I.A.R. 80

1939

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I.A.R. 80

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.

I.A.R. 80

Specification 
 MODELI.A.R.80C
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight2980 kg6570 lb
  Loaded weight2200 kg4850 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan11.00 m36 ft 1 in
  Length8.97 m29 ft 5 in
  Height3.52 m12 ft 7 in
  Wing area16.50 m2177.60 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed550 km/h342 mph

3-View 
I.A.R. 80A three-view drawing (1280 x 958)

Comments
sven, 25.12.2015 22:45

Gabriel, amazing we have similar traditions in England which aim to destroy the entire aircraft industry. We are almost there.. Happy Christmas.

reply

Gabriel Galateanul, e-mail, 24.12.2015 21:39

Unfortunately all those good looking airplanes were scrapped after the war in a ''good'' romanian tradition to destroy our history. During the WW2 existed some attempts for further developing but because of the high level of coruption (another romanian ''tradition'') those attempts remained on paper.

reply

sven, 29.09.2015 22:58

That is a good looking aeroplane. Any one know of any survivors?

reply

Heldmyer, e-mail, 04.08.2010 04:49

Spectacular plane! Love the canopy.

reply

Dragos Manuel, e-mail, 21.08.2008 14:18

The Romanian wright spelling of FARR is Fortele Aeriene Regale ale Romaniei, and PRR (People Republic of Romania) is Republica Populara Romana.
IAR 80 have a max. speed of 510 Km /h, latter versions didn't achieve 500 km /h because of the heavy weight and the poor performance of the engine

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