IAR 316

Pilot Trainer / Light Utility Helicopter

Romania | 1971

"The Romanian IAR 316 is nothing more than a license-production copy of the French Aerospatiale SA 319B Alouette III helicopter."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/07/2024 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Romanian IAR 316 Light Utility Helicopter was a locally-built (under license) form of the popular French-made Aerospatiale Alouette III series (SA 316B model). The Alouette III first flew in prototype form on February 28th, 1959 and saw service introduction in 1960, still maintaining an active presence in the skies today (2016). Over 2,000 of the type were eventually produced for a variety of global operators. The Romanian form itself was introduced in 1971 and saw manufacture from 1971 until 1987 with 250 units delivered. These have served in both utility and training roles for their time in the air.

IAR is the Industria Aeronautica Romana aerospace manufacturer of Ghimbav.

Because of its origins in the French design, little was changed in the local Romanian model. As Romania fell under the communist reach during the Cold War decades, the helicopter was modified to support Eastern Bloc weapons and equipment though, in both form and function, there was little separating the two designs - the single engine fit powered a three-bladed main rotor with three-bladed tail rotor, the nose section was wholly glazed over for excellent vision out-of-the-cockpit, and the tricycle undercarriage was fixed in place during flight.

The standard IAR 316 model was finalized with a Turbomeca "Artouste" IIIB series turboshaft engine of 570 horsepower. Maximum speed reached 130 miles per hour with a range out to 335 miles and a service ceiling up to 10,500 feet.

While the original IAR 316 model could be outfitted with a light weapons set, IAR engineers took to refining the product for the attack helicopter role in the IAR 317 "Airfox" offering. For this model the cockpit was completed reworked to include a stepped pilot/gunner arrangement while wing stubs were added to the fuselage sides for management of Anti-Tank (AT) missiles, rocket pods and machine guns. Beyond that, the major structure and components were retained from the original IAR 316. Despite this work, the IAR 317 failed to net any market interest and only a sole prototype was completed.

Beyond operational service with the Romanian Air Force, the IAR 316 was adopted by the Angolan Air Force.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the IAR 316 Pilot Trainer / Light Utility Helicopter.

1 x Turbomeca Artouste IIIB turboshaft engine developing 570 horsepower to a three-blade main rotor and a three-blade tail rotor.
Propulsion

130 mph
210 kph | 113 kts
Max Speed

10,499 ft
3,200 m | 2 miles
Service Ceiling

336 miles
540 km | 292 nm
Operational Range

850 ft/min
259 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the IAR 316 Pilot Trainer / Light Utility Helicopter.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

42.1 ft
12.82 m
O/A Length

36.2 ft
(11.02 m)
O/A Width

9.7 ft
(2.97 m)
O/A Height

2,315 lb
(1,050 kg)
Empty Weight

4,850 lb
(2,200 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the IAR 316 Pilot Trainer / Light Utility Helicopter provided across 2 hardpoints.

OPTIONAL:
2 x 57mm rocket pods.
2 x 7.62mm machine gun pods.
2 x Anti-Tank Missile Launchers.

X

Hardpoints Key:

Centerline

Wingroot(L)

Wingroot(R)

Wing

Wingtip

Internal

Not Used

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the IAR 316 family line.

IAR 316 - Base Series Designation; license-production copy; based on the French Aerospatiale SA 319B Alouette III series light helicopters.

IAR 317 "Airfox" - Proposed dedicated attack helicopter variant; Turbomeca Artouste IIIB turboshaft engine; stepped two-seat cockpit; armored cockpit; stub wings; single prototype example constructed; never entered production.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the IAR 316. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 250 Units
Contractor(s): Industria Aeronautica Romana (IAR) - Romania

[ Angola; Romania ]

Going Further...
The IAR 316 Pilot Trainer / Light Utility Helicopter appears in the following collections:

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