The relatively poor performance of the IAR 80 at the Talons 38 competition showed to IAR a need for more power. The problem of course was attempting to find that power, IAR was a small company, and although there had been some cooperation with Poland's larger PZL in the past, neither was in the business of developing more powerful motors for IAR. Therefore, IAR went to Gnome-Rhone for engines once again. Although the Germans did have more powerful engines available to sell, IAR decided to go with proven Gnome-Rhone. Gnome-Rhone had their new 14R ready which more than met the requirements of IAR for more power. Actually, the design would require some strengthening of the airframe in general to work in the IAR 80, so for the interim a derated verion of the 14R would be fitted to the basic IAR 80 frame, which itself would have to be strengthend. Unfortunately, despite the rush job placed on it by the Romanian government, it would just miss Talons 39, but would compete in Talons 40 with its uprated cousin, the IAR 81A.
IAR 81
General characteristics
Crew: one, pilot
Length: 8.97 m (29 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.535 m (11 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 17 m² (183 ft²)
Empty weight: 2500 kg (5,512 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 3250 kg (7,165 lb)
Powerplant: 1× IAR K14R air-cooled 14 cylinder double-row radial, (1,400hp)
Performance
Maximum speed: 625 km/h (388 mph)
Range: 730 km on internal fuel only/1330 km with extra fuel tanks (394 nm, 454 mi/718 nm, 826 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (32,800 ft)
Wing loading: 132.35 kg/m² (27.1 lb/ft²)
Armament
2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon and 4 × 7.92 mm FN machine guns mounted in the inner portion of the wing; provision for one 225 kg (500 lb) bomb under the fuselage