Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 0.86 Mach

Bottom 1% of fighters
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 1,852 km

Stronger than 14% of fighters
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 13,000 m

Bottom 3% of fighters

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 1× 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon (Italian variant)
Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.: 5

Bottom 1% of fighters
Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.: 3,800 kg

Stronger than 13% of fighters

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 13.23 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.: 8.87 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 4.55 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 6,700 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 12,750 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 1

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: 1× Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 807 turbofan
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.: 1
Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).: 49 kN

Bottom 6% of fighters
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turbofan

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 200

Stronger than 47% of fighters
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 2

Stronger than 50% of fighters

Specifications compiled from public Leonardo and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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