IAR 39

The IAR-39 was a Romanian reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber from the interwar period and World War II in a mixed biplane design. The drive was provided by a single radial motor IAR C 14-IV C32 with 870 hp. The flight of the prototype took place in 1939, and in the years 1940-1944 about 160 aircraft of this type were produced. The deck armament consisted of three 7.7 mm machine guns. The machine could carry a load of bombs weighing up to 300 kilograms. The IAR-39 was created as a development of the previous designs of the Industria Aeronautica Romana plant, i.e. the IAR-37 and IAR-38 machines. It differed from the IAR-38 in the power unit used, reinforced structure and better performance. IAR-39 aircraft were intensively used by the Romanian Air Force during the fighting on the Eastern Front in 1941-1944. They took part in Operation Barbarossa and in the fighting at Stalingrad in 1942-1943. During 1943, they were used primarily for patrol tasks over the Black Sea basin. In 1944, they were still used in battles with the Red Army, until the signing of a ceasefire between Romania and the Soviet Union.