Known as the Chaika ("Seagull") the Polikarpov I-15 was a high performance biplane fighter designed by the "King of Fighters" Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, the fighter first flew in October 1933 and when production ended a total of 3,313 aircraft had been produced, the Soviet Air Force being the prime user. Although having a good performance when built and designed by the start of WW2 the Polikarpov I-15 had effectively been made obsolete by the new cantilever mono-plane fighter designs of both the Allied and Axis air-forces, consequently the 1,000+ Polikarpov I-15 still operational were utilised in the ground attack role. The picture above is of a Polikarpov I-15bis, this was the most numerous I-15 variant, it was fitted with a more powerful 570 kW (775 PS) Shvetsov M-25V radial piston engine and modified upper wing designed to give the pilot a less obstructed view. Polikarpov I-15 M-22 Specifications: Crew: Pilot only Length: 6.10 m (20 ft) Wingspan: 9.75 m (32 ft) Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in) Wing area: 21.9 m² (236 ft²) Empty weight: 1,012 kg (2,231 lb) Loaded weight: 1,415 kg (3,120 lb) Engine: Single 353 kW (473 hp) M-22 radial engine Maximum speed: 350 km/h (220 mph) Range: 500 km (310 mi) Service ceiling: 7,250 m (23,800 ft) Armament: Four forward-firing 7.62 mm PV-1 machine guns or twin forward-firing 12.7 mm BS machine guns Maximum of 100 kg (220 lb) of bombs or six non-guided RS-82 rockets
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