The IAR 80 was a Romanian World War II low-wing monoplane, all-metal monocoque fighter and ground-attack aircraft.

When it first flew, in 1939, it was comparable to contemporary designs being deployed by the airforces of the most advanced military powers such as the Hawker Hurricane and Bf 109E.

Although IAR's own designs had not entered production, they nevertheless won the contracts to build PZL fighters and Gnome-Rhône 14K engines under license.

The fuselage from the engine back to the cockpit was new, consisting of a welded steel tube frame covered with duralumin sheeting.

Starting with the 21st aircraft, these were replaced by Goerz GM2 reflector sights which were manufactured under license by Întreprinderea Optică Română as the "Telereflex" gunsights.

However this engine was slightly heavier than the IIIc32, which required the rear fuselage to be stretched to move the center of gravity back into the proper position.

A side effect of this extreme rearward position was that the pilot had even worse forward visibility while taxiing than most other taildraggers.

The updated prototype was tested competitively against the Heinkel He 112, which had arrived in Romania as the start of a potentially large order.

The prototype had mounted only two Belgian-made Fabrique Nationale 7.92 mm machine guns, a licensed modification of the Browning .30 cal.

The initial batch of fighters was well received by the Romanian pilots, but they found the aircraft underpowered and lacking firepower.

In order to address this, the aircraft mounted the 960 hp (720 kW) IAR K14 IVc32 engine in the 21st through 50th examples, but the firepower concern could not be resolved at the time.

Although the IAR 80A had a more powerful engine, the added weight of the guns, ammunition and armor plating reduced the top speed slightly to 316 mph (509 km/h).

The ARR had intended to replace its light strike and dive bomber aircraft for some time when the war opened in 1941.

The modification of the existing IAR 80 as a dive bomber was seen as a reasonable option, easier than designing an entirely new aircraft; as well as having obvious production benefits.

The first order for 100 airframes was delivered, like all of the prior updates to the 81 series, with the centreline bomb rack removed to be used as fighters.

In order to up-gun the earlier fighters as well as simplify logistics and maintenance, an upgrade program was started in mid-1944 to bring all existing airframes to the 81C armament suite of two MG 151/20s and two FN 7.92s.

Those airframes with the lowest hours were modified by removing a fuel tank in front of the cockpit and adding a second seat, resulting in a trainer designated the IAR 80DC.

IAR realized that the Mistral Major was at the limits of its development potential even by the middle of 1941, when the 1000A model reached the same ultimate output as the original Gnome-Rhône engines.

An ongoing program to fit the IAR 80 with a more powerful engine had been in the works for most of the design's lifetime, but this proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

This engine produced a full 600 hp (450 kW) more power, and although it was heavier, it was of roughly the same size as the IAR K14.

A flight test was carried out on 21 April 1941, but due to the strong vibrations, the pilot barely managed to bring it to the ground.

41, 59 and 60 of Grupul 8 Vânătoare (8th Fighter Group), part of the Gruparea Aerienă de Luptă (GAL), that were tasked to support the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies deployed at the southern flank of the Eastern Front.

[12] On 22 June 1941, during the first day of the offensive, the IAR 80 patrols had their baptism of fire, achieving a single aerial victory (claimed by Sublocotenent aviator Ioan Mihăilescu of Esc 60 Vânătoare, a future ace) during four separate air combats.

[17] On 12 and 13 December, Grupul 6 used its IAR 81s to support the German counterattack by the Panzergruppe Hoth of the Heeresgruppe Don, from Kotelnikovo towards Stalingrad.

Romanian pilot Dan Vizanty, commander of Grupul 6, recalled later: "Our Lightning attack came as a complete surprise to the Americans.

I saw their crazy dives, quick rolls, reverse turns and inverted flying, always with just brief burst of fire to save ammunition.

Many air combats occurred and by the time of their last encounter with the USAAF on 3 July 1944, pilots of Grupul 6 vânătoare had submitted 87 confirmed and ten unconfirmed claims.

A static replica of the IAR 80 rebuilt post war after the fall of Communism and painted in its 1941–1944 original colors was shown at the Mihail Kogălniceanu airshow, near Constanța.

As of 2017 few attempts have been initiated to produce an airworthy accurate replica of the IAR 80 based on existing factory documentation and recovered components.

Related lists Attribution: This article is based on the original by Wikipedia editor Maury Markowitz at IAR 80.