The IAR 47 was a 1942 prototype aircraft built by

Industria Aeronautică Română Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) (now IAR S.A. Brașov) or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a Romanian aerospace manufacturer. It is based in Ghimbav, near Brașov, Romania. IAR was founded in 1925 with the aid of the Romanian go ...

Development

In 1941, it became apparent that the then current Romanian reconnaissance type, the

IAR 39 The IAR 37 was a 1930s Romanian reconnaissance or light bomber aircraft built by Industria Aeronautică Română. Development The IAR 37 prototype was flown for the first time in 1937 to meet a requirement for a tactical bombing and reconnaissan ...

, was no longer an effective design. Therefore, IAR designed a replacement type, the IAR-47. Effectively a hybrid of the

and

IAR 80 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 milita ...

, it used their IAR 14K IV C32 engine. The IAR 47 prototype was flown for the first time in 1942 to meet a requirement for a tactical bombing and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft was similar to the IAR 39, except for the fact that it was a low-wing monoplane and had a smaller cockpit (for 2 instead of 3). Its fuselage, based on the

, was of mixed construction. Compared to the IAR 39, the observers fuselage side windows were deleted, and the crew reduced to two, pilot and observer/rear gunner, armed with a 7.92mm Rheinmetall MG. Like the IAR 80, the IAR 47 was a low-winged monoplane, and used a re-enforced version of that type's undercarriage. Two 7.92mm Rheinmetall MGs were mounted, and six 110 lb (50 kg) bombs could be carried in a bomb bay between the crew's positions. Reconnaissance was its primary mission, however, and the bomb bay was normally filled with a fuel tank, increasing its normal fuel load of 127 Imp gal (580 L) to 209 Imp gal (950 L). The mission fit was three cameras, one vertical and two 45° oblique, in the fuselage underside. The unarmed prototype was flight tested in autumn 1942, and exhibited good handling characteristics. However, in the light of the improved Soviet fighters now in service, its low powered engine, and light armament, it was considered obsolescent, and anyway, all of IAR's production capacity was required for

Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

production. Therefore, development of the IAR 47 was stopped in January 1943, one prototype being destroyed in a USAAF air raid in 1944.Axworthy 1994, pp.10-11.

Variants

There were (at least) two I.A.R. 47 prototypes. The first one (with partially glazed side and bottom fuselage) appears in the colour photos, while the other one( YR-IGR), which resembles more the I.A.R. 80 fitted with long span wings, did not have side and bottom fuselage windows and appears in the 1952 photos

Operators

;

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

Royal Romanian Air Force The Air Force branch of the Royal Romanian forces in World War II was officially named the (ARR), or the Romanian Royal Aeronautics, though it is more commonly referred to in English histories as the (Royal Romanian Air Force, FARR), or simply ( ...

; *

Romanian Air Force The Romanian Air Force (RoAF) ( ro, Forțele Aeriene Române) is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, five airbases and an air defense brigade. Reserve forces include one ai ...

Specifications (IAR 47)

Notes

References

* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2192 * Axworthy, Max. "On Three Fronts: Romania's Aircraft Industry During World War Two". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...

''

No.56, Winter 1994. Stamford, Lincs, UK:Key Publishing. ISSN 0143-5450. pp. 8–27. * Morosanu, Teodor Liviu. "Romanian Reconnaissance". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...