The Soko J-22 Orao ( sr-cyr, text=Oрао, translation=
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
) is a
Yugoslav twin-engined,
subsonic ground-attack
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movem ...
and
aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
aircraft. It was developed and built in collaboration by
SOKO
Soko ( sh-Cyrl, Соко) was a Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer based in Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company was responsible for the production of many military aircraft for the Yugoslav Air Force.
SOKO was created in 1950 by the rel ...
in Yugoslavia and by
Avioane Craiova
Avioane Craiova S.A. ("Craiova Airplanes" in English) is an aeronautical company based in Ghercești, near Craiova, Romania. It has been involved in the manufacture of various military aircraft, including the IAR-93 Vultur ground-attack fighter ...
in neighbouring
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, being known in the latter as the
IAR-93 Vultur
The Avioane Craiova IAR-93 Vultur (''Eagle'') is a twinjet, subsonic, close air support, close support, ground attack aircraft, ground attack and tactical reconnaissance aircraft with secondary capability as low level interceptor aircraft, interc ...
.
The Orao was designed as either a single-seat main attack version or as a combat-capable twin-seat version, the latter being principally intended for advanced flight- and weapons-training duties. It was developed as a joint Yugoslav-Romanian project, known as YuRom, during the 1970s. Early ambitions to produce a
supersonic
Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
fighter were scuppered by Britain's unwillingness to permit the desired engine to be
license-produced in Eastern Europe. Further difficulties in fitting an
afterburner
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and comba ...
to the older
Rolls-Royce Viper
The Armstrong Siddeley Viper is a British turbojet engine developed and produced by Armstrong Siddeley and then by its successor companies Bristol Siddeley and Rolls-Royce Limited. It entered service in 1953 and remained in use with the Royal ...
also hindered development and the performance of early-build aircraft.
First flying during November 1974, the resulting aircraft would equip the air forces of both Romania and Yugoslavia, as well as several of Yugoslavia's successor states. On 22 November 1984, the Orao became the first Yugoslav-designed aircraft to exceed
Mach 1, albeit achieved while in a shallow dive. During the 1990s, the type saw action during the
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
, typically flying ground-attack missions in and Kosovo. As of July 2019, the
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...
was the only entity still operating the type.
Development
Origins
During 1970, the neighbouring nations of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
began discussions on the subject of jointly developing a new
ground-attack
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movem ...
orientated fighter aircraft.
[Fredriksen 2001, p. 301.] On 20 May 1971, the Romanian and Yugoslavian governments signed an agreement for the formation of ''YuRom'', a joint
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
venture between the two nations. According to aviation author John C. Fredriksen, the announcement was a logical extension of political policy, as the two nations'
heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...
,
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
of Yugoslavia and
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He was ...
, had both historically sought to avoid overreliance upon the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, preferring to build ties and cooperative projects with other friendly or neutral nations.
The research programme was headed by Dipl. Dr. Engineer Teodor Zanfirescu of Romania and Colonel Vidoje Knezević of Yugoslavia. The aircraft was intended to be a replacement for both the lightly armed
Soko J-21 Jastreb
The Soko J-21 ''Jastreb'' ( en, Hawk), referred to as the J-1 ''Jastreb'' in some sources, is a Yugoslav single-seat, single-engine, light attack aircraft, designed by the Aeronautical Technical Institute (ATI) and Vojnotehnički Institut Beogr ...
and the
Republic F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
that were then in the
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
's (JNA) arsenal. The requirements called for a lightweight aircraft that featured a relatively simple and rugged structure, that would use locally produced equipment and avionics, capable of operating from austere airstrips (including the ability to operate either from grass or damaged runways), as well as being reliable and easy to maintain.
The resulting design was of a conventional twin-engine monoplane, featuring a high-mounted wing complete with all-
swept flight surfaces.
According to Fredriksen, the design emphasised simplicity as well as modernity. Due to political sensitivities and a strong desire to avoid one nation upstaging the other, the aircraft featured two separate names; in Romania, it was known as the
IAR-93 Vultur
The Avioane Craiova IAR-93 Vultur (''Eagle'') is a twinjet, subsonic, close air support, close support, ground attack aircraft, ground attack and tactical reconnaissance aircraft with secondary capability as low level interceptor aircraft, interc ...
while in Yugoslavia it was referred to as the J-22 Orao.
The design team had originally planned to develop a single-engined aircraft capable of
supersonic
Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
speeds, but the United Kingdom would not authorize the
license to produce the British engine that the designers had selected; the rejection was reportedly due to Romania being a member of the Soviet-aligned
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
. In its place, the less-powerful
Rolls-Royce Viper
The Armstrong Siddeley Viper is a British turbojet engine developed and produced by Armstrong Siddeley and then by its successor companies Bristol Siddeley and Rolls-Royce Limited. It entered service in 1953 and remained in use with the Royal ...
was chosen as the powerplant, as Soko already possessed experience with license-building this engine.
It was originally intended that an
afterburner
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and comba ...
would be developed for the Viper engine, but there were prolonged difficulties with this project. Due to these complications, none of the pre-production aircraft or any early production examples would be equipped with afterburners; these would be largely restricted to conducting reconnaissance missions.
During the 1980s, both countries developed slightly different versions of the aircraft to take advantage of the afterburning engines that had since become available.
[Chant 2014, p. 468.]
Into flight
![J-22 Orao 25207 V i PVO VS, april 7, 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/J-22_Orao_25207_V_i_PVO_VS%2C_april_7%2C_2012.jpg)
During 31 October 1974, the Yugoslav prototype ''25002'' conducted its
first flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
from
Batajnica Air Base
The Colonel-pilot Milenko Pavlović Air Base ( sr, Војни аеродром пуковник-пилот Миленко Павловић, Vojni aerodrom pukovnik-pilot Milenko Pavlović), commonly known as Batajnica Air Base ( sr, Војни ае ...
near
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, with Major Vladislav Slavujević at the controls. For political reasons, this flight was timed to deliberately coincide with the first flight of the IAR-93 Vultur prototype.
The third aircraft, numbered ''25003'', which was a pre-production two-seater version, performed its first flight on 4 July 1977. This aircraft was lost almost a year later, the cause of the accident was attributed to the occurrence of
tail flutter.
Construction of further pre-production aircraft was unimpacted by the loss; during 1978, the first batches of pre-production machines were delivered to the Air Force Aircraft Testing Facility in Belgrade. Subsequent serial production was established at a facility outside
Mostar
Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is sit ...
, (now in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
); this facility would be abandoned in 1992 and heavily damaged during the
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
.
[Penney, Stewart]
"Military Aircraft Directory Part 2."
''Flight International'', 11 August 1999. Production would never be resumed either in Yugoslavia or in its successor states.
During October 1983, the first afterburner-equipped J-22 Orao was flown in Yugoslavia. On 22 November 1984, an Orao broke the
sound barrier
The sound barrier or sonic barrier is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. When aircraft first approached the speed of sound, th ...
while in a shallow dive;
[''World Air Power Journal'' Autumn/Winter 1991, p. 23.] this instance made the J-22 the first Yugoslav-designed aircraft to exceed
Mach 1. The aircraft is incapable of breaking the sound barrier in level flight, so it is classified as being a
subsonic aircraft
A subsonic aircraft is an aircraft with a maximum speed less than the speed of sound (Mach 1). The term technically describes an aircraft that flies below its critical Mach number, typically around Mach 0.8. All current civil aircraft, including ...
.
Design
![Orao 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Orao_2.0.jpg)
The J-22 Orao is a twin-engined combat jet aircraft designed for performing
close air support
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
(CAS), ground-attack and
tactical reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
missions, it also features a limited
air-defense capability. The twin-seat version, the NJ-22, was primarily assigned for various training purposes, including the advanced flight and weapons training syllabuses, but could also be used for combat missions.
The Orao was provisioned with standard communication and navigation equipment, the latter including a
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
-built SGP500 twin-
gyroscope
A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rota ...
navigation system.
[Lambert 1993, p. 180.] It incorporated a fire control and weapons management system which used the
Thomson-CSF
Thomson-CSF was a French company that specialized in the development and manufacture of electronics with a heavy focus upon the aerospace and defence sectors of the market.
Thomson-CSF was formed in 1968 following the merger of Thomson-Houst ...
-built VE-120T
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
(HUD) (which had replacing the original Ferranti ISIS D-282 gyro-sight). In terms of defensive sensors and systems, it was equipped with an Iskra SO-1
radar warning receiver
Radar warning receiver (RWR) systems detect the radio emissions of radar systems. Their primary purpose is to issue a warning when a radar signal that might be a threat is detected, like a fighter aircraft's fire control radar. The warning can th ...
(RWR) and provision for up to three
chaff
Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...
/
flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
dispensers, as well as a P10-65-13 passive
jammer
Jammer may refer to:
Signal blocking devices
* Radar jammer, a device used in radar jamming and deception
* Radio jammer, a device used in radio jamming
* Radio-controlled Improvised Explosive Device jammer, a counter-IED device
* Mobile phon ...
pod. Further pods could be optionally fitted, including an optical/
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
reconnaissance pod or an optical reconnaissance/jammer pod.
Various upgrade programmes for the J-22 had been proposed during the 1990s; reportedly, such efforts would have been focused upon the aircraft's avionics.
However, such ambitions were heavily undermined by the dismantling of the Mostar factory during the Yugoslav Wars and the collapse of Romania's communist government.
["Aviaone (formerly IAV Craiova)."](_blank)
''Flight International'', 22 October 1996. During the late 2010s, Serbia launched a major modernisation programme involving both its J-22 and NJ-22 fleets.
Unofficially referred to as ''Orao 2.0'', this work involved the installation of new navigation and targeting systems, including
Safran
Safran S.A. is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, rocket engines as well as various aerospace and defense-related equipment or their components. It was formed by a merger between SNECMA and ...
's Sigma 95
inertial navigation
An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (dir ...
system, a mission computer and
multi-function display
A multifunction display (MFD) is a small-screen ( CRT or LCD) surrounded by multiple soft keys (configurable buttons) that can be used to display information to the user in numerous configurable ways. MFDs originated in aviation, first in mil ...
s, into the NJ-22's rear cockpit which, along with new weapons, is intended to make the type more effective in ground attack missions. A more comprehensive second phase is to achieve the "complete digitalisation" of the aircraft's cockpit.
[Salinger, Igor]
"Serbia outlines Orao modernisation programme."
''Flight International'', 3 July 2019.
Operational history
![Orao 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Orao_02.jpg)
The first
Yugoslav Air Force
The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ ...
unit to receive the J-22 was the 351st reconnaissance aviation squadron of the 82nd Aviation Brigade,
Cerklje. Until the
1991 war, . There were also about three squadrons partly equipped with J-22s.
At the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, J-22s flew over in a show of force, but did not drop any bombs. During 1991, the first offensive action to be conducted by the J-22 occurred when the Yugoslav National Army used them to strike targets in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
.
As a result of the conflicts of the 1990s, the majority of the former Yugoslav Air Force's aircraft were relocated to the
Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the Breakup of Yugoslavia, breakup of the Socialist ...
, with smaller numbers ending up under the control of the other new states created by the break-up of Yugoslavia.
The JNA left a squadron equipped with nine Oraos in the Bosnian-Serb
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
, with these aircraft becoming part of the new
Republika Srpska Air Force
The Republika Srpska air force (, ) was the air force of Republika Srpska and was used primarily during the Bosnian war. In 2005, it was integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SFOR (NATO Stabilization Force) still plays a la ...
, based at
Mahovljani Airport outside Banja Luka. The airworthiness of these aircraft soon deteriorated due to the combination of limited funding and the impact of
international embargoes. By June 2003, the Republika Srpska Air Force had a force of seven J-22 Oraos.
[Salinger, Igor]
"Balkan rebirth."
''Flight International'', 3 June 2003. These aircraft were ultimately inherited by the unified
Bosnian Air Force. By 2008, all of Bosnia's J-22s had been placed into storage while the nation negotiated with neighbouring Serbia to potentially buy them; reportedly, Serbia was viewed as the only viable customer for the type.
Several ex-Yugoslav Air Force J-22s were also operated by the Air Force of the
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sh, Република Српска Крајина, italics=no / or РСК / ''RSK'', ), known as the Serbian Krajina ( / ) or simply Krajina, was a self-proclaimed Serb proto-state, ...
following the withdrawal of the Yugoslav National Army from Croatia.
[Jeziorski, Andrzej]
"Croatia's cocked hammer."
''Flight International'', 1 February 1995.
![J-22 Orao in low level flight, Kecskemét, 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/J-22_Orao_in_low_level_flight%2C_Kecskem%C3%A9t%2C_2007.jpg)
During 1999, Yugoslav J-22s saw limited combat against the
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...
(KLA), reportedly flying 36 combat missions.
[ One J-22, piloted by Lt. Colonel Života Ðurić, was lost on 25 March 1999 in unclear circumstances, either through malfunction, pilot error or ground fire from KLA units.] In addition, eleven aircraft were destroyed on the ground, the majority of these at Ponikve Air Base, when a NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
air strike hit one hangar that reportedly had six J-22 and two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, De ...
aircraft inside.
By July 2019, the Serbian Air Force was reportedly operating a fleet comprising ten J-22 and NJ-22 Oraos; in addition to these airworthy examples, the service reportedly also had further airframes in storage, including the IJ and INJ reconnaissance variants. According to aerospace periodical ''Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
'', the Orao's service life had been originally anticipated to be around 24 years; based on structural inspections, some airframes are in such good condition that this forecast could be effectively doubled; following an overhaul, individual J-22s can be approved to perform a further 1,000 flight hours.
Variants
;IJ-22 Orao 1
:26 dedicated reconnaissance aircraft. Includes 15 pre-production aircraft converted to reconnaissance role. The IJ-22A Orao 1 differs from the J-22B Orao 2 in having two Viper Mk 632-41R turbojets each rated at 17.79 kN dry and supplied with fuel from an internal weight of 2,360 kg, length of 14.90 m including probe for single seat model or 15.38 m including probe for two-seat model, wheelbase of 5.40 m for single-seat model or 5.88 m for two-seat model, empty equipped weight of 5,755 kg, normal takeoff weight of 8,500 kg with reconnaissance pod, maximum take-off weight of 9500, maximum level speed 'clean' of 1,033 km/h at 8,000 m and 1,050 km/h at sea level, maximum rate of climb at sea level of 2,280 m per minute, climb to 6000 m in 3 minutes 12 seconds, and service ceiling of 13,500 m.
;INJ-22A Orao 1
:9 early series trainer aircraft used for training of reconnaissance pilots.
;J-22A Orao 1
:Yugoslav equivalent to IAR-93A with a non-afterburning Orao/Turbomecanica (Rolls-Royce/Bristol Siddeley) Viper Mk 632-41R turbojets each rated at 17.79 kN dry, but with J-22Bs higher-rated hardpoints. First flew October 1983 and built only as a single-seater.
;J-22B Orao 2
:Yugoslav equivalent to the IAR-93B with afterburner, integral wing tankage, the greater weapons load and diversity of the J-22A Orao 1, and Thomson-CSF HUD. Built only in single-seat form. J-22A/B production totalled 165 aircraft. Yugoslavia had planned a major upgrade with radar and computer nav/attack system integrated via a MIL-STD-1553
MIL-STD-1553 is a military standard published by the United States Department of Defense that defines the mechanical, electrical, and functional characteristics of a serial data bus. It was originally designed as an avionic data bus for use with ...
digital databus, but the dissolution of Yugoslavia ended plans. Only 57 aircraft were delivered before production ceased. Not all were up to full J-22 Orao 2 standard. An additional 42 aircraft were ordered but never delivered.
;NJ-22 Orao
:Dedicated two-seat training variant with afterburning engines operated by Yugoslav Air Force. First flew July 1986, and 21 were delivered whilst construction of a further 17 was cancelled.
;J-22 Orao 2.0
: Modernized J-22 with glass cockpit, sensors, and external cameras.
Operators
;
* Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...
– inherited 31 J-22s (14 J-22s, 7 NJ-22s, 8 IJ-22s, 2 INJ-22s), 17 of which were in service as of 2019.
Former operators
;
* – inherited 7 aircraft from the Republika Srpska Air Force
The Republika Srpska air force (, ) was the air force of Republika Srpska and was used primarily during the Bosnian war. In 2005, it was integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SFOR (NATO Stabilization Force) still plays a la ...
. None are in service as of 2019.
;
* Yugoslav Air Force
The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ ...
– aircraft passed to successor states after the breakup of Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
.
Specifications (J-22)
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
* Chant, Christopher. ''A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware.'' Routledge, 2014. .
* Barrie, Douglas and Pite, Jenny
"World's Air Forces"
''Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
'', 24–30 August 1994, Vol. 146, No. 4435. pp. 29–64. .
* Gunston, Bill. ''The Encyclopedia of Modern Warplanes: The Development and Specifications of All Active Military Aircraft''. New York: MetroBooks, 1995. .
* "Briefing: Jurom Orao/IAR-93: An underpowered Eagle?". ''World Air Power Journal'', Volume 7, Autumn/Winter 1991. pp. 22–25. . .
* Fredriksen, John C. ''International Warbirds: An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft, 1914-2000''. ABC-CLIO, 2001. .
* Gunston, Bill. ''Encyclopedia of World Air Power''. London: Crescent, 1987. .
* Lambert, Mark (ed.). ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Data Division, 1993. .
External links
''Serbian Air Force'' entry at World Air Forces website
Soko J-22 Orao
at Airliners.net
* Photo at ABG (Avijacija Bez Granica)
{{Military Technical Institute Belgrade
1970s international attack aircraft
J-022 Orao
1970s Yugoslav attack aircraft
Twinjets
Military Technical Institute Belgrade
Romania–Serbia relations
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1974
Romania–Yugoslavia relations