Country of origin:

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Description:

Single-seat fighter

Power Plant:

One 746 kw (1,000 hp) Shvetsov M-62 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine

Specifications:

Armament:

Four 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns mounted in pairs in the fuselage; provision for six 82 mm RS-82 rockets; two 50 kg (110 lb) bombs; or four 25 kg (55 lb) bombs

History:

The fastest biplane ever to see operational service, the I-153 made its operational debut during the Spanish Civil War, during which it became known as the Chaika (Gull).  Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov came to the forefront of the Soviet designers when he designed the I-5, some 800 examples of which were supplied to the Soviet Air Force, the aircraft design being completed whilst he was incarcerated at Hangar 7 of the V R Menzhinsky factory in Moscow for exercising insufficient energy in bringing assigned work to fruition, which had been regarded as “sabotage of the Party’s efforts”.

The prototype was powered by an imported Wright Cyclone engine but, as this was not available in quantity at that stage, it was necessary to use a 358 kw (480 hp) M-22, a licence-built variant of the Gnome Rhone Jupiter 9ASB, which in turn was a French version of the Bristol Jupiter VI.  At about this time the Soviet Union obtained a licence to manufacture the Cyclone at a new facility in the Urals under the control of Arkadii Shvetsove and, providing 522 kw (700 hp), it was initially produced for the I-16 as the M-25.  An M-25 was fitted to a stripped down I-15 airframe and on 29 November 1935 Vladimir Kokkinaki reached 14,575 m (48,818 ft).

The final development in a line of single-engine fighter biplanes, the TskB-3, later named the I-15, flew for the first time in October 1933 with a 522 kw (700 hp) M-25 radial engine, and this type was built in larger numbers than any previous Russian fighter.  In 1934 the I-15 bis appeared, having the upper wing braced above the fuselage instead of being a sesquiplane with single streamlined bracing struts, fitted with a 559 kw (750 hp) M-25B engine.

The I-153 was a further development produced in parallel with the I-15 bis.  This retained the original gull form upper-wing and had the 559 kw (750 hp) M-25B engine, differing in having a retractable undercarriage, but early in production the M-62R engine of 634 kw (850 hp) was substituted.  Wings were of wooden construction, each employing two box-type spars with internal wire bracing with fabric covering and were of unequal span, the upper wing being 14 m² (150.7 sq ft) in area and the lower 7.9 m² (85 sq ft). The fuselage was of chrome molybdenum steel framework with dural formers, dural covering forward and fabric skinning to the rear.

In 1936 production of the M-25 engine had reached the stage where it could be installed in the I-15.  Some I-15s and I-16s were shipped to Republican-held ports on the Spanish east coast, and eventually two escuadrilles were formed to fly the type during the Spanish Civil War.  I-15s were produced in some numbers with both the M-22 and M-25 engine, but some controversy arose amongst air force personnel over the desirability of the “gull” upper wing section as opposed to the more orthodox cabane structure, some saying that it restricted the pilot’s view during take-off and landing, and was a factor in the high accident rate of the type in service.

To deal with this problem, a compromise was reached, Factory No 21 producing a variant with an orthodox upper wing centre section braced above the fuselage, and this initially became known as the I-15bis or I-152.  Production of the I-15 also commenced at a slow rate in Spain at the CASA plant at Reus for the war effort.

This series of fighters was operated extensively in combat, initially in action in the Spanish Civil War, soon thereafter in action in China against Japanese fighters, and later between Soviet – Mongolian and Japanese forces in Mongolia.  The I-153 was a very manoeuvrable fighter but was very much obsolescent by the time it came up against the German Luftwaffe.  Final development of the type was the I-190, built in prototype form in 1939 with an M-88 14-cylinder radial engine, but this model was not proceeded with.  Various developments were tested, including the I-153GK with a pressurised cockpit. Both the I-152 and I-153 were used as test beds for ramjets to increase performance for short periods. The type continued in service as late as 1944.

A number were operated by the air force of Finland, eight being initially obtained after forced landings in Finish territory during the Winter War, being overhauled and placed in service, more being later obtained.  They were flown with some success and a number survived the war. Some saw service in the reconnaissance role with the Finnish Air Force.

Production of the I-152 was phased out in early 1939, some 2,408 being completed by Factory No 21.  Despite the introduction of the I-16 into service, there was still a demand by Soviet personnel for a biplane fighter and design work proceeded on the development of the I-152. The basic structure was retained by detail refinements and the aircraft was re-stressed, one major change being the incorporation of a retractable undercarriage and reversion to the gull upper wing.  Approval for the new aircraft was granted in October 1937, and it became known as the I-153 or I-15ter.

State Acceptance trials were conducted and production began at Factories Nos 1 and 156 with deliveries of production aircraft commencing in 1939, first combat taking place on 25 July 1939 over the Russo Mongolian border against Japanese forces in what was to become known as the Nomonhan Incident.  Large-scale production commenced, and during its production life some 48 were delivered each week.

Efforts were made to improve the performance of the I-153, including the installation of the M-62 engine with a two-speed supercharger and, despite some increase in climb rate and maximum speed at altitude, performance at low level was hardly changed.  The 7.62 (0.30 in) machine guns were replaced by 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns, and a number were fitted with two 20 mm ShVAK cannon. By late 1940 production had changed to other types and total production of the I-153 was 3,437 aircraft.

In Moscow, No 2 City Aero Club at Tushino built two replicas of the I-153 bis, and a production line commenced building a small number for warbird enthusiasts, three of these being delivered to the Alpine Fighter Collection at Wanaka, New Zealand, the first arriving in January 1998 and becoming ZK-JKN Red 16 (c/n 6316).  The second became ZK-JKM White 75 (c/n 7027), and the third ZK-JJB Red 10 (c/n 6326) in August 1999.  They were flown at Warbirds over Wanaka and other aviation events in following years.

Later these aircraft were exported: ZK-JKN to the United States in December 2002 where it became N153RP, ZK-JKM to Spain in March 2010 to the Parc Aeronautic De Catalunya Foundation, and ZK-JJB to Russia where it is based alongside the I-16 RA-1561G, ex ZK-JIO.

One original example is displayed at the Musee de l’Air near Paris. Another (code 42) was restored and in May 2000 was placed on display in the grounds of the Sukhoi Design Bureau in Moscow.