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The IAR 471 was a Romanian World War II prototype of ground attack aircraft and dive bomber aircraft built in 1943 by Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR).

Development

The IAR-81 had not proved a great success as an improvised dive bomber and experience with the IAR-47 showed that the IAR K14 would not be up to the demands of powering a full-sized dive bomber. Thus by early 1943 the Royal Romanian Air Force still lacked an effective ground support aircraft. In November 1942, IAR had at last secured a license for the manufacture of the German DB 605 engine and planning now centred on this powerplant. On January 16, 1943, a new dive bomber project, the IAR-471, was commissioned which was to be powered by the DB 605. Although the Germans lent Romania numerous Stukas from mid-1943, they would not sell any. Therefore, the design of the IAR-471 was persevered with for reasons of self-sufficiency.

Despite its designation, the IAR-471 bore little resemblance to the smaller IAR 47 and was essentially a different aircraft. It was designed with a superior performance to the Stuka, much helped by the retractable undercarriage, but a lighter bomb load, and on May 7, 1944, the Stuka's two underwing 37mm cannons were ordered to be included in its specification. It was planned to order 100 IAR-471s and 136 engines from IAR in 1944/1945, but IAR was in the throes of dispersing its factories and beginning production of the Bf 109G and declared itself incapable of simultaneously producing the IAR-471. This halted the project even before Romania's defection to the Allies on August 23, 1944. No prototype flew. There was (at least) one IAR 471 prototype built.

Operators

Kingdom of Romania

• Royal Romanian Air Force

Specifications (IAR 471)

Data from On Three Fronts: Romania's Aircraft Industry During World War Two

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 14 m (45 ft 10 in)
• Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 29 m (312 sq ft)
• Gross weight: 4,300 kg (9,479 lb) without bomb load
• Powerplant: 1 × IAR DB 605 , 1,100 kW (1,475 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 490 km/h (304 mph, 264 kn)
• Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,245 ft)

Armament

• 1 x 20mm MG151 cannon firing through the airscrew spinner
• 2 x 7.92mm Rheinmetall wing mounted
• 2 x 37mm BK 3,7 Rheinmetall under wing
• 2 x 7.92mm Rheinmetall MG for rear gunner
• 500 kg (1,100lb) bomb under fuselage
• 2 x 100 kg (220lb) bombs

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Caproni A.P.1
• Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik
• Douglas SBD Dauntless
• Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
• Aichi D3A "Val"
• Blackburn Skua
• Heinkel He 118
• Yokosuka D4Y
• Henschel Hs 123
• Henschel Hs 129

References

1. ^ Axworthy 1994, pp.10-11.

• Axworthy, Max. "On Three Fronts: Romania's Aircraft Industry During World War Two". Air Enthusiast, Archived 2012-10-04 at the Wayback Machine No.56, Winter 1994. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN 0143-5450. pp. 8–27.
• Morosanu, Teodor Liviu. "Romanian Reconnaissance". Air International, April 1994, Vol 46 No 4. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN 0306-5634. pp. 207–211.

• 1940s Romanian attack aircraft
• World War II Romanian reconnaissance aircraft
• IAR aircraft
• Low-wing aircraft
• Single-engined tractor aircraft
• Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear
• Unflown aircraft
• Single-engined piston aircraft