Polikarpov I-5

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I-5

I-5 mounted on the wing of a TB-3 bomber as a Zveno parasite
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Polikarpov
Designed by	N.N. Polikarpov
Maiden flight	1930-04-29
Status	Retired
Primary user	Soviet Air Force
Number built	803

The Polikarpov I-5 was a single-seat fighter of unequal-span biplane configuration which was the standard Soviet fighter between its introduction in 1933 until 1936. In total 803 I-5's were built, this number includes prototypes.

1 Early Design
2 Production
3 Construction
4 Operational Use
5 Specifications
6 References
7 Related content

[edit] Early Design

The aircraft was designed by Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov with assistance of Dmitry Pavlovich Grigorovich during the designers time at the Special Design Bureau of OGPU (CKB-39 OGPU) in the Butyrka prison. The maiden flight took place on the 29th of April in 1930, the prototype being known as VT-11. Barely a month later the second prototype took to the air on the 22nd of May, bearing the name Klim Voroshilov. The second prototype differed in having a Bristol Jupiter VI engine in place of the first prototype's Jupiter VII. The engine fitted to the first prototype had been built under license by French manufacturer Gnome-Rhone, and is therefore given as a French engine in some sources. The two prototypes also differed in minor details regarding the shape of the tail and the construction of the landing gears. All this meant a slight difference in weight and performance between the two prototypes was present, with the second being slightly heavier and faster, while the first had a slight range advantage and a higher service ceiling.

As Stalin now was pleased with the performance of his new fighter, the design team was released, marking the beginning of Polikarpov's career as the "King of Fighters".

[edit] Production

A third prototype and seven pre-production aircraft were ordered, the new design being given the official designation I-5. As the general design was considered sound, only some minor modifications were being made prior to full production. These included the fitting of a Townend-ring cowling, deleting the spinner, fitting an all metal propeller, revising the landing gear struts and modifying the spine.

In late 1932 full scale production started at GAZ-21, with the first production aircraft reaching combat units in February 1933. The full production standard aircraft had a NACA type-ring cowling around an M-22 engine, a Soviet copy of the Jupiter. The aircraft now also received its armament of two 7.62 mm PV-1 machine guns with 600 rounds per gun.

[edit] Construction

The aircraft was a single-seat biplane of unequal wing length configuration with fixed landing gear and a tailskid.

The aircraft was of mixed construction, with the aft fuselage being made of a framework of welded steel tubes covered by a riveted duralumin skin. The engine mount and bulkhead were made of welded steel tubes, with the front fuselage section being covered by detachable duralumin panels. For easy access to the tailskid suspension there were also detachable panels there, although these were of aluminium construction.

The upper wing was made in three sections, with the middle section being of duralumin and the outer ones being made of wood. The lower wings were also of wooden construction. All movable control surfaces and the tail section were fabric covered over metal framing.

[edit] Operational Use

The I-5 was the standard fighter of the Soviet Union up until 1936 when it was withdrawn from frontline use in favour of the Polikarpov I-15. A small number was converted for use as fighter-bombers by adding two more PV-1's and by fitting two bomb racks. The ground attack version sometimes goes under the designation I-5LSh, and some of these were still operational in Ukraine by the time Operation Barbarossa was launched.

Apart from its use as a frontline fighter and fighter-bomber some unarmed I-5's wore civil registration and were used by civil aeroclubs. The I-5 was also involved in the Zveno project as parasite fighters.

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 22 ft 3 in (6.78 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 7.25 in (10.24 m)
Height: ()
Wing area: 228.74 ft² (21.25 m²)
Loaded weight: 2,059 lb (934 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2,987 lb (1,355 kg)
Powerplant: 1× M-22 radial engine, 480 hp (358 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 173 mph (278 km/h)
Range: 348 mi (560 km)
Service ceiling: 24,605 ft (7,500 m)

Armament

Guns:
- 2× 7.62 mm PV-1 machine guns
Bombs:
- 2× 44 lb (20 kg) bombs

[edit] References

Ede, Paul and Moeng, Soph (gen. editors) The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft ISBN 1-85605-705-4
Stapfer, Hans-Heiri Polikarpov Fighters in Action, Pt. 1 ISBN 0-89747-343-4.