Overview
The I-22 Iryda was a Polish trainer/light strike aircraft developed from the late 70s through the late 80s. The M-93V version was advertised for export, particularly to the Indian Air Force, with no success. One prototype was produced.
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History
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Predecessor Programs
The story of the I-22 starts with the TS-11. Entering service in 1964, the TS-11 Iskra “Spark” was a Polish trainer/light combat aircraft. Several hundred were produced in a half dozen variants, one of the most successful Polish aircraft. While advanced for the time, the march of technology continued on and in 1972 development of a successor began.
This was designated the M-16 and would be a supersonic, high-winged, twin-engine aircraft with a single-seat strike version and a twin-seat strike/trainer version both with advanced avionics and systems. First deliveries were expected in 1982.
The M-16 project was ambitious but also unrealistic. Suitable engines and avionics were not available and the Soviet Union was applying significant pressure on Poland, unhappy with the growing independence of the aviation industry. So in 1976 the M-16 project was reworked as the Iskra 2 with less ambitious performance. Initial production was pushed back to 1988 and budget estimates were increased by 50%. This was much more realistic than the M-16 program. The Iskra 2 was intended to replace both the Iskra and the Lim-1-6 series of license-produced MiGs.
But even before work really began, the project was killed. The decrease in performance and increase in cost and timeline meant the Iskra 2 was simply not desirable compared to purchasing Soviet designs. There would still be a need for a basin jet trainer, but the lofty goal of producing an all-in-one aircraft was dead. So in 1977, new requirements were put out for a subsonic trainer with secondary combat capabilities, to be designated the Iskra-22.
Dawn of the I-22
In April 1978 the first Iskra-22 concept was unveiled. A high-wing twin-engined aircraft sharing an overall design similar to the Alpha Jet, it was to be produced in both single- and twin-seat versions. Initial production models would be powered by a modified version of the TS-11’s SO-3W turbojet, while the main production model would use a more powerful engine that would be developed alongside the aircraft. Prototypes were expected by 1982, a frankly unrealistic timeline. Analysis of the proposal in November revealed the aircraft to be unlikely to meet the required performance, and the required engine being much more advanced than was available in Poland at the time, but nonetheless the Iskra-22 was greenlit with high priority in January 1979, largely due to Poland’s growing desire to distance itself from the Soviets, which in part meant developing domestic military equipment.
In 1979 designers began to partly recognize the unrealistic development timeline and expected deliveries were pushed back to 1985, though PZL continued to aim for the original date.
Enter the Rook
In April 1979 Poland was offered license-production of the Su-25. The Su-25 was expected to be more expensive than the Iskra-22 but was already a proven design and would alleviate the need for development of advanced avionics and materials. While it would increase Polish reliance on the Soviet Union, the license production of the Su-25 would be much quicker to implement than the development of the Iskra-22.
So by October the Iskra-22 program was modified, with the single-seat strike version dropped in favour of Su-25 production and total orders cut from 400 to 100-150 aircraft accordingly, of only the twin-seat trainer, now aimed for a 1984 production date.
However, the formation of the Solidarity trade union in the second half of 1980 created a divide between Poland and the Soviets, resulting in the Soviet Union pulling out of their Su-25 offer in 1981. By this point the strike Iryda had gone too long without further development and Poland was left without a strike aircraft.
Finishing Development
The requirements for the Iskra-22 were once again reevaluated in 1980, mainly due to the underperformance of the selected engines. The aircraft, now called simply the I-22, would be built in three versions- an initial trainer model powered by SO-3W22s and with a 1,200kg load, the intermediate model powered by K-15s with a 2,000kg load, and an advanced single-seat fighter-bomber model designated the I-22M. The I-22M was to be powered by new afterburning engines and feature a 3,000kg load, increased fuel capacity, and a radar to allow use of radar-guided missiles (likely R-23s). All models would carry bombs, incendiary bombs, cluster bombs, rockets, rocket pods, and R-3S missiles. Production of three prototypes and a static airframe of the basic model were to begin production immediately.
Finally, Into Production
Final design work for the prototype continued through the early 80s, delayed and hindered by the worsening economic and political situation of the country as well as the conversion from traditional paper to computer programs for design and failure of the USSR to provide resources on time. So it was only in 1984 that the I-22 first saw the light of day- at this time receiving the name Iryda. First flight occurred on 3rd May 1985. Number of prototypes was increased from 3 to 6 to be completed between 1986-1990. As a result of flight testing, a number of small changes particularly to the aerodynamic surfaces were implemented. At this time the SO-3W22 was redesignated the K-5.
Despite the loss of prototype 02, the prototype series actually was completed on time and in early 1991 a pre-production series of aircraft, the I-22 M-91, was ordered. Prototype 06 was standardized as the first M-91 though it’s unclear if it counted among the 12 ordered. The first new-build M-91s entered service in October 1992 and crews began training on the aircraft in 1993. They were found to be unsatisfactory, with outdated 70s avionics, underpowered engines, and no suspended armaments (though the aircraft were designed to carry suspended weapons, none were purchased until the M-93 model!).
Upping the Standard- the M-93K
As the M-91 was entering construction, the K-15 engine was undergoing testing. On December 22nd, 1992 a pair of M-91s were fitted with K-15s for the first time. These aircraft were designated the M-92, redesignated the M-93 in January. The M-93 fell just short of program requirements, so alternative drives were looked in to, but all had their issues. The SNECMA Larzac 04-C 20 was deemed too expensive, the Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5C would require a substantial redesign of the airframe. In the end two powerplants were selected- the original K-15 for domestic M-93K models and the Rolls-Royce Viper 535 for the export M-93V model. This decision was a result of the K-15 stimulating the economy and already being integrated into the I-22, while the Viper was overall the best powerplant, with similar performance to the K-15 but much higher fuel efficiency. At this time, many future models were planned- the M-95 photorecon, M-97S single-seat strike, M-97MS fighter-bomber, and M-93RM and M-99 for naval recon and strike. In the meantime, the M-93K lacked avionics.
French company SAGEM would win a contract for I-22 avionics in mid 1993, the first M-93K fitted with their avionics suite in February 1994. While the M-91 had 70s vintage avionics scavenged from decommissioned MiG-21s, the M-93 was to be fitted with all modern systems, including GPS navigation, HUD, MFDs, and computerized systems allowing for future upgrades such as guided air-to-ground weapons. The M-93K was officially accepted into service on the last day of 1994.
Export Failure
ANP-01-06, the first production I-22, was converted into the M-93V prototype. It was displayed at Farnborough 1994. The main export target was India, the only export customer of the TS-11. However, due to the lack of I-22s already in service there was not any significant interest in the M-93V.
And Again
The M-93K was determined to have insufficient performance and it was decided to work on an improved model to fulfil the needs of the armed forces, while producing small numbers of the M-93K and bringing existing airframes up to the standard. So in 1995 6 M-93Ks were produced and the fleet of M-91s were retrofitted to M-93K standard while the majority of work was put towards developing the further refined M-96 model.
Specifications
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Airframe
Length: 13.22m
Span: 9.60m
Height: 4.30m
Wing Area: 19.92m^2
Empty Weight: 4,650kg
Combat Weight: 6,100kg
MTOW: 8,700kg
Crew: 2- pilot, co-pilot
Propulsion
2x Viper 535 turbojet
Max thrust: 14.9kN (each)
Max TWR: 0.66
Internal Fuel: 2,410L
External Fuel: 2x380L
Flight Performance
Max Speed, Sea Level: 980km/h (Ma 0.79)
Max Speed, 5km: 950km/h (Ma 0.82)
Max Climb Rate: 42m/s
Max Overload: +8/-4g
Armament
Built-in:
1x GSh-23L cannon
200 rounds
Underwing hardpoints x4 (total 1,800kg max):
1x or 4x 100kg FAB-100 bomb
1x or 4x 100kg OFAB-100M bomb
1x 250kg OFAB-250M-46 bomb
1x 250kg OFAB-250Sh retarded bomb
1x 250kg ZAB-250-200 incendiary bomb
1x 500kg FAB-500M-62 bomb
1x 500kg FAB-500M-62sh retarded bomb
1x ZB-500 incendiary bomb
1x S-24B rocket
1x Mars-2 rocket pod (4x S-5K)
1x Mars-4 rocket pod (8x S-5K)
1x UB-16 rocket pod (16x S-5K)
1x UB-32 rocket pod (32x S-5K)
1x B-8M rocket pod (20x S-8KO)
1x R-3S
1x R-60
1x R-60MK
1x UPK-23-250 cannon pod
23x115mm
250 rounds
3,000 RPM
710m/s
1x Zues-1 gun pod
7.62mm
(literally no more info on this gun pod anywhere)
1x 380L external fuel tank (outer pylons only)
Avionics and Systems
SPO-10 RWR
RL-750W radar altimeter
2x Freon fire extinguisher systems
CCIP for bombs/rockets
The I-22 M-93V in-game
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The I-22 M-93V would be a key part of a future Polish tech tree. Being an export model of identical performance to the tech tree M-93K, it would make for a perfect premium vehicle, similar to the Su-25K vs Su-25.
Performance-wise, it’s in a bit of a weird spot. For ARB, in many ways it’s very similar to the Su-25s or even A-10s, with one notable exception- no countermeasures. While it might seem impossible to balance an aircraft with all-aspect missiles but no countermeasures, I believe that there’s actually a pretty perfect opening at BR 10.0. Just below the Su-25s, the M-93V would have a great offensive armament but be forced to rely on maneuver for defense. In GRB, the lack of guided weapons would drop the M-93V down to a similar BR as the M-91, likely around 9.0.
Pros:
- up to 128 rockets
- wide variety of bombs including napalm
- RWR
- agile
- 4x R-60MK missiles!
- GSh-23L cannon, plus up to 4x UPK-23-250
Cons:
- poor climb rate
- very slow
- no countermeasures!
- unlike A-10, Su-25, Sea Harrier, no designated missile pylons. R-60MKs always come at expense of other ordinance.
Gallery
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The M-16 design
The Iskra-2 design
And finally, the I-22
The nb 01-06 prototype became the first M-91
The M-92 prototype
The M-93K prototype with armament spread.
The M-93V prototype. There isn’t much to for photos here besides its sole livery
The M-93V now resides at Mielic Airport
Fore and rear cockpits. The top console in the rear cockpit allows the instructor to simulate various system failures for the student in the fore cockpit
Cutaway drawing showing the interior layout of an I-22
Sources
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https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_pdf.cfm?DACH_RECNO=259
PZL I-22 Iryda Trainer, Light Attack
PZL I-22 Iryda. Part 1. 1985. – Polot
PZL I-22 Iryda. Part 2. 1985. – Polot
PZL I-22 Iryda. Part 3. 1985. – Polot
PZL I-22 Iryda. Part 4. 1985. – Polot
PZL I-22 Iryda. Part 5. 1985. – Polot
PZL I-22 Iryda. 2018. – Polot
Other I-22 models!
M-91
M-93K
M-96 (soon tm)
M-93M (soon tm)
