Polikarpov I-15 Walk-Around
The Polikarpov I-15 took on the appearance of a fighter aircraft caught between two distinct periods of aviation. She sported a cylindrical, barrel-shaped body to which the large diameter radial engine was fitted in a forward compartment. The aircraft made use of a biplane wing assembly - a lower and an upper assembly - with the upper component fielding dihedral or a "gulled" up-angled look (this was straightened in later production models like the I-15bis). Each wing maintained single bays with one large vertical strut and strong cabling. The pilot sat in an open-air cockpit just aft of the wings, his head and neck protected from behind by the raised fuselage spine. Views were generally adequate, made worse y the rearward pilot placement, the forward engine placement and the biplane wings. The empennage was short and sported a rounded vertical tail fin and applicable horizontal planes. The undercarriage was fixed in place and made up of two single-wheeled main landing gear legs (spatted over in streamlined fairings on the I-15bis) and a diminutive tail wheel at the base of the empennage. The main fuselage body was constructed of steel and duralumin while the rear fuselage was covered over in fabric. Wings were of all wood. The I-15 exhibited a wing span of 33.6 feet with a running length of 20.7 feet. Height was listed at just over 7 feet.
Polikarpov I-15bis Engine and Performance
The I-15 received power from a single Shvetsov M-25V radial piston engine of 775 horsepower spinning a two-bladed propeller system. This arrangement provided for maximum speeds of up to 230 miles per hour with a service ceiling equal to 31,170 feet and a range of 329 miles. Climb rate was 2,500 feet per minute.
Polikarpov I-15 Armament
Owing to the I-5 fighter biplane before it, armament for the I-15bis was purely offensive in nature. This constituted a battery of 4 x fixed, forward-firing 7.62mm machine guns. Up to 330lb of external stores could be fitted underwing and made the I-15 an effective fighter-bomber during her time aloft. Additionally, 6 x RS-82 unguided high-explosive rockets ultimately figured into the strike fighter role of the I-15, making for a more valuable battlefield system.
Polikarpov I-15 Operational History
The I-15 saw operation combat in the Spanish Civil War - to which the Soviet Union soon became involved in - and took on the nickname of "Chato" ("snub-nose"). The I-15 was fielded by the Republicans throughout the 1936-1939 conflict that also featured several key Nazi Germany war machines including the excellent Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. Initial I-15s deliveries began in October of 1936 and the type quickly established itself as a stout, reliable and heady performer. Combat garnered her a respectable reputation to the point that production facilities were set up on Spanish soil for license production of the nimble Soviet fighter - yielding a further 287 examples. Even after the Nationalist victory in March of 1939, I-15s were still kept in service, utilized primarily as trainer. The improved I-15bis eventually made it to Spanish inventories and were nicknamed "Super Chatos" by their recipients.
China received quantitative deliveries of the I-15 in their struggle against forces of the Empire of Japan in skies over Manchuria during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Reportedly, the Soviet Union also delivered pilots with these I-15s. The Chinese Nationalists became embroiled in a bitter conflict against forces of an invading Japanese Empire, the I-15 eventually proving to be outmoded by the more modern Japanese monoplanes.
The I-15bis model was also featured prominently by the Soviets in the Russo-Finnish 1939-1940 "Winter War" during their invasion of Finland. The invasion was to ultimately prove costly for the Soviets but territory was gained nonetheless, only to be lost once more in the years following.
Other operators ultimately included Mongolia, they utilizing some 40 or so aircraft from 1939 onwards.
Miscellaneous
Over 1,000 I-15s were still in the Soviet Air Force inventory by 1941. However, these had already passed their prime as direct-attack, frontline fighter platforms and were relegated to the ground attack role. By the middle of 1942, all were held in second-line roles and replaced by more modern and better-equipped combat platforms by the end of the year.
On December 31st, 1933 - just two months after the arrival of the I-15, Polikarpov unveiled his I-16 low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter during a first flight of the prototype. Upon its inception, the I-16 proved one of the world's best fighters of the time until, like the I-15, she was superseded by advanced types. But like the I-15, the I-16 still fought on into World War 2.
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