IAR-93 Vultur

Industria Aeronautică Română / SOKO · Romania · first flew 1974 · fighter

The IAR-93 Vultur (Vulture) was a joint Romanian-Yugoslav close support and ground-attack aircraft developed collaboratively between the two non-Soviet Warsaw Pact nations to reduce dependence on Soviet imports. In Yugoslav service it was designated the SOKO J-22 Orao (Eagle).

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Side-by-side engine intakes flanking the fuselage nose
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Romanian-Yugoslav twin-engine subsonic ground attack jet
Side-by-side engine intakes flanking the fuselage nose
Known as J-22 Orao in Yugoslav service

Identified by its twin side-mounted engine intakes, moderately swept mid wing, single fin, and the characteristic nose-cone radome giving it a pugnacious appearance; closely resembles the SEPECAT Jaguar in general layout.

Specifications

The IAR-93 Vultur has a length of 14.9 m (49 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.3 m (31 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1086 km/h (675 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Development began in the early 1970s under a bilateral agreement, with the first prototype flying in 1974. Both nations produced their own versions with locally built engines; the aircraft served throughout the 1980s and saw combat during the Yugoslav Wars in the Orao variant.

Variants

The IAR-93A was the initial Romanian version; IAR-93B had afterburning engines; the Yugoslav J-22 Orao and its two-seat NJ-22 trainer variant were parallel developments.

Where you'll see it

Served with the Romanian Air Force and the Yugoslav/Serbian Air Force; the Orao saw combat in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.

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