The penultimate member of the family of designs that began with the IAR-821, it was, like the others, a conventional low-wing monoplane with fixed, tailwheel undercarriage, and shared the all-metal construction of the IAR-826.

The prototype flew in 1976, powered by a Lycoming IO-720 engine, but the production examples that followed all had the PZL-3S.

In 1981, the IAR-827 prototype was re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop and redesignated first as the IAR-827TP and later as the IAR-828.

Plans to produce the aircraft either with the Pratt & Whitney Canada engine or a Walter 601 never materialised.

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83[2]General characteristics Performance