IAR-80
| IAR-80 / IAR-81 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
April 1939 |
| Commissioning: |
1940 |
| Production time: |
1940-1944 |
| Number of pieces: |
436 |
The IAR-80 was a Romanian single-engine fighter aircraft from World War II . There was also a version of a dive bomb aircraft called IAR-81 .
history
The designer Ion Grosu based the development on the Polish PZL P.24 fighter , which was built under license in Romania . From this he took over the rear end and the engine suspension. A noticeable feature was the use of a not very contemporary tail spur , which was also retained in the later series. The wings were cantilevered on the fuselage in a low wing configuration. The landing gear was retractable and had a large track width. A radial engine K.14-III served as the drive .
In April 1939 the IAR-80 went into testing with the pilot Dumitru Popescu, production began in the spring of 1940. Compared to the prototype, the series specimens were given a cantilever horizontal stabilizer, a rear-sliding cockpit hood and a more powerful K.14-1000A engine. Several versions were created, which differed from each other mainly by the different armament. The dive bomber IAR-81 had four suspensions for 50 kg bombs under the wings and one under the fuselage for a 225 kg bomb and had been reinforced overall. A total of 436 units had been built by 1944.
The IAR-80/81 was used in the war against the Soviet Union . In 1942 four squadrons (squadrons) fighting in Ukraine were equipped with the type. From 1943 onwards all aircraft were withdrawn from the front and used to protect the Romanian Ploieşti oil fields from Allied air raids. It was here that their most successful and best-known operation took place on June 10, 1944, when 46 P-38 Lightning of the 82nd Fighter Group, escorted by a further 48 P-38 of the First Fighter Group, attacked the Ploieşti oil fields and was attacked by 56 IAR-80 / 81 were intercepted. With five Romanian casualties, 23 of the American planes were shot down. After the war, the new socialist government took over the still existing IAR-80s and 81s. These received a second cockpit and dual controls and were used for pilot training until the early 1950s.
variants
| designation | features |
| IAR-80 | First serial lot, equipped with four 7.92 mm MG Browning FN in the wings. |
| IAR-80A | Version with six Browning MG 7.92 mm in the wings. 90 pieces were built |
| IAR-80B | Variant with four 7.92 mm and two 13.2 mm Browning machine guns; produced in 30 copies. |
| IAR-81 | First series production as a dive bomber with six 7.92 mm Browning machine guns in the wings, an external fuselage suspension for a 225 kg bomb and four underwing stations each for a 50 kg bomb. 50 pieces were produced. |
| IAR-81A | Version with four 7.92 mm and two 13.2 mm machine guns as well as the external suspensions as with the IAR-81. |
| IAR-81B | More heavily armed version with four 7.92 mm MG and two 20 mm MG FF cannons. To increase the range, two drop-off fuel tanks could be carried under the wings. 50 aircraft were produced. |
| IAR-81C | Dive combat variant with four 7.92 mm machine guns, two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and bomb load like the IAR-80, about 137 pieces built. |
| IAR-80DC | After the end of the war IAR-80/81 converted with a second cabin and double control. |
Military users
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (IAR-80) |
|---|---|
| constructor | Ion Grossu |
| crew | 1 |
| length | 8.90 m |
| span | 10.50 m |
| height | 3.60 m |
| Wing area | 15.97 m² |
| Empty mass | 1780 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 2550 kg |
| Top speed | 550 km / h at an altitude of 3970 m |
| Service ceiling | 10,500 m |
| Range | 940 km |
| Engines | an air-cooled 14-cylinder double radial engine IAR K.14-1000A |
| power | 764 kW (1025 hp) |
| Armament | 4–6 machine guns or cannons (see variants) |
| Drop ammunition | up to 425 kg bombs (see variants) |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Williams, Air Vice-Marshal Graham Charles, (born June 4, 1937), Director, Lockheed Martin UK (formerly Loral International Inc., then Lockheed Martin International), 1993-2004; Commandant General, RAF Regiment and Director General of Security (RAF), 1990–91 . In: Who's Who . Oxford University Press, December 1, 2007, doi : 10.1093 / ww / 9780199540884.013.39982 .