IAR-12

Manufacturer: Industria Aeronautica Romana (IAR)
First flight: 1933
Produced: 1
Developed from: IAR 11

The IAR 14 is a Romanian low-wing monoplane fighter-trainer aircraft designed before World War II.

Design and development

The failure of the first fighter designed at Brasov did not discourage the energetic team of the I.A.R. Works. Even before the second prototype of the C.V. 11 was disqualified from the fighter contest, the first details of its successor had already been laid out by Engineer-in-Chief Carafoli. A new tail with enlarged rudder was fitted to essentially the same fuselage, giving a more conventional look and offering better control during flight. As a consequence, the overall height increased by more than a meter, i.e. 40% of the original dimension. Unlike the IAR 11 design, the wing tips were rounded, and the span had been increased as well, giving a 19.80 m² wing area compared to the original 18.20 m² of the C.V. 11. An anti-crash pylon with a minuscule Venturi-tube installed at its top appeared behind the cockpit to protect the pilot in case the aircraft overturned.

The powerplant chosen for the new aircraft, named I.A.R. 12, was again a Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb, that offered 450 h.p. (336 kW) at 1,900 r.p.m., similar to the type fitted to the first C.V. 11. However, due to the increased aerodynamic drag, the maximum speed at ground level decreased to 294 km/h. This unsatisfactory result, combined with poor handling characteristics experienced during early test flights, constrained Carafoli to improve the construction and try a new engine.

s fitted to essentially the same fuselage, giving a more conventional look and offering better control during flight. As a consequence, the overall height increased by more than a meter, i.e. 40% of the original dimension. Unlike the Virmoux design, the wing tips were rounded, and the span had been increased as well, giving a 19.80 m² wing area compared to the original 18.20 m² of the C.V. 11. An anti-crash pylon with a minuscule Venturi-tube installed at its top appeared behind the cockpit to protect the pilot in case the aircraft overturned. Such a feature on the C.V. 11 C1 could have saved the life of Cpt. Popescu on that fatal day in early December 1931...

Operators

Romania

Royal Romanian Air Force

Specifications (IAR 12)

Data from

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 7.2 m (24 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.70 m (38 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.5 m (12 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 19.8 m (213.13 ft)
Empty weight: 1150 kg (2535 lb)
Gross weight: 1,540 kg (3395 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— IAR LD 450 12-cylinder W-form watercooled in-line built under licience Lorraine-Dietrich 12 Eb, 340 kW (450 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: at sea level 294 km/h (183 mph)
Endurance: 2 hours 10 min
Service ceiling: 7,900 m (25,915 ft)

Armament

2 x 7.7 mm Vickers machine-guns in the nose of the aircraft firing through airscrew.

Related development

IAR 11
IAR 14

Comparable aircraft

Boeing P-26
Dewoitine D.500
Avia BH-3

IAR-12 Pictures

More airplane video.

Source: WikiPedia