Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) (now IAR S.A. Brașov) or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a

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 ...

aerospace manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology indust ...

. It is based in

Ghimbav Ghimbav (german: Weidenbach; hu, Vidombák) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, central Romania. It is located in the centre of Romania, 5 miles (8 km) west of Brașov. History The town was first mentioned in a letter written in 1 ...

, near Brașov, Romania. IAR was founded in 1925 with the aid of the Romanian government, which sought to reduce reliance on foreign companies to supply the Royal Romanian Air Force with aircraft and associated equipment. In addition to its designs, the company built numerous foreign-designed aircraft under license as well. IAR produced a low-wing all-metal

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, the

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 ...

, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

; this combat aircraft was extensively used by the nation during the conflict. During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

era, the company branched out into

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

s, securing licensing agreements with France for their designs in the field, leading to the IAR 316 and IAR 330. In 2000, IAR partnered with the multinational helicopter manufacturer

Eurocopter Group Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located at Marseille Provence Ai ...

to create the ''Eurocopter Romania''

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

company. Presently, the company employs around 1,200 specialists including more than 170 engineers; it carries out upgrades, revisions, and overhauls on helicopters and light aircraft.

History

Origins and early years

To ensure that the Royal Romanian Air Force (the ''Aeronautica Regală Română'', or ''ARR'') would be supplied with aircraft without reliance on foreign producers, the Romanian government subsidized the creation of three major aircraft manufacturers in the interbellum period. The first was Societatea pentru Exploatări Tehnice (SET) which was founded in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...

in 1923. Next came IAR, which was formed in Brașov since 1925. Finally there was Întreprinderea de Construcții Aeronautice Românești (ICAR), which was created in Bucharest in 1932, and operated a factory in Brașov known as ''ICA-Brașov'' (''Întreprinderea de Construcții Aeronautice - Brașov''). One of the engineers designing IAR aircraft in the early 1930s was Elie Carafoli. During 1930, IAR's first original aircraft, the

IAR CV 11 The IAR CV 11 was a Romanian fighter prototype in 1930, designed by Elie Carafoli, and it was IAR's first original aircraft. Development In early 1930 a contest was called by the ARR for a new fighter type to equip its squadrons. During July and ...

, performed its

maiden 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 alw ...

; it functioned as an experimental design only. One of its earliest aircraft to reach quantity production was the IAR 14, a trainer aircraft derived from the IAR 12 prototype. The

IAR 27 The IAR 27 was a 1930s Romanian two-seat low-wing monoplane primary trainer designed and built by Industria Aeronautică Română. Design and development Based on the earlier IAR 21 and in particular the IAR 22 but the design was simplified to a ...

was a more advanced trainer that was introduced in larger quantities during the late 1930s. In addition to pursuing its own designs, IAR also pursued work via the

licensed production Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary compon ...

of foreign-developed aircraft.

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

's innovative PZL P.11 fighter captured the attention of Romanian officials, leading to a batch of 95 aircraft, referred to as the ''P.11f'', being built by IAR starting in 1936.Morgała 1997, p. 63. The Romanian Air Force was greatly appreciative of the type, which heavily contributed to the decision to also licensed produce its upgraded derivative, the

PZL P.24 The PZL P.24 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed during the mid-1930s in the PZL factory in Warsaw. It was developed as a dedicated export version of the PZL P.11, a gull wing all-metal fighter designed by Polish aeronautical engineer Z ...

, which had been designed exclusively for the export market. Both models would see combat service during the

. IAR worked throughout the conflict to produce large numbers of combat aircraft to equip the Romanian military. Perhaps one of the most significant aircraft to be produced by the company was built during these years in the form of the

, a low-wing

all-metal

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

fighter and

ground-attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pres ...

. When it first flew in 1939, the IAR 80 was claimed to be comparable to contemporary designs being deployed by the most advanced military powers, including the British

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...

and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E. An improved model, the IAR 81 fighter aircraft, was designed and produced mid-way through the war as well. The type remained in frontline use until May 1945, when the conflict was brought to an end.

Cold War era

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, starting from 1946, the production of IAR was oriented towards the manufacture of tractors. The first tractor produced being the IAR 22. Between 1945 and 1947, under the coordination of Radu Manicatide and Radu Mărdărescu, IAR developed a microcar, named M.R., and an automobile. However, the company did not persist with road vehicle development in the long term. From 1947, IAR became the ''Intreprinderea Metalurgica de Stat'' (State Ironworks) and from 1948, the company was renamed to (UTB). IIL logo

The current IAR was re-established in 1968 at

, under the name ''Intreprinderea de Construcţii Aeronautice'' (ICA). The ICA developed from the former ''Intreprinderea de Industrie Locală'' (IIL) glider manufacturer. During this time, the company began to produce

helicopters A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

, motor gliders and airplanes, besides gliders. Romania arranged multiple licensing agreements with France, resulting in IAR producing

Aérospatiale Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ...

's SA 316B Alouette III under the local designation of IAR 316. The company also manufactured a localised version of the

Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter that was designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation. It is capable of carrying up to 20 passengers as well as ...

, designated IAR 330.Marnix Sap, Carlo Brummer: ''Fortele Aeriene Romane'' in: Lotnictwo Nr. 4/2010, pp. 40–41 These rotorcraft were not only manufactured for domestic consumption, such as the Romanian Air Force, but also for the global market; roughly one-third of all IAR 330s were reportedly sold to export customers.IISS Military Balance 2010
/ref> During the late 1980s, a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

-Romanian partnership led to the development of the

Kamov Ka-126 The Kamov Ka-126 (NATO reporting name Hoodlum) is a Soviet light utility helicopter with co-axial rotors. Evolved from Ka-26 with engine pods removed from stub wings, fitted with one TVO-100 turboshaft engine positioned on top of fuselage, mod ...

helicopter; only a handful were built before production was terminated shortly following the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred ...

and the collapse of the Communist government. Since 1968, IAR has produced more than 360 helicopters, along with 830 gliders and including motor gliders, as well as 136

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

Twenty-first century

During the late 1990s, American aerospace company Bell Helicopters entered negotiations on the topic of acquiring a majority stake in IAR. 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 olde ...

, Bell was at one stage set to purchase a 70 percent shareholding in the firm; this arrangement was closely tied to a planned procurement of the AH-1RO Dracula

attack helicopter An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they ...

by Romania, which would have been manufactured locally by IAR. However, by 1998, the purchase was put on hold while efforts were made to raise funds for the AH-1RO purchase. Following a period of negotiations, in November 1999, Bell announced that it had abandoned its intentions to take over IAR and to locally produce the AH-1RO. During 2000, it was announced that the multinational helicopter manufacturer

was holding discussions over its own bid for IAR. Later that same year, IAR established ''Eurocopter Romania'' in conjunction with Eurocopter, the former held a 49% stake in the newly-created

. In November 2015,

Airbus Helicopters Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located at Marseille Provence Ai ...

announced plans to invest €52 million in a Romanian facility to manufacture the 8.6t H215M Super Puma; this arrangement was reportedly reliant upon an initial order for 16 being placed by the Romanian government to extend the type's production."Romania to host production of new, robust, and cost-effective H215 heavy helicopter."
''Airbus Helicopters'', 17 November 2015.