Romanian IAR-80
History
The I.A.R. 80 was Romania's best indigenously produced fighter of World War Two. First test flown in late 1938 or early 1939 by pilot Dimitru "Pufi" Popescu, it entered service in 1942 and remained in front-line use until 1944.
The manufacturer was Industria Aeronautica Romana {I.A.R.}, based in Brasov in central Romania. Formed in 1925 under state control, the firm drew upon the experience of licence-building many aircraft and engines including the Potez 25, Moraine-Saulnier 35, Fleet 10-G, and a pair of Polish PZL fighters, the PZL P.11 and P.24. The I.A.R. 80 shared the PZL P.24e's tail, rear fuselage and engine design, the rest was all-new. Work began on the I.A.R. 80 in late 1937, the open cockpit prototype was fitted with the 940 hp. I.A.R. K14-III C36 engine which was similar to the Gnome-Rhone 14K Mistral Major. After the initial flight trials the more powerful I.A.R. K14-1000a powerplant was installed and the wing span, area and length were slightly increased.
The I.A.R. 80's flying characteristics were reported to be excellent, highly maneuverable with heavy firepower. A pressurized cockpit was provided and there were several variants, the I.A.R. 81 was a dive-bomber and long-range fighter. Production ceased in January 1943. The I.A.R. factory in Brasov was heavily damaged by Allied bombers in April-May 1944. In 1950 the Aircraft Repairing Shops {ARMV} in Bucharest remanufactured a number of I.A.R. 80's into a two-seat trainer version, the I.A.R. 80 D.C., in the Pipera Industrial Complex. The trainer retained the original's excellent aerodynamic qualities.
The fighter was deployed on home defence in the Bucharest and Ploesti areas as well as in the attack role on the Eastern front during 1942-3. It was sometimes mistaken by Allied pilots for the Focke-Wulf Fw-190.
A number of I.A.R. 80's were scrambled against the well-publicized USAAF mission to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania on 1 August 1943. The B-24s of Ninth Bomber Command took very heavy losses from flak, fighters {Bf-109s and I.A.R. 80s} and navigational errors. The Ploesti raids of July 9 and 15, 1944 were met by about 25 I.A.R.80 sorties.
After World War Tzwo, the Russians shipped home the entire I.A.R. factory and all aircraft from Brasov, as "war reparations". There was even a joke around, at that time: Do you know the Principle of Lavoisiev? Nothing is lost, everything is transported.
Sometime in the mid-eighties, a group of enthusiasts in Brasov dug up every original part they could find, built what they couldn't find, and now an I.A.R. 80 is proudly on display at the National Military Museum in Bucharest, see the picture below.
Specifications
Engine K14-1000a 14 cylinder air-cooled double-row radial, rated at 1000 hp.
Powerplant similar in design to Gnome-Rhone.
Construction Cantilever low-winged monoplane with semi-monocoque rear fuselage and welded steel tube forward and center sections.
Maximum Speed 317 MPH {510 KmH} at 13,000 ft. {4000m}
Climb to 1000m 1 minute 20 seconds
Climb to 4000m 5 minutes 40 seconds
Range 940 km
Dimensions Wingspan: Given as 10-10.7m {32 ft 1 in}
Length: 8.9m {32 ft}
Height: 3.6m {11ft 10in}
Wing Area: 16 square meters
Weight Unloaded: 1780kg
Loaded: 2250 kg {5040 lb}
Armament IAR-80: 4 to 6 Browning FN 7.92mm Machine Guns, or 4 Browning FN 7.92mm Machine Guns and 2 Browning FN 13.2mm Machine Guns.
IAR-81: 6 Browning FN 7.92mm Machine Guns or 4 Brownings and 2 Mauser {or Ikaria} 20mm Cannons.
Ceiling 10500m {34500 ft}
Variants IAR-80 4 FN 7.92 guns in wings-50 built
IAR-80a 6 FN 7.92 guns-90 built
IAR-80b 4 FN 7.92 guns, 2 13.2mm cannon, new radio gea-31 built
IAR-81 6 FN 7.92 guns, 1 250kg {550 lb} C/L 4 50 kg. {110 lb} U/L-50 built
IAR-81b 2 20mm Oerlikon {MG FF}, 4 FN 7.92 2 drop tanks-50 built
IAR-81c 4 FN 7.92 guns, 2 20mm. Mauser MG 151 wing hard points-38 built
IAR-80 D.C. Two-seat trainer, used until 1952
Number Built 170 80's
176 81's
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