- Yes
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Description/History:
The IAR-47 was a prototype observation/recon light bomber aircraft developed from 1941-1942 by Industria Aeronautică Română as a potential replacement for their older IAR-37, 38, and 39 aircraft. The The IAR-47s design is a sort of hybrid of the IAR-80, and IAR-39 with its fuselage being directly based on the IAR-39s, however unlike the IAR-39, it lacked observers side windows, and having only two crewmembers instead of 3. The IAR-47 had a similar low-winged monoplane design as the IAR-80, and had a reinforced undercarriage. The aircraft had 23 7.92mm MGs in total, with one on each wing, and one in the fuselage for the observer/rear gunner. The planes bomb bay was located in between the two crew members in the fuselage, and the bomb bay could be filled with extra fuel tanks when in the observation/recon role, which increased its operational range. For observation, the aircraft had 3 cameras, one vertical and two 45° oblique, which were located in the fuselage underside.
The IAR-47 was first flown in 1942, and was found to have good handling during testing. Despite this the aircraft was never approved for production as newer soviet fighters had made this aircraft obsolete due to it being slow and having weak armaments. Another reason is that the BF-109 had priority in local production, and so the project was canceled. IAR would later use experience gained from the IAR-47 to design the IAR-471, which was a ground attack and dive bomber aircraft that also failed to see production. There were two prototypes, both were similar, however one had windows under the fuselage, and the other did not. The prototype with the extra windows is believed to have been destroyed during a USAAF air raid in 1944, while the other prototype was given civilian registration (YR-IGR) post-war, and survived until the 1950s.
Specifications:
Spoiler
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)
- Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 23.8 m2 (256 sq ft)
- Gross weight: 3,550 kg (7,826 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × IAR K.14-IV C32 radial piston , 716 kW (960 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 464 km/h (288 mph, 251 kn) at 4,300 m (14,100 ft)
- Range: 850 km (530 mi, 460 nmi) without bomb bay tank
- Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,245 ft)
Armament
- 2 x 7.92mm Rheinmetall MG in the wings
- 1 x 7.92mm Rheinmetall MG for rear gunner
- 6 x 50 kg bombs
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