In 1940 three I.A.R.47 prototypes were under construction, intended to replace the I.A.R.39 in production. A low-wing monoplane recce bomber, the first was for static tests. The other two were of different design. They were a combination of the IAR 39’s fuselage with the IAR 80’s wings.
None of them were destroyed during US bombings, and at least one (YR-IGR) was still flying in 1956.
IAR-47 Engine: IAR K14 1000A, 960hp Max Speeds: at sea level: 396km/h at 1000m: 406km/h at 2000m: 419km/h at 3000m: 435km/h at 4000m: 456km/h at 4300m: 464km/h at 5000m: 460km/h / 304mph Armament: 3 x 7.92mm Rheinmetall mg (2 fixed, 1 flex) Bombload: 6 x 50kg
The IAR-46 is a very light two-seater airplane for flight school, training and tourism, developed from the ICA IS-28. Construction is conventional riveted joints. Seats are arranged side by side, the left seat as the main, low trepezoidal wing, empennage in “T” semi-retractable landing gear, with skid wheel connected with the rudder.
Definition phase and marketing studies started early 1991 and detail design began late 1991.
DESIGN FEATURES: Low-wing monoplane; GA(W)-1 aerofoil section) with high aspect ratio; raked tips; T tail. Dihedral 2° from centre-section; incidence 4° at root; no twist. Foldable horizontal tail surfaces.
FLYING CONTROLS: Conventional and manual. Actuation by pushrods and cables; trim tab in each elevator. Manually operated plain trailing-edge flaps.
STRUCTURE: All-metal except fabric covering on elevators and rudder and GFRP for non-stressed fairings. Wing has main and auxiliary spars. Fluted aluminium skins on ailerons and flaps.
LANDING GEAR: Retractable (manual/mechanical) single mainwheels with hydraulic shock-absorbers and hydraulic, toe-operated disc brakes; steerable, non-retractable tailwheel rubber-in-compression shock-absorption. Rearward-retracting 5.00×5 Matco or Cleveland mainwheels, with 360×110 tyres, pressure 3.00 bar (43.5 lb/sq in). Tost 210×65 tailwheel and tyre, pressure 2.50 bar (36 lb/sq in).
POWER PLANT: One 59.6 kW (79.9 hp) Rotax 912 F3 (IAR-46) or 73.5 kW (98.6 hp) Rotax 912 S3 (IAR-46S) flat-four engine, with 2.43:1 reduction gearing to a Hoffmann HO-V352F/170FQ two-blade variable-pitch propeller (‘170FQ+6 in IAR-46S). Fuel in single tank in fuselage, capacity 70 litres (18.5 US gallons; 15.4 Imp gallons).
ACCOMMODATION: Two adjustable backrest seats side by side; dual controls standard; adjustable rudder pedals. Fixed windscreen and rearward-sliding jettisonable canopy. Baggage compartment aft of seats. Cockpit heated and ventilated.
SYSTEMS: Electrical power supplied by 250 W 14 V DC alternator and 12 V 25 Ah battery. Hydraulic system for mainwheel brakes only, with parking brake valve.
AVIONICS: Instrumentation: Standard VFR instrumentation to JAR 22.1303 and JAR 22.1305. Options include horizon and directional gyros, turn co-ordinator and Becker nav/com and transponder avionics package.
EQUIPMENT: Anti-collision and position lights standard; ground power receptacle optional.
A development phase was initiated mid-1992 with the first of two prototypes (YR-1037) shown at the Paris Air Show June 1993 and made first flight November that year.
Following flight test evaluation, static test and ground testing for JAR-VLA compliance, development of 02 second prototype began at end of 1995. This aircraft (YR-BVC) made first flight in April 1997.
The manufacturer’s preliminary flight test programme was completed in August 1999 and JAR-VLA certification (Utility category) by Romanian CAA, began mid-1998, was received November 1999, with YR-BVC registered to Airclub Romania in August 2000.
FAA certification was expected in September 2000 but apparently still awaited in mid-2003. Three further production aircraft were built and stored by late 1998, eventually registered in April 2001. The first three (c/n 03 to 05) were registered to Airclub of Romania in April 2001.
IAR-46 Engine: Rotax 912 F3/A3, 58 kW (78 hp) Propeller: 2-bladed Hoffmann HO-V352F/170FQ, 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) diameter Wingspan: 11.42 m (37 ft 6 in) Wing area: 13.87 sq.m (149.3 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 9.403:1 Airfoil: GA(W)-1 Height: 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) Length: 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) Empty weight: 530 kg (1,168 lb) Max takeoff weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb) Fuel capacity: 78 L (21 US gal; 17 imp gal) G limits: +4.4, -2.2 Cruise speed: 150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn) (econ cruise) Stall speed: 78 km/h (48 mph, 42 kn) Never exceed speed: 270 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn) Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi) (no reserve) Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft) Rate of climb: 4.30 m/s (846 ft/min) Wing loading: 54.1 kg/m2 (11.1 lb/sq ft) Power/mass: 12.58 kg/kW (20.67 lb/hp) Rate of climb: 4.30 m/s (846 ft/min) Crew: 2
IAR-46S Engine: Rotax 912 S3, 73.5 kW (98.6 hp) Wingspan: 11.42 m (37 ft 6 in) Wing area: 13.87 sq.m (149.3 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 9.403:1 Airfoil: GA(W)-1 Height: 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) Length: 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) Empty weight: 530 kg (1,168 lb) Max takeoff weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb) Fuel capacity: 78 L Maximum speed: 215 km/h (134 mph; 116 kn) Cruising speed: 170 km/h (110 mph; 92 kn) (econ cruise) Stall speed: 78 km/h (48 mph; 42 kn) Never exceed speed: 280 km/h (170 mph; 150 kn) Range: 800 km (497 mi; 432 nmi) (no reserve) Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,404 ft) Crew: 2
The I.A.R.37 prototype was built to the design of engineers Grossu-Vizuru and Carp. Flown for the first time in 1937 by company pilot Max Manolescu, it was intended to meet an official requirement for a tactical bombing and reconnaissance aircraft. An unequal-span biplane, the I.A.R.37 had fixed main landing gear and was powered by an I.A.R. K.14 radial engine. Its three-man crew was accommodated beneath a continuous glazed canopy, the observer seated between pilot and gunner and provided with full dual controls, a Romanian-designed Estopey bomb-sight, radio and a camera. Defensive armament comprised four machine-guns and the offensive load 12 50kg bombs or six 100kg bombs on underwing racks. The I.A.R.37 entered production.in late 1938 and was built in small numbers before being succeeded in 1939 by the interim I.A.R.38, which differed mainly in its powerplant. An attempt to modify an IAR 37 into a dive bomber was made in the summer of 1940. No 5, redesignated IAR 371, performed the Romanian dive bombing premiere on July 16 with a test diving from 4,000ft (1,200m), piloted by Emil Droc, test pilot of the IAR factory. Several modifications (including the cockpit canopy and fuselage side glazing) were made to the IAR 37 design before it was fitted with a German BMW 132A radial engine, giving birth to the more reliable IAR 38. In January 1939, even before all 50 examples of the –37 had been completed production was shifted in favour of the IAR 38. The last IAR 37, No 47 was first flown on June 16, l939. The final number of IAR 38s actually manufactured is still unclear, the existence of a photograph depicting ‘Red’ 89 suggests that possibly 90, even up to 120, such aircraft could have been finally produced at Brasov. The -38 was soon displaced on the production line by the I.A.R.39. The increased fuel consumption of the more powerful IAR K1 4 engine installed in the IAR 39s decreased the aircraft’s range to 350nm (650km), equal to the similarly equipped IAR 37. Of the total production of 325 I.A.R.37, 38 and 39 aircraft, over 200 were I.A.R.39s, 96 built under sub-contract by the S.E.T. company and over 100 by I.A.R.
IAR 39
By the end of 1940 the I.A.R. biplanes were in large-scale service with Fortelor Aeriene Regal ale Romania (Royal Romanian Air Force) or FARR. They equipped a number of squadrons attached to the various army corps and by June 1941, when Romania supported the German offensive against the Soviet Union, the three reconnaissance flotile of the FARR had 18 eskadrile, 15 of which were equipped with I.A.R. biplanes. In July 1942 the air expeditionary force in the Soviet Union had been re-formed as Corpul I Aerian and had several groups equipped with the I.A.R.39. Eleven reconnaissance eskadrile were operating with the army co-operation flotile during the 1944 offensive in the Ukraine, most of them with I.A.R.39s on strength. Post-war the new Communist republic was declared at the end of 1947, and the reorganised air arm, known as the FR-RPR (Fortele Aeriene ale Republicii Populare Romania) had a small number of I.A.R.39s for training and liaison duties for several years. The last member of the IAR 37/38/39 family was withdrawn from service in mid 1960s.
IAR-38 Engine: BMW 132A, 522 kW (700 hp) Empty weight: 5,070 lb (2,300kg) Taller tail. 75 built (IAR).
IAR-39 Engine: 1 x IAR K.14-IV C32, 16 kW (960 hp) Wingspan: 13.10 m / 42 ft 11.75 in Length: 9.60 m / 31 ft 6 in Height: 3.99 m / 13 ft 1 in Wing Area: 40.30 sq.m / 433.79 sq ft Take-Off Weight: 3085 kg / 6801 lb Loaded Weight: 2177 kg / 4799 lb Max. Speed: 336 km/h / 209 mph / 182 kn Service Ceiling: 8000 m / 26245 ft Range: 1050 km / 652 miles / 567 nmi Armament: 3 x FN (Browning) 7.92mm machine-guns Bombload: 288kg (635lb) or 144 air-grenades Crew: 3 255 built (95 at IAR and 160 at SET).
BFW negotiations with the Romanian company ICAR (Intrepindere Pentru Constructii Aeronautice) led to a contract for the development by ICAR of an M-36 transport aircraft for 6 passengers. ICAR designated it the ICAR 36; Messerschmitt, working at BFW referred to it as the M 36. According to the project, the Messerschmitt designed aircraft was to be equipped with a French Gnome et Rhone 14 K engine with 450 hp. However, in order to save money, the Romanians chose a less powerful Armstrong Siddeley Serval (350 hp).
The ICAR 36 was a high-wing cantilever monoplane of mixed construction, with a closed cockpit, single engine, and fixed landing gear. It had a welded steel tube fuselage, covered with plywood, and tapered single-spar, plywood-covered wings. The crew of two sat in the cockpit, forward of the wing, which was equipped with a radio and could be fitted with twin controls. The cabin for six passengers, with wide rectangular windows and access doors at the rear, was aft and below the cockpit / wings. There were also two baggage compartments.
The aircraft successfully completed tests at the end of 1934 after some modifications. Possibly six aircraft were built.
One example was built for the LARES airline on the domestic routes of Romania including the Bucharest to Cernauti. The aircraft (YR-ACS) was built, later modified with a cabin for five passengers and two luggage compartments. Initially fitted with a 280 kW (380 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Serval I ten-cylinder radial engine in a NACA cowling, which was, in turn, replaced with a 220 kW (300 hp) Lorraine 7M Mizar 47, driving a three-bladed propeller. The fixed landing gear was supported by long faired vertical struts to the wings, with teardrop spats over the mainwheels and a tailwheel at the end of the fuselage.
I.C.A.R. 36 Comercial Engine: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Serval I, 250 kW (340 hp) Wingspan: 15.4 m (50 ft 6 in) Wing area: 30.50 m2 Length: 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in) Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) Empty weight: 1,320 kg (2,910 lb) Gross weight: 2,250 kg (4,960 lb) Maximum speed: 235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn) Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn) Stall speed: 89 km/h (55 mph, 48 kn) Range: 700 km (430 mi, 380 nmi) Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft) Crew: two Capacity: six / 960 kg (2,120 lb) payload
The unnumbered prototype of the IAR 27 trainer made its debut on June 8, 1937. A two-seat basic trainer, low-wing monoplane, metal construction, power was a 180 hp IAR 6 GI (licenced DH Gipsy 6), and a 9.10 m span.
Series production totalled 80 aircraft, 30 built by SET in 1941. The wheel covers were not employed on series production airframes.
The IAR-23 was created in 1934 by the Romanian company Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) as an attempt to design a next-generation fighter for the Royal Romanian Air Force, but because its low power, it was classified only as a civilian touring aircraft. However, it contained many advanced features for its time, including uniquely designed wings. After the installation of additional fuel tanks, it turned into a long-haul touring plane, with a maximum range of 2300 km.
IAR-23
The sole IAR-23 built was registered YR-IAR. and delivered to Major G. Bănciulescu in September 1934, who undertook several cross-country flights with the aircraft through Europe (from Bucharest to Warsaw, Prague and Vienna). The next year, the IAR-23 was flown to Tel-Aviv and back.
An improved version, the IAR-24 YR-ACI, was created in 1935. It used the same airframe, but had a modernized cockpit and a slightly more powerful engine that yielded a higher cruising speed.
IAR-24
IAR-23 Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 9Qa, 253 kW (340 hp) Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in) Wing area: 22.30 m2 (240.00 sq ft) Length: 8.35 m (27 ft 5 in) Height: 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in) Empty weight: 980 kg (2,156 lb) Gross weight: 1,920 kg (4,224 lb) Maximum speed: 245 km/h (153 mph, 133 kn) Cruise speed: 215 km/h (134 mph, 116 kn) Range: 2,300 km (1,437 mi, 1,249 nmi) Service ceiling: 4,100 m (13,670 ft) Crew: 2 pilots Capacity: 4 passengers
IAR-24 Engine: Gnome-Rhone 7 Kd, 350 hp Wingspan: 12.00 m Length: 8.35 m Height: 2.70 m Wing area: 22.30 sq.m Empty weight: 1180 kg Normal takeoff weight: 2030 kg Maximum speed: 280 km / h Cruising speed: 230 km / h Practical range: 2300 km Rate of climb: 200 m / min Service ceiling: 4500 m Crew: 2
The 1934 CNIAR IAR-22 was a wooden construction, fabric-covered two-seat dual-control trainer/tourer. It has two seats in tandem and a fixed conventional undercarriage.
The wings were built around two spruce box spars, with plywood webs; plywood covered the whole wing except for the fabric trailing edges. In plan, the wings were straight-tapered, with most of the taper on the trailing edge, but with rounded tips. The wing trailing edge carried ailerons but no flaps. The tailplane was also straight-tapered, though with the taper more equally distributed between leading and trailing edges. The elevators were split, with a cut-out for rudder movement, and were horn balanced. The fin was also straight-edged but the broad rudder, also horn balanced, had a curved trailing edge.
The fuselage of the IAR.22 was flat sided, tapering to the rear. It was a Warren truss structure with duralumin gussets; the forward fuselage was plywood covered, the remain fabric clad. Rounded decking, together with a head fairing behind the rear cockpit, gave the aircraft a slightly humped profile. The front cockpit was just behind the leading edge of the wing and the rear one at mid-chord. The nose line dropped slightly over the cowling of the 97 kW (130 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Major engine, an inverted air-cooled inline engine carried on a steel mounting and which drove a two-bladed propeller. The undercarriage had a wide track of over 2.5 m (100 in), with near perpendicular IAR-made shock absorber legs, split axles hinged at the fuselage centre line and trailing struts. The wheels had independent brakes but were not faired in.
It was reported that the IAR.22 “gave very satisfactory results in tests” conducted by the Romanian Air Ministry’s Acceptance Commission but there is no record of its adoption by the Romanian Air Force. The design allowed for engines of up to 225 kW (300 hp) to be fitted: the intention was that it should be suitable for wireless, camera and gunnery training.
Irina Burnaia and Petre Ivanovici with an IAR-22 aircraft, 3 Jan 1935
Engine: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Major, 97 kW (130 hp) Propeller: 2-bladed fixed-pitch Wingspan: 11.53 m (37 ft 10 in) Wing area: 20.8 m2 (224 sq ft) Length: 7.52 m (24 ft 8 in) Height: 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Empty weight: 647 kg (1,426 lb) Gross weight: 880 kg (1,940 lb) Maximum speed: 193 km/h (120 mph, 104 kn) at sea level Stall speed: 73.73 km/h (45.81 mph, 39.81 kn) Range: 550 km (340 mi, 300 nmi) Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,100 ft) Absolute ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) Rate of climb: 3.3 m/s (650 ft/min) Time to 1,000 m (3,300 ft): 5 minutes 7 seconds Time to 2,000 m (6,600 ft): 11 minutes 6 seconds Time to 3,000 m (9,800 ft): 19 minutes 56 seconds Wing loading: 42.3 kg/m2 (8.7 lb/sq ft) Power/mass: 0.1103 kW/kg (0.0671 hp/lb) Crew: 2
Although evolved in parallel with the I.A.R.15, the I.A.R.16, which flew for the first time in 1934, was the first of Carafoli’s fighters to feature an all-metal structure, this having plywood, fabric and duralumin skinning. It was powered by a 560hp Bristol Mercury IVS.2 nine-cylinder radial enclosed by a Townend ring and carried an armament of two 7.7mm Vickers guns. The I.A.R.16 was not developed further than a single prototype.
Engine: 560hp Bristol Mercury IVS.2 nine-cylinder radial Take-off weight: 1650 kg Empty weight: 1224 kg / 2698 lb Wingspan: 11.70 m / 38 ft 5 in Length: 7.37 m / 24 ft 2 in Height: 2.80 m / 9 ft 2 in Wing area: 20.30 sq.m / 218.51 sq ft Max. speed: 342 km/h / 213 mph Armament: two 7.7mm Vickers guns
The I.A.R.15 flew for the first time late in 1933, powered by a 600hp Gnome-Rhone 9Krse nine cylinder radial and carring an armament of two 7.7mm Vickers machine guns. It had a welded steel-tube fuselage covered by duralumin sheet forward and fabric aft, this being mated with a three-piece wing with two duralumin spars, pine and plywood ribs and duralumin sheet skinning for the centre section with fabric covering for the outer panels. A series of five I.A.R.15s was ordered for the Aeronautica Militara, these differing from the prototype primarily in having three-bladed metal propellers in place of the two-bladed wooden unit. The I.A.R.15 established a national altitude record of 11631m in 1936. It was considered inferior to the P.Z.L. P.11 in manoeuvrability, and no further examples were ordered.
Engine: 600hp Gnome-Rhone 9Krse nine cylinder radial Take-off weight: 1650 kg Empty weight: 1215 kg / 2679 lb Wingspan: 11.00 m / 36 ft 1 in Length: 7.76 m / 25 ft 6 in Height: 2.70 m / 8 ft 10 in Wing area: 19.00 sq.m / 204.51 sq ft Max. speed: 375 km/h / 233 mph Range: 600 km / 373 miles Armament: two 7.7mm Vickers machine guns
