IAR-80

IAR-80

Industria Aeronautica Românã (IAR)


	IAR-80 Low wing monoplane fighter with conventional control surface layout.
	FS2002/2004
	JRLucariny FSDS V2.24 Model
	Download/DonationWare
	Jan/2005

The history of WWII aviation is dominated almost entirely by the aircraft of five countries, the USA, England, Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union. Although small numbers of other designs saw combat, the majority of these were poor performers and saw little action. The Romanian IAR.80 is an exception to the rule.

When it was introduced it could outperform many contemporary fighters, and even beat out advanced German designs in head to head competition. It went on to form the backbone of the Romanian fighter groups for a number of years and would score a number of surprising and important victories over the USAAF.

Basic specifications
Company: Industria Aeronautica Românã (IAR)
Designer: Ion Grosu
Year: 1938
Type: Day fighter
Crew: 1, pilot
Description: Low wing monoplane fighter with conventional control surface layout.
Fuselage: The fuselage is circular in cross section, turning to egg shaped behind the cockpit where it incorporates a ridge-back. The general fuselage layout bears a very strong resemblance to the F4U.
Wings: The wings are basically rectangular, the trailing edge tapers very slightly towards the front.

Surprisingly small flaps run from the fuselage to a point about 1/3rd along the span, where oversized ailerons start and run out to the rounded caps on the wingtips.
Other details: The canopy is a bubble type, very similar to the F4U or Malcom hook with the center "bubble" sliding to the rear. The radial engine and wing are near the front of the plane but the cockpit is seemingly far to the rear, over 1/2 of the way back from the front of the plane. Tail-dragger landing gear were used, with the main gear wide-set and retracting inward, and the tail "gear" being a simple skid that did not retract.

Background
At the end of WWI Romania had been granted large tracts of land as a "reward" for siding with the allies. The lands were taken as penalties from surrounding countries, so they instantly made enemies of the USSR, Bulgaria and Hungary. Throughout the 1920's and 30's Romania entered a number of alliances with nearby nations who were in a similar situation, notably Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. They were interested in blocking any changes to the Versailles treaty, which could eventually lead the loss of the land grants.
As a result of the land grants, Romania was literally surrounded by hostile nations. Military issues were an important aspect of the country's planning, and a strong effort was made to develop an indigenous aviation industry because of the poor results they had in attempting to purchase advanced equipment from other nations.

In 1930 the Romanian government issued specifications for a new fighter. Although the government did not expect bids from its own aircraft industry, IAR produced several prototype fighters in response to the tender. None of the other Romanian companies entered a bid, and as the industry was rife with corruption, the government nationalized IAR while the other two companies were left to their own devices.
However the contract was eventually won by the Polish Panstwowe Zaclady Lotnicze (PZL) P.11, which at the time was considered to be the best fighter in the world. The FARR purchased fifty of a modified version called the P.11b, which included Romanian instruments and the locally built 595hp IAR K9 engine. All fifty were delivered in 1934. This started a long series of setbacks for IAR, who seemed to always be one step behind the PZL teams.

In 1934 IAR introduced the IAR.15 and 16 which were based on a study of the good points of the P.11b. Both were low-wing monoplane fighters, differing only in the powerplant -- a 600hp inline in the 15, and a 560hp radial in the 16. Both were faster than the P.11b, but the FARR decided to simply upgrade the P.11 with the newer 640hp IAR K9 engine and call it the PZL P.11f. This version also included four guns (up from two), and low-pressure tires which allowed it to be flown from any open field. Production of the 11f version at IAR was rather slow, as the company gained experience with all-metal construction.
The pace of aerodynamic improvement was such that by 1936 the P.11 was no longer competitive, so the FARR again went looking for newer aircraft. Just prior to this IAR had tested a number of new design and construction techniques on a private project, the IAR.24 sports plane. Using lessons learned from this project, most notably the wing design, the IAR team came forward with a new fighter which added retractable gear and a much improved engine. Once again PZL won the contract, this time with the "product improved" P.11, the P.24.

IAR.80
Production of the IAR.80 was to start immediately, but providing the armament proved to be a serious problem. The prototype had mounted only two Belgian-made Fabrique Nationale 7.92mm machine guns, a licensed modification of the Browning 30 cal. This armament suite was clearly not heavy enough for combat use, and the production model was supposed to mount six of these guns. The German invasion of Belgium and the Low Countries in 1940 ended the supply of the FN guns, and there was no indigenous machine gun that was suitable for use in aircraft. Lacking armament, production was put on hold. It wasn't until November 1940 when Romania joined the Axis that the Germans eventually allowed the delivery of the guns to resume. As a result the first production IAR.80 didn't roll off the line until January 1941, although the first batch of twenty had been quickly delivered by the middle of February.

The new armament supply still wasn't enough to fully equip the planes, so the production models only carried four guns. The production models also included new oxygen gear.
The initial batch of fighters was well received by the Romanian pilots, but they considered the aircraft underpowered and lacking firepower. In order to address the power issue the planes mounted the 960hp K14-IV C32 engine in the 21st through 50th examples, but there was little they could do about the firepower issue at the time.

Specifications for the IAR.80
Engine: 960hp (716kW) IAR K14-IV C32 air-cooled 14 cylinder double-row radial
Dimensions: span 10.7m (32ft 1in)
length 8.9m (32ft)
height 3.6m (11ft 10in)
Weights: empty 1780kg (3,924lbs)
max loaded 2250kg (4,960lbs)
Wing Area: 16m2 (xxxft2)
Wing Loading: xxxkg/m2 (xxlbs/ft2)

DRAWINGS
”The I.A.R.80 Story”
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