"Late sixties the YAF management speculated of possibility to develop a trans-sound strike aircraft, for a time to replace strike J-21 Jastreb. As the autonomous development and production of such aircraft was very expensive, it was decided to project it in cooperation with Rumanian aeronautical industry, in order to share the expenses. Under the designation J-22 Orao (Eagle), the plane was designed at the Air Technical Institute, Žarkovo and in the Aeronautical Institute at Buckhurst, while the production was shared between the aircraft factories "Soko”, at Mostar, and "Utva”, Pančevo, Yugoslavia, and IAR, in Rumania. Yugoslav prototype took off first time simultaneously as Rumanian IAR-93, on 31st October 1974, piloted by Major Vladislav Slavujević. The first presentation in public of Yugoslav prototype happened on the occasion of the Victory Day jubilee, at Beograd, on 9th May 1975, when colonel Franc Rupnik flew Orao heading aviation echelon. During testing in Air Test Center were tried out several configuration of wings, and thus the basic type designation got the suffix "H”, "Hybrid”.
Besides new technology of aircraft production mastered, also production of aircraft engines under British-Italian license was achieved, (the same type as engines applied on G-4 "Super Galeb”). But, due to insufficient technological development of cooperators, which were supposed to manufacture aircraft components, introduction of Orao postponed ten years.
During further development of basic aircraft appeared also two-seat version of trainer plane NJ-22, (maiden flight in November 1976), the reconnaissance version IJ-22 (first flight in January 1981), and J-22NS (SY-1), supplied by stronger engine Mk 663-41, with afterburner. On the prototype of this last version, (serial 25101), test pilot Marjan Jelen, on 22nd November 1984, flying over Batajnica Air Base in a shallow dive (of 15 degrees), broke the sound barrier, exceeding Mach 1, and thus Orao became the first Yugoslav supersonic aircraft, of indigenous design and manufacture. Nevertheless, unable to fly faster then sound in level flight, Orao stayed in subsonic aircraft category. All variants of Orao were capable of landing to and taking off the grass airstrip. In all, there were bulit 103 planes of all Orao variants. As a part of armament, it was in particular developed the V-3 "Grom” rocket projectile, whose basic version was guided to target optically, by assistance of radio. Except Grom, Orao was able to carry and fire American missile B-3 type AGM-65 Maverick.
Orao is still in operational service in the Serbian AF, and it’s first prototype J-22H, (the YAF serial 25001), after withdrawal from the operational use, in 1986 was given to the Air Museum."
