Beyond its similarities to the American T-33, the G-2 also seems to have been influenced by the Italian Aermacchi MB-326 and British BAC "Jet Provost".
In service, the series was led by the initial G-2A production model, the standard two-seat advanced jet trainer that could double as a light attack platform. The export version of this mark became the G-2A-E and this model was shipped off to both Libya and Zambia in different numbers. The G-2S existed as an unarmed trainer.
With the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1992, the remaining stock of G-2 aircraft fell to the newly-created nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
The G-3 "Galeb-3" was a proposed variant of the G-2A-E powered by a Rolls-Royce / Bristol Siddeley Viper Mk 532 turbojet engine. In addition to the powerplant fit, the aircraft carried wing tip-mounted camera units and an all-modern cockpit. Power was increased to the point that the weapons load-out was now doubled from the original capability and JATO (Jet-Assisted Take-Off) support provided improved short-field operations. However, this model did not proceed beyond the prototype stage - a first-flight being recorded on August 19th, 1970.
The J-1 "Jastreb" ("Hawk") became a single-seat ground attack development of the G-2, given a heftier powerplant, additional hardpoints and reinforced understructure. The RJ-1 became a dedicated reconnaissance variant of the J-1 line.
The G-2 (and the J-1) saw combat service in the Yugoslavian Civil War of the 1990s and, while the G-2 lives on today (2016) in limited service with modern-day Serbia, Libya operated its G-2s as recently as the 2011 Libyan Civil War as government forces attempted to quell unrest in the unstable east. Their usefulness decreased considerably once a NATO-directed No-Fly Zone was instituted. At least five were reported captured by Free Libyan forces during February of 2011.
The G-2 line was superseded by the SOKO G-4 "Super Galeb" which first flew in July of 1978 and was introduced in 1983. Eighty-five of the type were produced from 1984 until 1991. its primary use remains the Serbian Air Force.
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