IAR-93 Vultur


The Avioane Craiova IAR-93 Vultur is a twinjet, subsonic, close support, ground attack and tactical reconnaissance aircraft with secondary capability as low level interceptor. Built as single-seat main attack version or combat capable two-seat version for advanced flying and weapon training, it was developed in 1970s by Romania and Yugoslavia to become more independent from Soviet equipment. The Romanian aircraft were built by I.R.Av. Craiova as IAR-93, and its Yugoslav counterpart by Soko as the Soko J-22 Orao. For Romania, the IAR-93 was intended to replace MiG-15s and MiG-17s in the fighter-bomber role.

Development

On May 20, 1971, Romania and Socialist [Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia] signed the governmental agreements for the YuRom R&D programme. The program managers were Dipl. Dr. Engineer Teodor Zamfirescu for the Romanian party and Colonel Vidoje Knežević for the Yugoslav party.
The requirements called for a light subsonic aircraft for ground attack and tactical reconnaissance missions and with low level air combat as a secondary capability. It was to be built on a simple structure, using locally produced equipment and avionics, tough, easy to maintain, and reliable. The aircraft was of conventional twin-engine, high mounted wing monoplane configuration with all flying surfaces swept. The Rolls-Royce Viper was chosen as the powerplant, as SOKO had experience with licence-building this engine. It was originally intended that an afterburner would be developed for the Viper engines, but there were prolonged difficulties with this project, meaning that none of the pre-production aircraft featured it, and neither did early production examples. During the 1980s, both countries developed slightly different versions to take advantage of the afterburning engines that had since become available.

Flight testing

The Romanian single-seat prototype White 001 made its first flight, which lasted 21 minutes, on October 31, 1974, at Bacău. The aircraft was flown by Colonel Gheorghe Stănică. On September 20, 1979, the plane was lost when, during a test flight, both engines stopped, and the pilot ejected. This prompted modifications to the combustion chamber.
On July 18, 1975 the aircraft was presented to Nicolae Ceauşescu on the Bacău airfield.
The DC prototype #003 first flew on January 23, 1977, and was lost on November 24, 1977, due to tail flutter. The left elevator broke off while in level flight at altitude and. The Martin-Baker Mk RU10J zero-zero ejection seats functioned well and the two test pilots ejected safely. After this event the aft fuselage structure was reinforced.
Prototype #004 crashed at Craiova Air Base on February 20, 1979, during an aerobatics demonstration. The pilot, Capt. Eng. Dobre Stan, did not manage to eject.
On August 23, 1979, three IAR-93 were first presented to the public in flight during the military parade celebrating the national day of Romania at that time.

Variants

  • IAR-93A: initial production version with non-afterburning Viper Mk 632-41 turbojets
15 pre-production aircraft delivered in 1979; entered service in 1981
26 built as single-seaters and 9 DC trainers
  • IAR-93MB: MB = Motor de Baza. This version had the fuselage of the IAR-93B but used the non-afterburning engine of the IAR-93A
delivered starting with 1982
15 single-seaters built
  • IAR-93B: refined version with afterburning Viper Mk 633-47 engines, increased internal fuel capacity, upgraded hardpoints and revised wing, including leading edge extensions. Also, the ventral fins, inboard wing fences and forward fuselage strakes were removed
first flew in 1985; entered service in 1987
27 built as single-seater and 7 DC

Operators

; Romania
Data from Romanian press and partially from
  • #002, November 24, 1977 The left elevator broke off due to flutter. Both pilots, Col. Gheorghe D. Stanica and Col. Petru Ailiesei, ejected safely.
  • #003, February 20, 1979 at Craiova Air Base. Capt. Eng. Dobre Stan did not manage to eject.
  • #001, September 20, 1979 Both engines stopped. Col. Ilie P. Botea ejected safely.
  • #113, March 8, 1983 Crashed on landing due to pilot error. Maj. Ion G. Tanase ejected safely.
  • #602, August 25, 1992 Both pilots, Maj. Dan C. Cosaceanu and Cpt. Traian G. Neagoe, ejected safely.
  • #200, November 26, 1996 at Recea-Slatina. Crashed during a test flight. Cpt. Cmdr. Matei "Bebe" Constantin ejected safely.
  • #210, July 9, 1997 at Craiova Air Base. Exploded on the runway during preparations for Romanian-made cluster munitions testing. 16 ground personnel died. The pilot, Cmdr. Ion Marculescu, had not yet approached the plane and was unharmed.
  • #219, April 9, 1998 at Ghercesti, near Craiova. The forward landing gear could not be deployed after a test flight. Cmdr. Ion Marculescu ejected safely after exhausting the fuel and the airplane crashed a few km further. This was the last flight for the type.

    Retirement

Following the outbreak of the war in Yugoslavia and the UN embargo, the IAR-93 program ended in Romania in 1992, with several airframes in different stages of construction. Around 75 aircraft were still in service, a few of them being used for testing and research.
The last IAR-93s were withdrawn and mothballed from the Romanian Air Force in 1998. Surviving airframes were stored at Deveselu, Timișoara, and Craiova.
The J-22 Orao are still in service with the air force of Serbia. The last Yugoslav aircraft was delivered in February 1992, and the plant in Mostar was destroyed shortly after.

Aircraft on display