I.A.R. 801939 |
FIGHTER | Virtual Aircraft Museum / Romania / I.A.R. |
Designed as a successor to the licence-built P.Z.L. P.24E by a team comprising Ion Grosu, Ion Cosereanu, Gheorghe Zotta and Gheorghe Vallner, the I.A.R.80 single-seat fighter was flown in April 1939. The prototype was powered by a 900hp I.A.R.-K 14-II C32 14- cylinder air-cooled radial based on the Gnome-Rhone 14K Mistral-Major and its armament consisted of two wing-mounted 7.92mm FN-Browning guns. The series-production I.A.R.80 appeared in the spring of 1940, and featured a 52cm increase in wing span, a 74cm increase in fuselage length, greater fuel capacity, an aft-sliding cockpit canopy, an armament of four 7.92mm guns and a 930hp I.A.R.-K 14-III C36 engine. The series model also discarded the tailplane bracing struts featured by the prototype. The I.A.R.80 achieved operational capability on 14 January 1941 with Flotilla 2 Vinatoare of the Royal Air Forces of Romania (Fortelor Aeriene Regal ale Romania), or FARR. The 50th and last of the initial series was fitted with an extra pair of guns, this six-gun armament being standardised for subsequent aircraft, which were designated I.A.R.80As, these also having racks for two 50kg bombs and being powered by the 1,025hp I.A.R.-K 14-1000A engine. Ninety I.A.R.80As were followed by 50 I.A.R.80Bs, with an armament of four 7.92mm and two 13.2mm guns, the 21st and subsequent aircraft of this batch having a further increase in wing span of 48cm and provision for underwing drop tanks. Manufacture of the pure fighter version of the basic design was completed with 50 I.A.R.80Cs - originally laid down as I.A.R.81Bs, which see - with 20mm Ikaria cannon replacing the 13.2mm weapons and reintroducing the tailplane bracing struts. A small number of I.A.R.80s remained in Romanian service until late 1949, after which survivors with the lowest hours were rebuilt as I.A.R.80DC tandem-seat dual-control advanced trainers.
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