Delays in receiving the intended Shvetsov engine meant that the prototype went into the air for the first time in August 1938 and this specimen carried the M-25V air-cooled radial of 750 horsepower. Despite setbacks in general design and performance, development on the fighter continued into 1939 and serial production was well-underway at the start of World War 2 which was began in September of that year and continued into 1941 by which point the limitations of the I-153's design were all but apparent to engineers, pilots, and warplanners alike. As such, quantitative production eventually ceased as better options became available but this only after 3,437 total units had left factories.
In action, the I-153 (with M-62 engine driving the two-bladed variable-pitch propeller unit) could manage a maximum speed of 275 miles-per-hour and cruise near 185 mph. Range was out to just under 300 miles while the rated service ceiling reached 35,100 feet. Rate-of-climb was a useful 3,000 feet-per-minute. Dimensions included a running length of 20.2 feet, a wingspan of 32.9 feet, and a height of 9.1 feet. Empty weight reached 3,200lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 4,655lb.
Initial combat actions involving I-153 fighters were at the Battle of Khalkin Gol as Soviet forces tangled with the Empire of Japan on Mongolian soil. The I-153 held its own against even the most modern Japanese types thanks to strong inherent maneuverability - though key limitations became engine life and lack of armoring at critical components. Beyond this, the I-153 could prove itself deadly to its own pilots due to its quirky operating characteristics. Various attempts by Polikarpov engineers and further development of the base model resulted in little adopted enhancements to the line. The I-153P went on to add cannon armament while the I-153Sh/USh added a drop bomb capability; the I-153UD was proposed with an economical hybrid fabric-over-wood construction but was not taken into service; the I-153V-TKGK was a high-altitude model but only 26 were realized and so on.
Before its ultimate end, the I-153 was showcased by the air powers of China (Chinese Nationalist Air Force), Finland (21 examples obtained through capture of Soviet specimens or through allied Germany), and the German Luftwaffe itself - these captured from the Soviets in the fighting across the East Front.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.