Oliverlovesplanes
Airman 1st Class
- 175
- Mar 9, 2026
Does anyone know If these fighters ever faced the axis/allies?....Fighting for Romania, I believe they have served with the russians and french.
I.A.R. 80 (Romania) (1939) (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter Oliverlovesplanes
- Start date
cammerjeff
Tech Sergeant
Yes they only Flew for Romania as far as I know, in its fighter and dive bomber versions, they fought the russians from 1941-44 when Romania switched sides, after that date they flew alongside Russia, and would have faced German and Hungarian forces.
fubar57
General
If you find find this book at a decent price, you could pretty much build one
I didn't realize there were so many variants.....
.....and with each variant came change. I believe three different instrument panels, markings and camouflage schemes among others.
special ed
1st Lieutenant
- 7,095
- May 13, 2018
It is my understanding they intercepted B-24s during the Ploesti raids where they were misidentified as Fw 190s by USAAC aircrew.
These are, more likely, just production batches - in most cases, the changes were minor.
fubar57
General
From the book, more than minor changes.....
I suppose that the differences between the various production batches of the LaGG-3 were greater.
Actually the P-24, IIRC. A slightly modified rear part of the fuselage was of the Polish fighter. The entire rest of the kite including the engine was the new design.
The known air battle between P-38 and IAR-80 planes was a floows acoording to AI:
The most famous engagement between Romanian IAR-80/IAR-81C fighters and American P-38 Lightnings occurred on June 10, 1944, during a low-level USAAF raid on the Ploiești oil refineries in Romania. [1, 2]
Key Details of the Battle (June 10, 1944)
Performance Comparison
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuhaH5G6Obs
The most famous engagement between Romanian IAR-80/IAR-81C fighters and American P-38 Lightnings occurred on June 10, 1944, during a low-level USAAF raid on the Ploiești oil refineries in Romania. [1, 2]
Key Details of the Battle (June 10, 1944)
- The Combatants: Captain Dan Vizanty led 23 to 26 Romanian IAR-81C fighters of Grupul 6 Vânătoare against roughly 75 to 94 American P-38 Lightnings from the USAAF 1st and 82nd Fighter Groups. [1, 2, 3]
- The Setting: American P-38s were heavily loaded with bombs and flying at low altitudes (between 100 and 300 feet), which completely neutralized their high-altitude speed and performance advantages. [1, 2, 3]
- Tactics & Surprise: The Romanian IAR-81Cs dove from higher altitude and caught the American formation off-guard in a fast-moving, chaotic dogfight that lasted only about four minutes. [1, 2, 3]
- Losses and Claims:
USAAF: Official American records show 22 to 24 P-38s lost during the mission (with around 9 to 14 shot down directly by the IAR-80s). American pilots initially claimed over 30 enemy aircraft, often misidentifying the IAR-80s as German Focke-Wulf Fw 190s.Romanian Air Force (FARR): Romanians claimed up to 23–24 victories while officially suffering about 3 to 4 losses (including operational and mid-air collisions). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Performance Comparison
- IAR-80 / IAR-81C Advantages:
Light, nimble, and highly maneuverable in tight, low-altitude dogfights.Deadly when the twin-engine P-38 was slowed down by heavy bomb loads or low-level evasion. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- P-38 Lightning Advantages:
Superior speed, heavy armament, armor protection, and performance at high altitude (above 6,000 meters), where the IAR-80 was completely outclassed by later Allied fighters like the P-51 Mustang. [1, 2, 3]
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuhaH5G6Obs
