Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms Space By Flag By Year By Tag

Polikarpov I-153 (Chaika)

1939 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History of Polikarpov I-153 (Chaika)

Polikarpov Aeroconglomerate has been in operation since the 1920s, offering various biplane and monoplane developments leading to its participation in World War II (1939- 1945) led. Although the company eventually merged into the rival Lavochkin Bureau, it eventually delivered the famous barrel-shaped I-16 fast monoplane in 1933 and served against the Axis powers in the air battles that followed.

Its predecessor was the "I-15" (Chaika) biplane in 1933, and a further development of this fighter, the "I-153", appeared in 1937 (internal company name "I-15ter").

The I-153 is another study that enhances the powerful inherent qualities of the I-15 platform - its biplane characteristics help improve maneuverability, making it a nimble fighter in close combat. Soviet experience against Italian biplanes in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) showed that the I-16 design focused on monoplanes was not up to the Windkampf mission - so Soviet authorities still advocated for investment in the foreseeable future Biplane.

Design a future.

The I-15bis variant was used as a starting point and steps were taken to squeeze as much performance out of the platform as possible. The first was to remove the oversized fixed jet landing gear and replace this arrangement with an inward retraction wheel design (with a tail wheel) that the pilot manually operated from the cockpit.

Unlike the main legs in the arrangement, the tail wheel is not retractable, but its movement is related to the movement of the rudder for ground operation. The upper wing assembly, which originally had a simple V-shape, was redesigned to better mimic the "seagull" shape of the original I-15 product.

The modified airframe was mated to a twin-turbocharged Shvetsov M-62 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine (first run in 1937). Evolved from the previous M-25 model, which would eventually build some 40,630 over its lifetime, which would then lead to the development of the ASh-82.

The M-62's power output ranged from 850 hp to 1,000 hp and was used to drive a two-blade variable-pitch propeller unit on the nose.

The structure of the aircraft consists of a mixture of wood and metal, including aerodynamic metal skins. Additionally, the overall design and layout was very traditional for the time, in line with fighter developments elsewhere in the 1930s.

The original armament of the 4 x 7.62mm PV-1 series machine guns has been replaced by a series of 4 x 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns to improve the chances of a first strike. Introduced in 1933, ShKAS increased the rate of fire through its pneumatic rotary feed action. The units were belted in the usual way and aimed via iron sights in the cockpit. The I-153 is designed to carry up to 2,600 rounds of 7.62x54mm ammunition.

In addition, the aircraft is equipped with missile launch capability capable of launching 8 x 82mm RS-82 series airborne missiles for ground attack missions.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service

1939

Origins

Soviet Union

Status

retirement

does not work.

Crew

Production

3,437

Manufacturer

Polikarpov OKB - USSR

Operator

China (Taiwan); Finland (captured, bought from Germany); Nazi Germany (captured); former Soviet Union

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

Intercept

The ability to intercept incoming airborne threats with high performance, usually speed and rate of climb.

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

Disable support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Notable Features

Sync/Interrupt Gear

The automatic weapons are synchronized by a special mechanical gear assembly and fired by rotating propeller blades.

leafy

Added more main aircraft to improve inherent agility and provide tactical advantage in close combat.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Rating Process

A manual process to allow the pilot and/or crew to exit in the event of an onboard emergency.

Scalable

Has retractable/retractable landing gear to maintain aerodynamic efficiency.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

20. 2 feet

(6.17m)

Width/span

32.8 feet

(10.00m)

Height

9. 2 feet

(2.80m)

Cured weight

3,208 lbs

(1,455 kg)

MTOW

4,652 lbs

(2,110 kg)

Wgt Difference

+1,444 lbs

(+655kg)

Main surface structure

wings/up/down/straight

Biplane

The design features a biplane wing arrangement with one main plane element on top of the other. Biplanes have improved agility at the expense of increased drag.

up and down

Two main aircraft configurations where elements are stacked and positioned at different points on the fuselage.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

(Structural descriptors refer to production variant I-153 (M-62))

Performance

Installed:

1 x Shvetsov M-62 801 hp 9-cylinder radial-piston air-cooled engine driving a twin-blade variable-pitch propeller unit on the nose.

Maximum speed

277 km/h

(445 km/h | 240 knots)

Cruising speed

186 km/h

(300 km/h | 162 kn)

Maximum speed difference

+90 km/h

(+145 km/h | 78 kn)

Maximum

35,105 feet

(10,700 m | 7 km)

Area

292 km

(470 km | 870 nautical miles)

rate of climb

3,000 ft/min

(914 m/min)

Weapons

Standard (fixed, forward firing): 4 x 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns (requires 2,600 x 7.62mm ammunition). Optional: 8 x 82mm RS-82 rockets. External fuel tanks were added to at least 50 I-153 prototypes in service with the Soviet Navy. Alternative, suggested, tested: 2 x 20mm ShVAK autocannons.