The Polikarpov I-153 ''Chaika'' (Russian ''Чайка'', "Seagull") was a late 1930s Soviet
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
fighter. Developed as an advanced version of the
I-15
I15 may refer to:
* Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America
* Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft
* I15 (band)
"Soulja Girl" is the second single from American rapper Soulja Boy's studio album '' ...
with a
retractable undercarriage
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...
, the I-153 fought in the
Soviet-Japanese combats in Mongolia and was one of the Soviets' major fighter types in the early years of the Second World War. Three I-153s are still flying.
Design and development
In 1937, the Polikarpov design bureau carried out studies to improve on the performance of its
I-15
I15 may refer to:
* Interstate 15, a north–south Interstate Highway in the United States of America
* Polikarpov I-15, a Soviet fighter aircraft
* I15 (band)
"Soulja Girl" is the second single from American rapper Soulja Boy's studio album '' ...
and I-15bis
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
fighters without sacrificing manoeuvrability, as Soviet tactical doctrine was based on a mix of high performance
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
fighters (met by the
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 (russian: Поликарпов И-16) is a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to attain ope ...
) and agile biplanes.
[Gordon and Dexter 1999, p. 124.] Early combat experience from the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
had shown that the I-16 had problems dealing with the
Fiat CR.32 biplanes used by the Italian forces supporting the Nationalists, which suggested a need to continue the use of biplane fighters, and as a result, Polikarpov's proposals were accepted, and his design bureau was instructed to design a new biplane fighter. Polikarpov assigned the task to the design team led by
Aleksei Ya Shcherbakov, who was assisted by
Artem Mikoyan
Artem (Artyom) Ivanovich Mikoyan (russian: Артём Ива́нович Микоя́н; hy, Արտյոմ (Անուշավան) Հովհաննեսի Միկոյան, translit=''Artyom (Anushavan) Hovhannesi Mikoyan''; – 9 December 1970) was a ...
and
Mikhail Gurevich (who would later set up the
MiG
Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...
design bureau).
[Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 24.]
The new fighter (designated I-15ter by the design bureau and I-153 by the
Soviet Air Forces
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
(VVS)
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 79.]) was based closely on the design of the I-15bis, with a stronger structure, but was fitted with a manually retractable undercarriage to reduce drag. It reverted to the
"gulled" upper wing of the original I-15 but used the Clark YH aerofoil of the I-15bis.
[Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 25.] The four 7.62 mm
PV-1 machine gun
PV-1 (''Pulemet Vozdushny'', airborne machine gun) is a Soviet air-cooled version of the Russian M1910 Maxim for mounting on aircraft. It was designed between 1926 and 1927. The first prototypes were produced and accepted into service in 1928.Ш ...
s of the I-15bis were replaced by four
ShKAS machine gun
The ShKAS (Shpitalny-Komaritski Aviatsionny Skorostrelny, Shpitalny-Komaritski rapid fire for aircraft; Russian: ШКАС - Шпитального-Комарицкого Авиационный Скорострельный) is a 7.62 mm calibre ...
s. While still rifle-calibre weapons, these fired much faster than the PV-1s, (1,800 rounds per minute rather than 750 rounds per minute
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, pp. 82–83.]) giving a much greater weight of fire.
The new fighter was to be powered by a
Shvetsov M-62
The Shvetsov ASh-62 (Russian: АШ-62, designated M-62 before 1941) is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union. A version of this engine is produced in Poland as the ASz-62 and the People's Republic of Ch ...
an improved derivative of the
Shvetsov M-25
The Shvetsov M-25 was an aircraft radial engine produced in the Soviet Union (USSR) in the 1930s and 1940s, a licensed production variant of the Wright R-1820-F3.
Design and development
The first M-25s were produced from kits imported from the ...
that powered the I-15 and I-15bis with twin
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
s.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, pp. 79, 81.]
The aircraft was of mixed metal and wood construction, with the fuselage structure being based on
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...
-
molybdenum
Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'', which is based on Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lea ...
steel with
duralumin
Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of '' Dürener'' and ''aluminium''.
Its use as a tra ...
skinning on the forward fuselage, and fabric covering on the fuselage aft of the front of the cockpit. The aircraft's wings were made of fabric covered wood, while the tail surfaces were of fabric covered duralumin.
[Green 1971, p. 11.] The aircraft was fitted with a
tailwheel undercarriage
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynami ...
, with the mainwheels retracting rearwards, rotating through 90 degrees to lie flat in the wing roots, being actuated by cables operated by a pilot-driven handwheel. The solid rubber tailwheel did not retract, but moved in conjunction with the rudder.
The M-62 was not ready by the time the first prototype was complete, so it was fitted with a 750 hp (560 kW) M-25V engine when it made its maiden flight in August 1938.
The first prototype failed factory testing due to numerous defects, but this did not stop production, with the aircraft entering production concurrently with ongoing testing and development. Early production I-153s powered by the M25 engine passed state testing during 1939, despite the loss of one aircraft which disintegrated in a 500 km/h (311 mph) dive. In test flights, the I-153 (M-25) achieved the top speed of 424 km/h (264 mph), service ceiling of 8,700 m (28,500 ft), and required 6 minutes 24 seconds to reach 5,000 m (16,404 ft).
This performance was well in excess of that demonstrated by the I-15bis.
During 1939, production switched to a version powered by the originally planned M-62 engine, with an M-62 powered prototype undergoing state testing from 16 June 1939. While speed at sea level was virtually unchanged, the new engine improved performance at altitude.
[Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 26.] A speed of 443 km/h (275 mph) at 4,600 m (15,100 ft) was recorded, with a service ceiling of 9,800 m (32,100 ft). This performance was disappointing, and caused the aircraft to fail the state acceptance trials, although this did not disrupt production.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 81.] While it was recognised that the I-153's performance was inadequate, the over-riding requirement was to not disrupt production until more advanced fighters could enter production.
While numerous improvements were proposed, many were too radical to be implemented since the aircraft was already in production. Desperate to improve performance, Polikarpov tested two I-153 with the
Shvetsov M-63
The Shvetsov ASh-62 (Russian: АШ-62, designated M-62 before 1941) is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union. A version of this engine is produced in Poland as the ASz-62 and the People's Republic of Ch ...
engine with 820 kW (1,100 hp). However, the results were disappointing and it was becoming painfully obvious that the biplane airframe was incapable of higher speeds.
One of the rarely mentioned characteristics of the I-153 was its poor performance in a
spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
. While the
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 (russian: Поликарпов И-16) is a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to attain ope ...
had gained notoriety for entering spins, pilots found it easy to recover from a spin. In contrast, while the I-153 was difficult to spin, once it lost control, recovery was difficult to the point where intentional spinning was forbidden for some time. A spin recovery procedure was eventually developed but, while effective, it required flawless timing and execution.
By the end of production in 1941, a total of 3,437 I-153s were built.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, pp. 83, 86]
Operational history
![Polikarpov I-153 SA-kuva 20616](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Polikarpov_I-153_SA-kuva_20616.jpg)
The I-153 first saw combat in 1939 during the Soviet-Japanese
Battle of Khalkin Gol
The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Jap ...
in
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
. The Japanese Army Air Forces' Type 97 Fighter (
Nakajima Ki-27
The was the main fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service up until 1940. Its Allied nickname was "Nate", although it was called "Abdul" in the "China Burma India" (CBI) theater by many post war sources; Allied Intelligen ...
) ''Nate'' proved a formidable opponent for the I-15bis and I-16, but was more evenly matched with the I-153, which retained agility inherent to biplanes while having improved performance. While the overall I-153 performance was satisfactory, some significant problems were revealed. Most troublesome was the absence of a firewall between the fuel tank mounted in front of the cockpit and the pilot. Combined with strong draft coming in through the wheel wells, fuel tank fires invariably resulted in rapid engulfment of the cockpit and severe burns to the pilot. In addition, the M-62 engine suffered from a service life of only 60–80 hours due to failures of the two-speed
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
.
[Maslov 2005, p. 71.]
The Polikarpov I-153 Chaika never flew with any Spanish Air Force units during or after the Spanish Civil War. Two earlier variants of this aircraft, the I-15 and the I-15bis, did fly with the Republican Air Force during the conflict and, later, captured examples of both types were used by the ''Fuerzas Aéreas'' till the early 1950s.
Variants
While attempts to improve performance proved largely fruitless, Polikarpov had some success in upgrading the armament. The I-153 series underwent trials with two synchronized 12.7 mm (0.5 in) TKB-150 (later designated
Berezin BS
The Berezin UB (russian: УБ - Универсальный Березина) (''Berezin's Universal'') was a 12.7 mm caliber Soviet aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II.
Development
In 1937, Mikhail Yevgenyevich Berezin bega ...
) machine guns, and about 150 aircraft were built with a single TKB-150 in the fuselage and two ShKAS in the wings (a single TKB-150 was used because of the shortage of this weapon which was shared with I-16 Type 29). Late in production, about 400 aircraft were modified with metal plates under the wings to accommodate
RS-82
RS-82 and RS-132 (Reaktivny Snaryad; Russian: Реактивный Снаряд; rocket-powered projectile) were unguided rockets used by Soviet military during World War II.
Development
Design work on RS-82 and RS-132 rockets began in the late 19 ...
unguided rockets.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 83]
Other variants included:
* I-153DM (''Dopolnityelnyi Motor'' – supplementary engine) - On an experimental basis, the I-153DM was flown with gasoline-burning
ramjet
A ramjet, or athodyd (aero thermodynamic duct), is a form of airbreathing jet engine that uses the forward motion of the engine to produce thrust. Since it produces no thrust when stationary (no ram air) ramjet-powered vehicles require an ass ...
engines under the wings. DM-2 engines increased the top speed by while more powerful DM-4 engines added as much as . A total of 74 flights were undertaken.
* I-153P (''Pushechnyy'' – cannon armed)- two synchronized 20 mm (0.79 in)
ShVAK cannon
The ShVAK ( ru , ШВАК: Шпитальный-Владимиров Авиационный Крупнокалиберный, Shpitalnyi-Vladimirov Aviatsionnyi Krupnokalibernyi, "Shpitalny-Vladimirov Aviation Large-calibre") was a 20 mm autocann ...
s, added firepower was offset by the increase in weight and tendency of gunpowder to foul the windscreen. At least eight built.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 97]
* I-153Sh and USh - ground attack versions with underwing containers with four ShKAS machine guns (Sh) or and twenty bombs (USh).
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 98]
* I-153TK - Four prototypes fitted with M-25V or M-62 engines boosted by twin TK-1 superchargers. Twenty production aircraft built.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, pp. 98–99]
* I-153V (''Vysotnoi'' - height) (also known as I-190GK (''Germetichyeskoi Kabine'' – hermetic (pressure) cabin) - A single aircraft fitted with the definitive Schyerbakov "minimum leak" pressure cabin.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 100]
* I-153V-TKGK (''Vysotnoi-TK Germetichyeskoi Kabine '' - height turbo-charged hermetic (pressure) cabin) - high-altitude version with a turbocharged M-63 engine and a pressurized cockpit. One built.
* I-153UD - rear fuselage completed as a wooden
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
rather than fabric-covered steel and wooden frame to save metal, did not enter production.
[Gordon and Dexter 2002, p. 99]
* 50 I-153 were equipped with larger oil tanks and plumbed to accept external fuel tanks under the wings which doubled the combat range. These were primarily used by the Soviet Navy.
* I-190 - experimental version powered by an 820 kW (1,100 hp) M-88V radial piston engine with two ShVAK cannon and four ShKAS machine guns. First flight 30 December 1939 but crashed 13 February 1941 and variant discontinued.
* - The second I-190 prototype completed with a pressure cabin and turbo-charged M-90 engine fitted with a ducted spinner.
* I-195 - Strengthened I-190 with enclosed unpressurised cockpit, powered by an M-90 with a ducted spinner and identical armament to the I-190. The prototype was not completed.
Operators
![I-153](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/I-153.jpg)
;
*
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
;
*
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; fi, Ilmavoimat, , Air forces; sv, Flygvapnet, , Air weapon) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnis ...
operated 21 captured aircraft, 11 of which were bought from Germany, of which 10 were actually delivered. They flew with the serial numbers IT-11 to IT-31. In Finnish service, FAF pilots claimed at least 5 kills in I-153s against the Soviets.
;
*''
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' operated captured aircraft.
;
*
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
*
Soviet Naval Aviation
Soviet Naval Aviation (AV-MF, for ''Авиация военно-морского флота'' in Russian, or ''Aviatsiya voyenno-morskogo flota'', literally "aviation of the military maritime fleet") was the naval aviation arm of the Soviet Nav ...
Surviving aircraft
![I-153 RA-1562G (6066213064)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/I-153_RA-1562G_%286066213064%29.jpg)
There are four complete survivors of this plane, three of which can fly. In the early 1990s, New Zealand pilot and entrepreneur
Tim Wallis
Sir Timothy William Wallis (born 9 September 1938) is a New Zealand businessman and aviation entrepreneur. He pioneered live deer capture from helicopters, which led to a significant industry in New Zealand. He was a leader and international re ...
'
Alpine Fighter Collection organised the restoration of three I-153s and six I-16s to an airworthy condition, this project being completed in 1999 as the third and final I-153 arrived in New Zealand. These aircraft were equipped with AZsh-62IR geared radials instead of the M-62, which were non-geared. The reason is that AZsh-62IR is just a version of M-62, with absolute equality in all instead of a frontal gearbox and weapon synchronizer absence. Also, none of original engines from recovered wrecks could have been brought to life.
France
* 7277 – I-153 on static display at the
Musée de l'Air in
Paris, Île-de-France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. It is being restored by the Memorial Flight Association. This is the only fully original I-153 known to exist.
Russia
* 6326 – I-153 with
Vadim Zadorozhny in Russia. It is painted as Red 10 and registered as RA-1562G.
Spain
* 7027 – I-153 airworthy at the Fundació Parc Aeronautic de Catalunya in
Sabadell, Catalonia as EC-LJL.
United States
* 6316 – I-153 airworthy at the
Military Aviation Museum
The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to one of the world's largest collections of warbirds in flying condition. It includes examples from Germany, France, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, from ...
in
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
as N153RP.
Specifications (I-153 (M-62))
See also
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Abanshin, Michael E. and Nina Gut. ''Fighting Polikarpov, Eagles of the East No. 2''. Lynnwood, Washington: Aviation International, 1994. .
* Gordon, Yefim and Dmitri Khazanov. ''Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume One: Single-Engined Fighters''. Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 1998. .
* Gordon, Yefim and Keith Dexter. ''Polikarpov Biplane Fighter Variants''. ''Wings of Fame''. Volume 17, 1999, pp. 106–129. London: Aerospace Publishing. . ISSN 1361-2034.
* Gordon, Yefim and Keith Dexter. ''Polikarpov's Biplane Fighters'' (Red Star, vol.6). Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing, 2002. .
* Green, William. "End of an Era... Polikarpov's Chaika." ''
Air Enthusiast
''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
'', Volume 1, Number 1, June 1971, pp. 9–15. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press Ltd.
* Green, William. ''Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters''. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., Seventh impression 1973m, First edition 1961. .
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Of Chaika and Chato...Polikarpov's Fighting Biplanes". ''
Air Enthusiast
''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
''. Eleven, November 1979–February 1980, pp. 9–29. Bromley, UK: Pilot Press. ISSN 0143-5450.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. ''WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Soviet Air Force Fighters, Part 2''. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1978. .
* Keskinen, Kalevi, Kari Stenman and Klaus Niska. ''Venäläiset Hävittäjät (Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 7)'' (in Finnish). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1977. .
* Kopenhagen, W., ed. ''Das große Flugzeug-Typenbuch'' (in German). Stuggart, Germany: Transpress, 1987. .
* Léonard, Herbert. ''Les avions de chasse Polikarpov'' (in French). Rennes, France: Editions Ouest-France, 1981. .
* Léonard, Herbert. ''Les chasseurs Polikarpov'' (in French). Clichy, France: Éditions Larivière, 2004. .
* Maslov, Mikhail A. ''Polikarpov I-153 (Wydawnictwo Militaria 222)'' (in Polish). Warsawa, Poland: Wydawnictwo Militaria, 2005. .
* Mikesh, Robert and Shorzoe Abe. ''Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, 1910–1941 (Putnam Aviation Series).'' Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990. .
* Stapfer, Hans-Heiri. ''Polikarpov Fighters in Action, Part 1 (Aircraft in Action number 157)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1995. .
External links
Photos and article on restored I-153 in New Zealand
{{Authority control
1930s Soviet fighter aircraft
I-153
The Polikarpov I-153 ''Chaika'' (Russian ''Чайка'', "Seagull") was a late 1930s Soviet biplane fighter. Developed as an advanced version of the I-15 with a retractable undercarriage, the I-153 fought in the Soviet-Japanese combats in Mong ...
Gull-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1937