Aircraft · Soviet Union · 1938-1943
Polikarpov I-153 Chaika
biplane fighter
A gull-winged ("Chaika", meaning gull) sesquiplane fighter developed from the I-15bis to keep the agility of the biplane layout while closing the performance gap with monoplane fighters, first flying in August 1938 and entering production in 1939. Powered by a supercharged Shvetsov M-62 radial, it first saw combat against Japanese forces at Khalkhin Gol in 1939 and then in the Winter War against Finland, before equipping many Soviet regiments at the start of Operation Barbarossa in 1941. It represented the last operational development of the Soviet biplane fighter line, and although some variants carried underwing rockets or cannon, it was outclassed by German monoplane fighters and was relegated to ground-attack and secondary duties as the war went on.
| engine | Shvetsov M-62, 801 hp |
|---|---|
| max speed | 444 km/h |
| armament | 4x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns |
| range | 470 km |
| produced | 3,437 |
