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IAR 80
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| Plane type & model | Monoplane fighter (IAR.80) | 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.24es 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. 80s 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. 80s into a two-seat trainer version, the I.A.R. 80 D.C., in the Pipera Industrial Complex. The trainer retained the originals 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. 80s 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 couldnt find, and now an I.A.R. 80 is proudly on display at the National Military Museum in Bucharest, see the picture below. Infos took from http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/farmer/120/iar.html |
| Length | 8.9 m ; 29.28 Ft | |
| Height | 3.6 m ; 11.84 Ft | |
| Wingspan | 10.7 m ; 35.2 Ft | |
| Wing Area | 16 sq m ; 19.14 sq Yds | |
| Engine | 1 IAR K14-IV C32 air-cooled 14 cylinder double-row radial (960 CV) | |
| Weapons | 4 FN (Browning) 7.92mm | |
| Empty Weight | 1780 Kg ; 3929 Lbs | |
| Max Weight | 2250 Kg ; 4967 Lbs | |
| Top Speed | 510 Km/h ; 317 MpH | |
| Ceiling | 10500 m ; 34539.47 ft | |
| Range | 940 Km ; 584 mi | |
| First flight | 1938 | |
| N° built | 340 | |
| Versions built | 9 | |
| Used by n° countries | 2 | |
| Crew | 1 | |
| Discuss of IAR 80 ON THE FORUM! |
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Date Added: 6/3/2002 | Last change: 6/3/2002 |
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