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IAR 80

first flew 1939· fighter aircraft

🎖️ military piston retired
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. IAR-80-3: Iuliusbidalach· CC BY-SA 3.0
  2. 2. IAR-80-4: Iuliusbidalach· CC BY-SA 3.0
  3. 3. IAR-80-5: Iuliusbidalach· CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. 4. IAR 80 replica: David Holt· CC BY-SA 2.0
  5. 5. Iar80abkg: Iuliusbidalach· Public domain
  6. 6. Assis aux commandes d'un IAR 80, un pilote de chasse roumain du Grupul 9 règle son viseur (7100824): Walter Jacobi· Public domain
  7. 7. IAR-80-2: Iuliusbidalach· CC BY-SA 3.0
  8. 8. IAR-80-8: Iuliusbidalach· CC BY-SA 3.0
  9. 9. Le chasseur roumain IAR 80 numéro 131 baptisé Félicia du Grupul 9 (7100770): Walter Jacobi· Public domain
  10. 10. Sur le terrain de Mamaia, quatre IAR 80 du Grupul 9: Walter Jacobi· Public domain
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
IAR 80, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Iuliusbidalach· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

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. Production problems and lack of available armament delayed entry of the IAR 80 into service until 1941. It remained in frontline use until the end of the war.

How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 11 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 510 km/htop speed
  • range 730 kmwithout refuelling
  • size 3,030 kgmax take-off weight
  • built 461made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 87 years ago, in 1939.
  • Top speed is 3.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 11 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight
1939-04-12
introduced
1940
retired
1949
status
retired
number built
461
role
fighter aircraft
makers
Industria Aeronautică Română
engines
1× IAR K14 IVc32 1000A1
crew
1
length
9 m
wingspan
11 m
height
3.6 m
max take-off weight
3,030 kg
top speed
510 km/h
range
730 km
ceiling
10,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q917633, Wikipedia: IAR 80 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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